LECTURE FINALS

ARTS APPRECIATION

PRINCIPLES OF ARTS

To reiterate, the appreciation and engagement of art relies substantially on being equipped with the
appropriate language that allows it to be more comprehensible. It is the principles of art that influence
the effect achieved by the elements, and the linkages of other principles.

1. BALANCE – this principles refers to the distribution of the visual elements in view of their placement
in relation to each other.
Three forms of balance
a. Symmetrical – the elements used on one side are reflected to the other. This offers the most
stable visual sense to any artwork.
Example UP Diliman Oblation Statue
b. Asymmetrical – the elements are not the same (or the same weight on each side, putting the
heaviness on one side.
c. Radial – there is a central point in the composition, around which elements and objects are
distributed.
2. SCALE AND PROPORTION – Scale pertains to the size in relation to what is normal for the figure of
object in question. Sculptures of exaggerate scale are common all over the world as many artists are
taken by the whimsical quality. In the Philippines, Arturo Luz has created enormous sculptural versions
of the paper clip. For a long time, it occupied prominent spot at the entrance of the Ayala Museum.
PROPORTION, on the other hand, is the size of the components, or of objects in relation to one another
when taken as a composition or a unit. This can also refer to values such as amount of elements or
objects in the composition. One of the most common cannons asserted relates to the proportion of the
body. This varies from one culture to another. For the Egyptians artist, the human form follows a square
grid and is informed of the hand as a unit of measure. To complete a standing human figure, 18 units
(squares) are needed from head to foot. In the other hand, Greeks held that numerical relationships-the
golden ratio-was the key to beauty or to perfection. In the golden ratio, the figure is divided into two
unequal segments wherein the smaller is the same ration to the larger segment, and that the longer
segment is the same ration in relation to the whole. In figures it can be valued 1:1.618. LEONARDO DA
VINCI’S “Vitruvian Man” id an exploration on the ideas of the Roman Architect Vitruvius, in which the
human body is an example of a classical proportion in architecture, man’s body can be used to better
understand the symmetry that exists in nature and the universe.
Proportion can be:
1. Natural – relates the realistic size of the visual elements in the artwork, especially for
figurative artwork. When it is the accuracy in relation to the real world that the artist is after, this is now
referred to as the principle of scale.
2. Exaggerated – refers to the unusual size relations of visual elements, deliberately
exaggerating the immensity or minuteness of an object.
3. Idealized – most common to those that canons of perfection, the size-relations of elements or
objects, which achieve the most ideal size-relations.
3-4 EMPHASIS AND CONTRAST
Emphasis allows the attention of the viewer to a focal point (s), accentuating or drawing
attention to these elements or objects. This can be done through the manipulation of the elements or
through the assistance of other principles, especially that of contrast. CONTRAST is the disparity
between the elements that figure into the composition. One object may be made stronger compared to
other objects (hence, emphasis). For instance, space, specifically the use of negative and positive space
is an example of contrast. Another example is the use of complementary colors in a work of art.

5-6 UNITY AND VARIETY

Unless intended to be otherwise, compositions are intended to imbue a sense of accord or
completeness from the artwork. This is UNITY. The principle that aims to retain the interest by allowing
patches or areas that both excite and allow the eye to rest.

7. HARMONY –Unity and variety is related to the principle of harmony, in which the elements or objects
achieve a sense of flow and interconnectedness.

8. MOVEMENT – this refers to the direction of the viewing eye as it goes through the artwork, often
guided by areas or elements that are emphasized. This focal points can be lines. edges, shape, and color
within the artwork of art, among others.

9. RHYTHM – This s created when elements is repeated, creating implied movement. Variety of
repetition helps invigorate rhythm as depicted in the artwork.

10-11 REPETITION AND PATTERN – Lines, shapes, color, and other elements may appear in an artwork in
a recurring manner. This is called repetition. In addition, the image created out of repetition is called
pattern.

ELEMENTS OF ART: VISUAL

Taking off from the scientific reference, elements of art are akin to the atoms that are defined as
the units or “building blocks” of matter. Together, in a variety of combinations and formations, they
have the ability to create molecules such as water, or to more complex sucrose. It must be underscored,
however that all works of art require all elements to be present. For example, sculptures automatically
have the following elements with or without the decision of the artist to include the: shape, form, and
space. Elements are the necessary preconditions for the creation of art.

