Equalizing visual forces, or elements, in a work of art. If a work has visual balance, the viewer feels that the elements have been arranged in a satisfying way.

 Equal on both sides

 Unequal on both sides – adds visual appeal

 Rotates around a radius

 Paintings can be close to symmetrical and still be balanced – the result is a more interesting work.

Technique for creating rhythm and unity in which a small idea or single element appears again and again.

Indicates movement by the repetition of elements or objects.
Visual rhythm is perceived through the eyes and is created by repeating positive spaces separated by negative spaces.

Refers to a twodimensional decorative visual repetition. A pattern has little or no movement and may or may not have a rhythm .

 Motif repeated in no apparent pattern, with no regular spaces.

 Identical beats or motifs with equal amounts of space between them.

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Add a second beat or motif
Change spaces between beats or motifs

 Repeating wavy lines

 Change in the beat each time it is repeated – a steady change with the beat different each time it appears

Technique for creating a focal point by using differences in elements.

Create the look and feeling of action and to guide the viewer’s eyes throughout the work of art.

Makes one part of a work dominant over the other parts.

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Focal point – The first part of a work that attracts your eye
Harmony – Creating unity by stressing the similarities of separate but related parts

Concerned with the size relationships of one part to another.

 Artists can also use exaggeration, distortion and scale

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Using many different elements or ideas to create interest
Transition – moves the eye from one part to another
 Gradation – shading of colors that create a sense of space or distance

 The principle of design associated with the arrangement of the elements of art to create a coherent whole – Combination of similar colors, lines, shapes, etc.

 Technique of creating an illusion of depth by depicting distant objects as paler, less
detailed, and (usually) bluer than near objects.

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Frans Koppelaar
Landscape near
Bologna

 One vanishing point is typically used for roads, railroad tracks, or buildings viewed so that the front is directly facing the viewer.

 Used to draw the same objects as one-point perspective, rotated with two vanishing
points – looking at the corner of a house, or looking at two forked roads shrink into the distance

 Usually used for buildings seen from above
or below using three vanishing points. This third vanishing point will be below the ground or in the sky above.

MEDIA
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Materials used to create art.
These are not the tools.
PROCESS
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The way the artist uses a certain medium to create art.
Can refer to tools or methods

TWO DIMENSIONAL
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Applying thin media to a
flat surface.
Has only height and
width.
THREE DIMENSIONAL
 Using sculpt-able materials to create objects with height, width, and
depth.

• Paint
• Fabric
• Yarn
• Paper
• Ink
• Pastel
• Fiber
• Photography
• Computer-Generated
• Drawing
• Painting
• Fiber Art
• Printmaking
• Photography

• Clay
• Wood
• Glass
• Metal
• Stone
• Plaster
• Textiles
• Fiber Art
• Ceramics
• Sculpture
• Architecture

REPRESENTATIONAL
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Landscape
Portrait
Still Life
NONREPRESENTATIONAL
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Abstract
Non-objective

Georges Seurat
(1884-1886)
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
Oil on canvas
207.5 × 308.1 cm (81.7 × 121.3 in)

Georges Seurat
(1884-1886)
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
Oil on canvas
207.5 × 308.1 cm (81.7 × 121.3 in)
Step 1 - Description
• Title/artist/date/size/media
/process/where (if known)
• Subject/objects
• Any info that you may know about the artist

• The painting shows a group of people standing around a beach or lake. The clothes that the people are wearing are an older style. The skirts the women are wearing are large, and some of the men are wearing top hats. A man is sitting on the front left side wearing a baseball hat and a sleeveless shirt.
There is a woman and a man on the right side, who are standing in the shade, with some animals around them, including a dog. There are a number of people sitting around and looking at the water. Some of the women have umbrellas, although it is not raining. Some of the people are in the shade.

Georges Seurat
(1884-1886)
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
Oil on canvas
207.5 × 308.1 cm (81.7 × 121.3 in)
Step 2 - Analysis
• Based upon the MAIN elements/principles used – not all of them
• Give a description of how those elements/principles are being used.
• Give insight on why you think the artist used them in the manner you described above

• The painting shows a contrast of light and dark colors. The artist creates space by having the beach and people go back in the painting. There are no real lines in the painting because it is painted in a pointillist style. The artist shows texture in the dresses and on the grass.
• The artist uses different color values for the clothes and on the grass to show the difference between the shaded area and sunny area. The painting shows a realistic scene.

Georges Seurat
(1884-1886)
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
Oil on canvas
207.5 × 308.1 cm (81.7 × 121.3 in)
Step 3 - Interpretation
• Describe what you think is the mood and/or meaning
(both would be best, but only one, if well stated, will suffice)

• I think that the painting is about people gathering around outside on a nice day and looking at the water. Maybe they are all there on a weekend day. There are lots of people in the picture, some are sitting down and maybe having a picnic. There are some boats in the distance on the water and maybe the they are watching a boat race.

Georges Seurat
(1884-1886)
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
Oil on canvas
207.5 × 308.1 cm (81.7 × 121.3 in)
Step 4 - Judgement
• Give your opinion based on the three qualities of aesthetics (the nature and appreciation of beauty)
1.
Literal – basically can you tell what it is and are objects
“correctly” represented
2.
Formal – are the elements/principles you’ve discussed used well
3.
Emotional – are you satisfied with the emotional response you have to the art

• I think that this is a good painting because the artist uses a different style to create the image and uses a lot of different colors. The contrast between the shaded area and the light area shows that it is a sunny day. The artist uses different colors and values, and creates a unique texture through his style of painting.

 Remember your 5-6 sentence summary
(since this was a lot of notes and ideas)

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As a group (your row) you will need one sheet of paper
You will be assigned an image to criticize
For your image, use a device to look it up and go through each step of the criticism process and give detailed reflections – you will have
20 minutes
You will present your responses and turn in the paper, so do a complete job as it is a graded activity

5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Edouard Manet – The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama
Gustave Courbet – Le Désespéré
Johannes Vermeer – The Milkmade
Leonardo da Vinci – The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St
John the Baptist
Pablo Picasso – Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Vincent Van Gogh – Bedroom in Arles
Andy Warhol – Campbell’s Soup 1
Camille Pissaro – La Récolte des Foins, Eragny

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Balance
Repetition
Pattern
Contrast
Rhythm
Movement
Emphasis
Proportion
Variety
Unity
John Constable, View on the Stour Near Dedham, 1822. Oil on canvas, 51 x 74 inches

A B

ELEMENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Line
Shape
Form
Space
Texture
Value
Color
PRINCIPLES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Balance
Repetition
Pattern
Contrast
Rhythm
Movement
Emphasis
Proportion
Variety
Unity

• Description
– Title
– Artist
– Date
– Size
– Media/process
– Subject/objects
– Extra artist/genre info (if you have any)
• Analysis
– Describe how you see elements/principles used (not necessarily all of each)
– Describe why you think they are used that way
• Interpretation
– What is the mood/meaning
– Why do you feel that way
• Judgment
– Literal – do you like how the subject/objects are shown?
• Why?
– Formal – do you like how the elements/principles from step 2 are used?
• Why?
– Emotional - do you like the mood/meaning from step 3?
• Why?

Claude Monet
Flowering Garden at
Sainte-Adresse c. 1866
Oil on canvas
65 × 54 cm