PAINTING UNIT 3:
LANDSCAPE
Acrylic
3 Categories of Art
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Imitationalism: realistic representations of the
environment. (Paint what you see exactly as you see
it). Still Life and Landscape are examples of
Imitationalism.
Formalism: composition focuses on the elements and
principles. More abstract looking compositions (ex:
focus on line, repetition and movement).
Emotionalism: composition evokes distinct emotions
from the viewer. Appealing to the viewers feelings.
Element of Art: space
+/- space
 Illusion of depth in a painting
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Created
by incorporating:
Foreground
Middle
ground
Background
Examples of space/depth
Thomas Cole
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English-born American, 1801 – 1848
View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The
Oxbow
1836
Texture
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Actual texture: feeling of an object (rough, smooth,
etc.)
Simulated Texture: fake texture that is
drawn/painted.
Texture can also be created through your
brushstroke.
Impasto: thick physical texture created on the
surface of a painting by adding many layers of
paint. Impasto can be rough or smooth in texture.
Impasto can be created using a palette knife.
Palette Knife
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Tool used for mixing paint as well as building
impasto onto the surface of a painting.
Example of Palette Knife Painting
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Example found at deviantart.com
Impasto examples
Rough texture
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Vincent van Gogh, starry night.
Principle of Design: proportion
Refers to the relative size and scale of the
various elements in a design. The issue is the
relationship between objects, or parts, of a
whole.
 Large items appear closer to the viewer;
small items look further away.
 Proportion creates depth.
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Proportion - scale
Proportion continued
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Perspective is the idea that we create a visual
representation of objects as they are seen by the eye.
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Aerial Perspective: the idea that objects up close to
the viewer are larger and more clear. Details are
very precise and color is more vivid. The further you
go back in space, the fuzzier the outlines become.
Color becomes more subtle, subdued, and dull.
Aerial Perspective
Janet Wimmer
Rhythm
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Rhythm refers to the way your eye moves throughout
a picture.
Some pictures allow your eye to flow across the
piece smoothly while other pictures have the eye
travel abruptly from one object to another.
Rhythm in art is created by the repetition of
elements.
Rhythm Continued
To Get Started:
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11x14 canvas
1: Outline in vine charcoal
Use Aerial perspective – vivid outlines in
foreground, fuzzy/blurry edges in the background
2: Begin building your painting from the
background to the foreground.
 Place
sky and horizon line first
 Then build up the middle ground
 Lastly, define the foreground. Colors pop,
edges are well defined.
Tips
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In order to create a good sense of RHYTHM:
 All
colors happening everywhere!!! If blues are in the
sky, they should be incorporated into the land.
 If there are oranges in the trees, they should appear in
the grass
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Off-center objects on the canvas to create a more
interesting composition/unique BALANCE
Tips Continued
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Runoff
Be consistent in your brushstroke. If you have
choppy brushstrokes in the grass/land, there should
be choppy brushstrokes in the sky.
You may choose to recreate a famous artist’s
painting and/or style.
Imitate the famous artist’s style in your own unique
composition or recreate their painting.
Impressionism
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Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement that originated
with a group of Paris-based artists. Their independent
exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and
1880s, in spite of harsh opposition from the conventional art
community in France. The name of the style derives from the
title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant
(Impression, Sunrise).
Characteristics: relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes,
open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its
changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the
passage of time), ordinary subject matter, inclusion of
movement as a crucial element of human perception and
experience, and unusual visual angles.
Wikipedia.com
Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise
Grading Criteria
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Craftsmanship 10 pts
Composition 20 pts
Elements: (color and texture - impasto) 20 pts
Space: use of aerial perspective 20 pts
Technique (use of palette knife) 20 pts
Style (consistency and unique) 10 pts
100 pt Total
(12 pt improvement grade)