FORM AND COMPOSITION OF ART 1.

Geometric shapes are regular and ordered

shapes using straight lines and curves.
Elements of Design
2. Organic shapes are generally irregular and
o A design is a governing plan or
often chaotic.
approach by which various parts of an
artwork are created and assembled. 3. Mass/Volume
The next and final step up the dimensional
1. Line ladder is volume or mass.
o The first order element of design. A Volume has three dimensions: length,
line is an infinite series of points that are width, and height. Volumes may have
arranged in a direction. interior or exterior contours, and they may
 Two main functions. be closed or open in form. Mass is the
1. The linear figure or shape of a written quantity of matter, often meaning its
symbol denotes its meaning. weight.
2. The manner in which the figure is 4. Perspective Perspective
created can be seen as expressive in o the illusion of space on a flat surface.
itself.  Linear perspective is based on the
 Qualities of line: regular geometric recession of space.
a. Gesture is the line produced by the Linear perspective uses a vanishing
movement of the artist’s hand, arm, or point and horizon line. The vanishing
body, of a kind of dance with the point is the spot where all receding
material, lines seem to converge on the horizon
b. Contour is the line where differing line. The horizon line is the set of all
areas meet and form edges. Human possible eyelevel vanishing points.
visual perception includes an enhanced  Orthogonal lines are the lines that
ability to detect edges in nature. appear to meet at the vanishing point
c. Crosshatching is the use of uniformly and imply the regular recession of
spaced intersecting lines that create space. Horizon lines and vanishing
the perception of value or light and points can provide clues to the artist’s
dark. These crosshatching lines intent.
generally follow the shape of an object.  Intuitive perspective acknowledges
The image of the square inside the that receding lines converge, but does
circle is an example of implied line. not recognize that they converge at a
Lines that converge beyond the edge of single horizon line and vanishing point
an artwork are another because they 5. Texture
imply a distant intersection. Two o describes the surface quality of an
people looking at one another in an artwork. Texture is an important
artwork create a psychic line between element of design because it engages
them. the sense of touch as well as vision.
d. Expressive content. By its nature, a Objects can be rough or smooth, wet or
line compels the viewer to follow dry, sticky or slick, hard or soft, brittle
along its path. The character of the line or flexible.
can control the direction, speed, and  Two main approaches to texture
attention of the viewer. The movement 1. Actual texture is primarily—though
of a line can be curved or angular not exclusively— sculptural.
2. Shape 2. Implied texture is primarily used in
two-dimensional works of art.
o Shape has two dimensions, length and
width. Shapes can be regular or 6. Color
irregular, simple or complex. Shapes o The most prominent element of design and
can have hard or soft edges. Hard-
is one of the most powerful and yet
edged shapes have clearly defined
subjective elements in art.
boundaries, while soft-edged shapes
o The nineteenth-century American
slowly fade into their backgrounds.
 Two broad categories of shape: transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson
noted this subjective quality of color when
 he wrote, “nature always wears the colors o Principles of design are the various ways
of the spirit.” in which those elements or components
 Three discrete parts are arranged to produce a desired
1. Hue is the wavelength of a given effect.
color. Longer wavelength colors
appear on the red end of the spectrum, 1. Unity/Variety
while shorter wavelength colors are on o Unity is found in similarity, while
the violet end. Hue is the color variety is found in difference.
“name,” e.g., red, yellow, blue, green, 2. Scale/Proportion
etc. Color can be either subtractive or o The issue of size of elements both
additive. individually and in relation to other
2. Saturation is the purity of a color and elements. Another use of scale and
ranges from a neutral gray to the pure proportion is the use of forced
color while holding brightness as a perspective.
constant.  o Forced perspective is the
3. Brightness is the lightness or darkness arrangement of figure and ground
of a color and ranges from fully that distorts the scale of objects,
illuminated (the pure hue) to fully making small objects appear large or
darkened (black). Each pure hue also large objects appear small by
has a relative brightness, for example, juxtaposing them with opposites.
pure yellow has a greater brightness Forced perspective is most
than pure blue. convincing when done
 Another aspect of color used by photographically.
artists is color temperature. Colors
can be either warm or cool.
1. The warm end of the
spectrum includes red, orange, 3. Balance
and yellow.
