SOCS101 Finals Reviewer

● Components of Art: Subject and Content

● Components of Art: Form
● Components of Art: Form - Principles of Design
● Art Analysis

Basic Components of Art: Subject, Content, and Form

3 Components of Art:
1. Subject - what is the art about?
2. Content - why? What is the meaning of the artwork?
3. Form - how the artwork was produced

Subject
- Perceivable features of an artwork
- Refers to the visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining the artwork
- What is readily seen and relates to the artwork, its inspiration, and the many kinds of
translation?
- What is made explicit or visible?
- Types of subject: (the way it is presented)
● REPRESENTATIONAL ART
○ Subjects are persons, place or events occurring in the real world
○ Figurative art, as figures are depicted and can be easily recognized.
○ Realism, the subject is presented as it is perceived in reality.
○ Abstractionism, the subject is presented in a distorted, symbolic,
non-realistic way.
● NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
○ Non-figurative art. There are no clear figures.
○ Non-objectivism. Art has no subject at all.
○ Art does not make reference to the real world.
○ Stripped down to visual elements such as shapes, lines, and colors
employed to translate a particular emotion or idea.
E.g Realism, Abstractionism, Non-objectivism
● NON REPRESENTATIONAL vs ABSTRACT ART
○ There is no clear- divide; rather they exist in a spectrum
○ It depends on the degree of distortion or abstraction
○ ABSTACT ART
■ Is a departure from reality by distortion
○ NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
■ Is a complete severance from the world
■ End of a spectrum
- Examples:
● REALISM [the subject is presented as it is perceived in reality]
○ The Mona Lisa [Leonardo da Vinci]
The painting shows a woman who looks like a real
woman in the world. It’s a copy of a natural woman.
● ABSTRACTIONISM [the subject is represented in distorted, symbolic,
non-representational way]p
○ The Weeping Woman [Pablo Picasso]
In this cubist painting, the woman is represented showing many
views in a flat surface.
● NON-OBJECTIVISM [the painting has no subject at all]
○ Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue [Mondrian]
This is a painting that is purely formal, without any representation. It is seen
only as visual elements and their combination which make up
the form.
● NO SUBJECT [non-objective art]
○ Untitled no. 2 [Jackson Pollock]
An action painting
- Kinds of Subject:
● Portrait. Shows a person emphasizing the face, like an ID picture.
● Genre. Shows activities of people, such as playing the piano or plating rice.
● Still life. Shows inanimate objects arranged in indoor setting, like fruits on the
table, flowers on the vase, or books on the shelf.
● Landscape. Art which shows natural scenery in the land such as tress,
mountains, and sky. It may show view of the sea (Seascape) or view of the city
(Cityscape).
● Animals. Shows picture of animals, such as birds, horses, and others.
● Historical. Shows notable events that happened in the past, such as a battle
scene.
 ● Religious. Shows images from religion, like the Virgin Mary or Christ carrying the
cross.
● Mythology. Art that shows mythical figures, such as Venus, Mars.
● Legend. Shows legendary figures or literary characters such as Lam-ang or
Cinderalla.
● Fantasy. Shows fantastic images created by the imagination or dreams of the
artists.
● No subject. Art which does not show any subject because it is non-objective.
- Examples:
● PORTRAIT [shows people emphasizing the face]
○ Portrait of Mrs. Matisse [Matisse]
● GENRE [activities of people]
○ Luncheon of the Boating Party
● STILL LIFE [Inanimate objects in indoor setting]
○ Apples and Oranges [Cezanne]
● LANDSCAPE [sceneries in the land]
○ The Hay Wain [Constable]
● SEASCAPE [sceneries in the sea]
○ Impression Sunrise [Monet]
● CITYSCAPE [Scenery in the city]
○ The arrival of French Ambassador
[Canalleto]
● ANIMAL
○ Cave Painting [Chauvet, France, 25000BC]
● HISTORICAL [siginificant event]
○ The Third of May 1808 [De Goya]
● RELIGIOUS
○ Lamentation Over Christ [Giotto]
● MYTHOLOGY [shows a mythical figure]
○ Bacchus and Ariadne [Titian]
● LEGEND [shows a legendary figure]
○ Samson and Delilah [Reubens]
● DREAM AND FANTASY [shows imaginative figures]
○ Apparition of Face and Fruit Disk on a beach [Dali]
● NO SUBJECT [non-objective art]
○ Color Impression [Kandinsky]
You may analyze the subject nu combining the way it is presented and
the kind of subject.
- Examples:
● REALISITIC PORTRAIT
○ Self Portrait [Durer]
● ABSTRACT PORTRAIT
○ Self-portrait with seven fingers [Chagall]
 ● ABSTRACT GENRE PAINTING
○ The three musicians [Picasso]
● Realistic Still-life
○ Sunflower [Van Gogh]

