*TODAYS OBJECTIVES*

TODAYS GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF NOTAN. 1. First we will learn/review the artistic elements involved in the creation of Notan. These elements are: -Positive and Negative space -Geometric and Organic shapes -Symmetry and Asymmetry

2. Next, we will look at the architecture of Frank Gehry; and how his work relates to the concept of Notan. 3. Last, we will look at student examples of Notan Squares and make some of our own!

Positive and Negative Space

The POSITIVE space The NEGATIVE space What is Is black Is black positive space in this picture?

You can draw the stool simply by drawing the negative space that surrounds the stool.

The positive space is white and the negative is black

Geometric and Organic Shapes

SHAPE is an ELEMENT of art Geometric Organic Shapes Shapes

Symmetrical Balance
BALANCE is a PRINCIPLE of Art SYMMETRY Symmetry means a mirror image -- one side is the mirror image of the other. (Same on all
sides)

Asymmetry
Asymmetry means without symmetry. There is no mirror image. (Sides are different)

Now that we have learned about all the elements involved in Notan, WHAT IS NOTAN!?! Lets take a look at some examples of Notan.

Notan

Notan is the Japanese word for the relationship between dark and light

Notan: Expansion of the Square

Notan is a Japanese word which means "dark-light". The word, however, means more than that. The principle of Notan as it relates to design is defined as the interaction between positive and negative space.

Western culture tends to emphasize the positive aspect of design, with less emphasis on the negative (background) space. The Eastern culture from which Notan arose, seeks a more balanced view of the world, and of design as it relates to the world. The classic yin/yang symbol is a reflection of this

Notan, the interaction of positive and negative, or field and ground, is the basis of all good design and exists all around us. The "Expansion of the Square" exercise is one Notan exercise designed to study the interaction of positive and negative space.

Lao Tse We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the utility of the wheel depends. We turn clay to make a vessel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the utility of the vessel depends. We pierce doors and windows to make a house; and it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the utility of the house depends. Therefore, just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the utility of what is not. --Lao Tse (Translated by Arthur Waley in The Way and its Power. (Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston 1935)

This poem, attributed to Lao Tse, was written two thousand years ago in China. It is a poem about Notan the basis of all design. Before Notan or the meaning of this poem can be understood, it must be experienced.

Excerpt from: Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design by Dorr Bothwell and Marlys Mayfield

What is dark is not light and what is light is not dark. This is the basis of all design and an important guiding principle of art. It seems so simple but an artist can spend a lifetime exploring the possibilities of light and dark.

Is this example mostly a Geometric or Organic shape Notan?

Is this organic or geometric ?

Is this Notan Design Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?

Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?

In this Notan Design what is POSTIVE space and what is NEGATIVE space?

Here are some good examples:

So what now?
You are going to create your own Notan Design
Take your black paper square, and begin to cut shapes into the

sides. DO NOT cut into the corners of the square. You want to maintain the shape of the square. You may choose to cut geometric, organic shapes, or both to create your design. Every time you cut out a shape from the square, it must be glued down as the mirror image from where it was originally cut. No pieces can be discarded. Every piece you cut away from the square needs to be glued down in its opposing position on the paper. Cutting through the center makes it hard. You will have to figure out which side to put the piece on. Beginners should avoid cutting through the center. Students who are advanced may challenge themselves by cutting through the center.

This use of light and dark translates shape and form into flat shapes on a two-dimensional surface