1. LINE – refers to a point moving at an identifiable path- it has length and direction. It also has width. It
is one dimensional however, it has the capacity to either define the parameters of the artwork (edges)
and/or become a substantial component of the composition. Known for using lines to provide the
outline or contour of the figures he portrays in his work, Keith Haring first executed the public mural
“Todos juntos podemos parar el sida” (Together We Can Stop AIDS) in Barcelona in 1989. In 2014, it
was created at the foywe of the Museu d’art Contemporani de Barcelona (Barcelona Museum of
Contemporary Art) to commemorate it. Haring battled with HIV/AIDS to which he succumbed to in
1990.
A quality that is ascribed to lines is its ability to direct the eyes to follow movement or provide hints as
to a work’s focal point.
1. Horizontal and Vertical Lines –refers to the orientation of the line. These lines are normally associated
with rest and calm. Landscapes often contain these elements as works like these often connote a visual
sense of being parallel to the ground. It also alludes to position of the reclined body at rest. Vertical
lines, on the other hand, connote elevation or height, which is usually take to mean exaltation or
aspiration for action. Together these lines communicate stability and firmness.
2. Diagonal and Crooked Lines-Diagonal lines convey movement and instability, although the
progression can be seen. Crooked or jagged lines, on the other hand, are reminiscent of violence,
conflict, or struggle.
3. Curved lines – these are lines that bend or coil. They allude to softness, grace, flexibility, or even
sensuality. One of the most important Spanish artist is Francisco de Joya. Known for his prints, he is
master of etched works and use of aquatint. Lines my not necessarily be explicit or literally shown. As
what many examples will portray, implied lines may be just as powerful, if not more. In “The aft of
Medusa,” the position and orientation of the bodies that are aboard the raft are predominantly diagonal
in direction. This creates not only movement but also tension in the in the scene. Based on the actual
event, the painting depicts the 1816 wreckage of the French government ship called Medusa.

2-3 SHAPE AND FORM – Shape refers to two dimensions: height and width, while forms refers to three
dimensions: height, width, and depth. Even if shapes are part of a bigger picture, each can be identified
by breaking the visual components apart and making distinctions based on what we know and what we
have seen.
Two categories can be used as a broad distinction
1. Geometric – these shapes find origin in mathematical propositions.
2. Organic – organic shapes are those readily occurring in nature, often irregular and asymmetrical.
Shapes may also be implied. For instance, Raphael’s famous painting “The Madonna of the Meadows”
depicts 3 figures: Mary, the young Jesus and the young John the Baptist.

4. SPACE related to shape and form is space. It is usually inferred from a sense f depth, whether is real or
simulated. In the middle of the AT&T Plaza at the Millennium Park in the Loop Community Area in
Chicago, the iconic “CLOUD GATE” occupies a considerable space. Shaped like a bean, hence its other
referent, the public sculpture was unveiled in 2004. The dent in the middle offers a gap in which people
can pass through and gaze at the sculpture in a different perspective. However, not all works are
sculptures. In two-dimensional artworks they may be implied.
1. Positive and negative space. Usually identified with the white space is the negative space. The positive
space, on the other hand, is the space where shadow is heavily used.
2. Three-dimensional space – can be simulated through a variety of techniques such as shading.

5. COLOR –Color is perhaps one of the elements that enhances the appeal of an artwork. Its effect has
range, allowing the viewer to make responses based on memory, emotion, and distinct, among others,
This element is a property of light, as it is reflected off the object. Color is nor intrinsic to an object and
without light, one cannot perceive color. Much of what we know about colors begins with the notion of
a Color Theory that was first unraveled by the experiments undertaken by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. A
ray of sunlight passing through a prism reveals an array of colors akin to that of a rainbow.
The color wheel corresponds to the first property of color Hue.
a. HUE – this dimension of color gives its name. It can be divided into:
 Primary colors – red, yellow, and blue
 Secondary colors – green, orange, and violet
 Tertiary colors – six in total, these hues are achieve when primary and secondary colors
are mixed
b. VALUE – this refers to the brightness or darkness of color. Often, this is used by artist to create illusion
of depth and solidity, a particular mood, communicate a feeling, or in establishing a scene (e.g. day and
night)
 Light colors- taken as the source of light in the composition.
 Dark colors – the lack or even absence of light. However we can identify the color even
when a range is presented to us. Expectations are also established on the notion that
yellow is within the light value; whereas, violet is the dark.
 Tint – this is a lighter color than the normal value, ( pink for red)
 Shade – this is a darker color that the normal value ( maroon for red)
c. Intensity – this is the color’s brightness or dullness. It is identified as the strength of color, whether it
is vivid or muted. To achieve a specific intensity of a color, one may add either gray or its
complementary color.
 Bright or warm colors – positive energy
 Dull or cool colors – sedate/soothing, seriousness or calm
 Monochromatic harmonies – use the variations of a hue. An example is Claud Monet’s
“Houses of Parliament.”
 Complementary harmonies – involve two colors opposite each other in the color wheel.
Example Three Saints (Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Roch and Saint Lucy, patron of the
blind Cima da Conegliano (Giovanni Bautista Cima)
 Analogous harmonies – make use of two colors beside each other in the color wheel.
Other harmonies have emerged such as triadic harmonies, which make use of three colors from
equidistant sites within the color wheel. Example Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”