Content
- refers to the meaning that is expressed or communicated by the artist or the artwork
- Why was the artwork created in the first place?
- LEVELS OF MEANING:
● Factual meaning
○ The most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be extracted from
identifiable or recognizable forms in the artwork and understanding how
these elements relate to one another.
● Conventional meaning
○ The acknowledged interpretation of the artworks using motifs, signs,
symbols, and other cyphers as bases of its meaning.
○ These conventions are established through time, strengthened by
recurrent use and wide acceptance by its viewers or audience who study
them.
● Subjective meaning
○ Meaning that stems from the viewer’s or audience’s circumstances.
○ Perception and meaning are always informed (and even colored) by a
manifold of contexts: what we know, what we learned, what we
experienced, and the values we stand for.
○ Meaning may not be singular, rather, may communicate multiple
meanings.

Form
- Refers to the development and configuration of the artwork. How the elements and the
medium or material are put together.

VISUAL ELEMENTS OF PAINTING

1. POINT. Most basic visual elements with no dimension.

2. LINE. Path of moving point, or points in a series.
3. SHAPE. Produced by the boundary or edge of an object.
4. VALUE. Created by the application of lights, shades and shadows.
5. COLOR. Most beautiful visual element produced by the light striking a surface.
6. TEXTURE. Touch of hardness and softness in the surface of the painting.
POINTILLISM (DIVISIONISM) by George Seurat
- Is a style of painting that uses point as the fundamenta;
structural element.

LINE
- Line is one dimensional.
- Structurally, it is a path of moving point, or
points in a series
- There are three ways of producing lines
1. Drawing a line
2. Intersection of colors, as in painting
3. Intersection of contours, as in sculpture
and architecture

KINDS OF LINES AND THEIR SUGGESTIVE EXPRESSIONS AND MEANINGS

1. STRAIGHT LINE. Suggests order and reason.
2. CURVE LINE. Suggests motion and emotion.
3. BROKEN LINE. Suggests disorder, chaos, confusion and passion.
4. HORIZONTAL LINE. Means peace and rest, and creates the illusion of wideness
and shortness.
5. VERTICAL LINE. Means life and activity, and creates the illusion of narrowness
and tallness.
6. THICK LINE. Suggests strength and stability.
7. THIN LINE. Suggests weakness and flexibility.
8. SLIDING LINE ABOVE THE HORIZON. Means rising up, pride, arrogance and
attack
9. SLIDING LINE BELOW THE HORIZON. Means falling down, shyness, humility
and surrender
SHAPES
- Defined by the boundary or the edges of an object
- There are three ways of making shape
1. By the boundary of a line that closes into itself (polygon), in drawing
2. By the boundary of color, in painting
3. By the boundary of contour, in sculpture and architecture

