Art FundamentalsTheory and Practice

An Introduction

The Need and Search for Art• What does ART mean?

– Art is the formal expression of a conceived image or imagined conception in terms of a given medium –Sheldon Cheney American author & art critic

• What are the FUNDAMENTALS of Art? – The fundamentals are the Basics or “Ingredients” of

art- subject, form, and content.• Subject- a person, a thing, or an idea (the “what”)• Form- the organization and arrangement of visual

elements that develop unity in an artwork (the “how”)• Content- the emotional and intellectual message of an

artwork (the “why”)

Subject- a person, a thing, or an idea (the “what”)• A person or thing may be recognizable to the average

observer, but an idea may not be• In abstract or semi-abstract works the subject may be

somewhat perceivable or familiar• In nonobjective works, the subject is the idea behind the

form of the work, and it communicates with those who can read the language of form

• A work of art should be judged not by its subject alone but rather by how that subject is treated.

The Ingredients of Art: SUBJECT

Leroy Neiman Lights of Broadway

Piet Mondrian Broadway Boogie Woogie1942-43 Oil Paint

Form- the organization and arrangement of visual elements that develop unity in an artwork (the “how”). Form has various meanings when discussing art.• When applied to sculpture, form refers to the essence of the

sculpture as expressed in its total organization • A sculpture’s appearance is a result of the use of the elements of

line, texture, color, shape, and value and their relationship to the principles of harmony and variety.

• Even when applied to two-dimensional work, formal organization involves all the visual devices available in the materials the artist uses to create the artwork.

• Using these devices, effective artists arrange and manipulate their materials to convey what is being expressed.

• An artist employs the principles of form to create meaning in structure

The Ingredients of Art: FORM

Native American totem pole Ketchikan, Alaska

Frank Stella Ragga II 1970

Content- the emotional and intellectual message of an artwork (the “why”)• This can be a statement, expression, or mood found in the work

by the observer, ideally attuned to the artist’s intentions.• For some, content is confined to associations produced by

familiar objects or ideas. However this limits those observers to art that expresses familiar experiences. For example…

• The development of the content of an artwork generally follows a certain course:

• The artist is motivated by feelings about a subject (the “what”)

• He or she then manipulates the artistic elements (line, shape, color, texture, etc.) to create a kind of form (the “how”)

• That will result in the desired content (the “why”). The content expresses the artists feelings

The Ingredients of Art: CONTENT

Mr. Valentin posing on a bench made of nickels at the Storm King Sculpture Park

Egyptian funeral

TRANSITIONAL PAGE

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