6. TEXTURE – Like space, texture can be wither real or implied. This element in an artwork is experienced
through the sense of touch (and sight). In the portrait rendered by court painter Frans Pourbus the
Younger, Princess Margherita’s garb is adorned in opulent bead and stitch that are befitting her rank.
This is achieved using the techniques employed by the artist in creating the work.
1. Texture in the two-dimensional plane – texture can be implied using one techniques or a combination
of other elements of art.
2. Surface texture – refers to the texture of the three dimensional art object

PLANES AND PERSPECTIVE

Picture plane is the actual surface of the painting or drawing, where no illusion exists. During the
Renaissance (15th century) chiaroscuro was developed It made use of light and dark contrast and tones
in which paintings not only looked 3 dimensional, but also more dramatic. Early proponents include
Leon Battista Alberti, Paolo Uccello and architect Filippo Brunelleschi in the early 15 th century, who were
published in Alberti’s On Painting in 1435.
Three types of perspective:
1. one-point perspective – often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways, or rows of trees; this type of
perspective shows parallel lines that seem to converge at a specific and lone vanishing point along the
horizon line.
Example: G. Herbert and Horace C. Bayley, New Railway Viaduct
2. Two-point perspective – pertains to a painting or drawing that makes use of two vanishing points,
which can be placed anywhere along the horizon line.
Example Gustav Caillebotte “Rue de Paris, temps de pluie” (Paris Street in Rainy Weather)
3. Three-point perspective- the viewer is looking at a scene from above or below.
Example Berenice Abbott “Chanon Building, New York”

ELEMENTS OF ART: AUDITORY

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

1. RHYTHM- Often associated to the terms beat, meter, and tempo, rhythm is the element of music
that situates it in time. It is the pulse of the music. Beat is the basic unit of music while tempo refers to
the peed (beats/second). Beats can be organized into a recognizable recurrent pattern, which is called
the meter.
Classical terms are used to refer to the variations in tempo, some of which are:
 Largo – slowly and broadly
 Andante – walking pace
 Moderato – at moderate speed
 Allegro – fast
 Vivace –lively
 Accelerando – gradually speeding up
 Rallentado – gradually slowing down
 Allargando – getting slower, broadening
 Rubato – literally “robbed time”, rhythm is played freely for expressive effect
2. DYNAMICS – refers to the loudness or quietness of music. Classical terms are used to refer to the
different levels pertaining to this:
 Pianissimo (pp) – very quiet
 Piano (p) – quiet
 Mezzo-piano - (mp) moderately quiet
 Mezzo-forte (mf) moderately loud
 Forte (f) loud
 Fortissimo (ff)- very loud
When composers indicate an increase, or decrease in loudness, they use the term crescendo for
the former, and decrescendo or diminuendo for the latter.

3. MELODY – refers to the linear presentation (horizontal) of pitch. By horizontal, it means that in
musical notation, it is read in succession from left to right. PITCH is the highness or lowness of musical
sound.
4. HARMONY – if melody is horizontal, harmony is vertical. It arises when pitches are combined to form
chords. When several notes are simultaneously played, this refers to a chord. Harmony can be described
in terms of its “harshness’” dissonance is the harsh-sounding combination while consonance is the
smooth-sounding combination.

5. TIMBRE – is often likened to the color of music.

6. TEXTURE – the number of melodies, the type of layers, and their relatedness n a composition is the
texture of music. It may be:
 Monophonic – single melodic lines
 Polyphonic – two or more melodic lines
 Homophonic – main melody accompanied by chords

STAY AT HOME, GOD BLESS. . . .