KINDS OF SHAPES AND THEIR APPLICATION TO PAINTING

1. RECTILINEAR. Shapes produced by the straight line and applied to inanimate objects
2. CURVILINEAR. Shapes produced by curve lines and applied to the form of living things,
also called, biomorphic shapes
3. IRREGULAR. All other shapes produced by the combination of straight and curve line.
VALUE
- Refers to the application of lights, and dark in the painting
- LIGHT AND DARK IN PAINTING
1. SHADE. Dark area in the surface of the object that cannot be reached by lights.
2. SHADOW. Dark area cast on a receiving surface due to an opaque object that
blocks the passage of light.
3. CHIAROSCURO. Technique for applying values in painting. The word is from
Italian that means light and dark
4. SFUMATO. Smoky effect in painting that creates blurry image and conveys a
sense of mystery
COLOR
- Produced by light striking a surface.
- May be considered as the most beautiful visual element
- Produced by light striking a surface
- PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COLOR
1. HUE. Distinguishes one color from the others, refers to the traditional color name.
Primary hues are red, yellow and blue.
2. VALUE. Light and dark properties of color. Adding white is called tint; it makes
color lighter. Adding black is called shade; it makes color darker. There are the
same hues with different shades, like red with maroon which is darker than
scarlet.
3. SATURATION. COncerned with intensity or the brightness and dullness of color.
Intensity ranges from black which is the dullest and yellow which is the brightest.
Dull colors tend to advance, while bright colors tend to recede.

TEXTURE
- Touch of hardness and softness in the surface of the painting.
 PRINCIPLE OF DESIGNS

● Artistic form, organization or design Is about answering the question “How are
the elements put together?
● To achieve formal designs, the following principles are applied.
○ Harmony
○ Variety
○ Balance
○ Dominance

➢ Harmony and variety are achieved by moderation. Having just enough. Not much nor
less.
Lack Moderate Excess
Redundancy ← Harmony → Monotony
Monotomy ← Variety → Redundancy
Monotony and redundancy are the result of either lack or excess. Having too much or
too less.

➢ Balance is another principle of design. It is the EQUALITY in attention or attraction of

visual elements in the picture-plane.

Kind of balance according to the division of picture-plane.

➔ Vertical - Suggests Life
➔ Horizontal - Suggests Peace and Rest
➔ Radial - suggest movement
 Kind of balance according to the placement of elements in the picture-plane
➔ Symmetrical - same elements on the both size
➔ Asymmetrical - different, elements on both sides

DOMINANCE
- It is a way of emphasizing a particular elements over others
- There are three of producing dominance
1. Centralizing. Placing at the center of the picture plane that
part to be emphasized.
2. Highlighting. Use of standing size or color on the part to be
emphasized.
3. Focusing. Using elements to create movement directed
towards the part to be emphasized.
Art Analysis

Art Criticism

- Process of considering the merit or demerit of a work of art.

- It is to consider whether the art is great or not, and the reason why is it so.
‘it doesn’t end with whether you like I or not, but why do you like it or so’
THREE AREAS FOR CRITICISING ART

1. ART ANALYSIS. Criticizing the form and content of the art.

2. ART JUDGEMENT. Criticizing the aesthetic value of the art, whether it is beautiful or
ugly.
3. ART EVALUATION. Criticizing the moral value of the art, whether it is good or bad.

ART CRITICISM

ART ANALYSIS ART JUDGEMENT ART EVALUATION

Description Aesthetic Moral Value

Subject Taste “Good” or “Bad”
Function “Beautiful” or “Ugly”
Medium
Organization
Style

There are three areas you need to consider in analyzing the subject of art:
1. The WAYS the subject is presented
2. The KINDS of subject
3. The LEVELS of subject-content
SUBJECT
● Types of subject (the way it is presented)
● Representational Art
● Non-representational Art
E.g. Realism, Abstractionism, Non-objectivism
● Kinds of Subejct
● Portrait
● Genre
● Still life
● Landscape
● Animals
● Historical
● Religious
● Mythology
● Legend
 ● Fantasy
● No Subject
‘You may analyze the subject by combining the way it is presented and the kind of subject.’
Examples:
- Durer’s Self-Portrait – Realistic Portrait
- Chagall Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers – Abstract Portrait
- Picasso’s The Three Musicians – Abstract Genre Painting
The analysis of art also involves the SUBJECT-CONTENT.
- This refers to the art as it is perceived by your SENSES, felt by your HEART, and
thought by your MIND.
FIVE LEVELS OF ANALYZING THE SUBJECT-CONTENT OF ART
1. PERCEPTUAL ELEMENTS. Sense-data perceived in the art, such as lines shapes and
colors.
2. ARTISTIC FORM. Relation of sense-data perceived in combination with one another.
3. REPRESENTATION. Things, people, objects or events presented in the art
4. EMOTIONAL SUGGESTION. Emotion felt from the work of art.
5. INTELLECTUAL MEANING. Ideas, concepts or symbols in the art thought by the mind.
Visual Elements – Sense-data in the painting such as color (red) and shape (circle).
Artistic Form – Visual elements seen in combination like ‘red circle’
Representation – Reference of artistic form to things in reality like ‘red circle’ representing
apple

Emotional Suggestion – The painting expresses feelings such as red that means
‘terror’
Intellectual Meaning – The painting expresses ideas such as apple that means ‘sin’
according to the biblical story.
THEMES AND QUESTIONS FOR ANALYZING ART
1.DESCRIPTION. Who is the artist? What is the title? When was it composed? What is the
size of the artwork? Where is the original art displayed? What historical information are
available about it?
2. SUBJECT. What is the art about?
3. FUNCTION. What is the art for?
4. MEDIUM. What substance or material is the art made of?
5. ORGANIZATION(Form). How are the elements put together?
6. STYLE. What is the mood or temper of the artwork?
MEDIA OF PAINTING

1. CANVASS. Cloth used as a surface medium of painting.

2. PAINTS. Coloring matter applied to the surface of the painting.
3. MURAL. Painting done on a wall
4. FRESCO. Often used in Medieval and Renaissance art, it is a medium using lime plaster
in which the paints become an integral part of the wall, used for instance in the Sistine
Chapel painting by Michelangelo and in the paintings by Giotto. From the Italian
meaning “fresh”, it may be called palitada in Filipino.
5. TEMPERA. Kind of painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with glutinous
material such as egg yolk, used for example in Leonardo’s Last Supper.
6. ENCAUSTIC. King of paint which uses wax as its binder. It was used in Egyptian art.
7. IMPASTO. Term that refers to the thick paints heavily applied on the surface, for
example in the paintings by Van Gogh.

SURFACE MEDIA PIGMENT MEDIA

Canvas Paints (Oil, Acrylic)

Wood Panel Tempera
Wall (Mural) Fresco
Paper Encaustic
Ink
Pastel
Water Color
Charcoal
Mixed Media

STYLE
- Mood or Temper of the artwork
- It is determined by history (time and place), by the personality of the artists as well as by
the theory of art.
STYLES OF CLASSICAL ART
⮚ Classicism
⮚ Medieval Art
⮚ Renaissance Art
⮚ Mannerism
⮚ Baroque
⮚ Neoclassicism
STYLES OF MODERN ART
⮚ Impressionism
⮚ Expressionism
⮚ Fauvism
⮚ Pointillism
⮚ Art Nouveau
⮚ Surrealism
 ⮚ Cubism
⮚ Concretism
⮚ Suprematism
⮚ Dadaism
⮚ Ready Made Art
⮚ Abstract Expressionism
⮚ Color Field Painting
⮚ Pop Art
⮚ Op Art
STYLES OF POSTMODERN ART
⮚ Installation Art
⮚ Environmental Art
⮚ Earthwork
Description
- ‘Who?’ (Artist)
- ‘What?’ (Title)
- ‘When?’ (Time composed)
- ‘Where’ (Place displayed)
- Size of the original
- Some historical information
Subject
- ‘What is the art about?’
Function
- ‘What is the art for?’
Medium
- ‘What is the art made of?’
Organization (Form)
- ‘How are the elements put together?’
Style
- What is the mood or temper of the artwork?’