2. The cool end of the visible o The design principle of balance is
spectrum contains green, blue, the issue of visual “weight.” Design
and purple. elements like lines and shapes can attract
 A series of color schemes, or our attention in a number of ways.
ordered relations between Compositional balance is achieved when
different colors. these competing visual weights are
1. monochromatic color roughly equivalent.
scheme uses a single color.
2. complementary color scheme  2 compositional balances:
uses colors opposite to each 1. Symmetrical balance is usually
other on the color wheel. equally arranged around an axis, or
Impressionist painters central line.
exploited the effect of
complementary color schemes 2. Asymmetrical balance is achieved
to heighten the brilliance of when visual weights do not
their color palettes. correspond to one another in shape,
3. analogous color scheme uses size, or placement; they are not
only one area of the color distributed equally in a composition.
wheel. If the color green is 4. Emphasis/Movement
chosen as the anchor color for o The design principle of emphasis or
the scheme, for example, the movement is the intentional use of
artist will use colors that occur directional forces to move the viewer’s
between the yellow and blue attention through a work of art.
points on the wheel. 5. Rhythm/Repetition
o The repetition of visual elements to
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN establish a pattern. This pattern can then
be used to provide a stage for a special
 object, or the pattern can be interrupted (sculpture), Figures were always
to direct attention to the change. shown with a side view; The
Egyptians did not employ any kind
HISTORY OF THE ARTS of perspective in their art, and the
B. CHARACTERISTICS OF ARTS size of a person or object related to
ALONG THE FOLLOWING ART its importance, rather than its actual
PERIODS size, very limited range of colors -
white, black, reddish brown, green,
1. Prehistoric Art Period blue and yellow; Egyptian art often
 Divided into further into 3 periods: incorporated hieroglyphic text, in
Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic such a way that the art and the text
 Arts produced: cave wall paintings, reinforced each other. There were
petroglyphs, rock arts, Venus figurines, many symbolic elements.
clay pots
4. Greek Art Period
 Materials used: charcoal, pigments,
animal blood, wood, stone, ash  Arts produced: sculptures, paintings,
 Characteristics: arts are functional great architecture, temples, pottery
(for hunting, food gathering),  Materials Used: limestone,
communication (cave paintings), marble (which soon became
rituals (Venus figurines), the stone of choice-
petroglyphs (shelter/shield) particularly Parian marble),
wood, bronze, terra cotta,
2. Early Civilization Period
chryselephantine (a
 Civilizations: Sumerians, Akadian, combination of gold and
Babylonian, Assyrian, and ivory) and, even, iron.
Persian  Characteristics: have a high
 Arts produced: early writings aesthetic idealism, is not a natural and
(Hammurabi, Cuneiform), direct reality representation, but an
decorative arts, sculptures, idyllic and perfect vision of the
paintings, statues, temples, artistic mind instead, that is perceived
agricultural tools (functional arts), and depicted by them in their
pottery, carpet-making and silk- different artwork platforms. They are
weaving greatly skilled, they idealized the
 Materials: wood, stone, bronze, representation of human figures is the
metals, pigments for paints, taste developed for athleticism, which
frescos, clay
served as an inspiration to the Greeks
 Characteristics: highly advanced
and was very cultivated by these. The
and well-developed arts,
sport developed athlete’s perfect
handmade crafts, express the
bodies, providing artists their best
culture of people and their talents
models. Fascinated by the sinuous
3. Egyptian Art Period forms of the human body, achieved
already in the classical stage
 Arts produced: funerary arts, phenomenal domain of knowledge of
pyramids and tombs, sculptures and Anatomy, thereby allowing them to
statues, paintings
represent shapes and curves of the
 Materials used: gem stones,
body with great detail and realism.
woods like acacia, tamarisk, and
sycamore fig as well as fir, 5. Roman Art
cedar, gold, silver, bronze,
pigments  Arts produced: architecture,
 Characteristics: balance and painting, sculpture and mosaic
symmetry in the works of art work. Luxury objects in metal-
 work, gem engraving, ivory gold, fabric, cloths, paper,
carvings, and glass are glass, clay and a wide variety
sometimes considered to be of materials
minor forms of Roman art,  Characteristics: A genre of
illuminated manuscripts many forms that generally
 Materials Used: Roman art explored the conveyance of
also encompasses a broad conceptual concepts that began
spectrum of media including the quest to define “What is
marble, painting, mosaic, gems, Art” in essence and how we
silver and bronze work, metals, find meaning that defines
glass, and terracottas, just to being human… It arose in the
name a few. The city of Rome 19th century and flourish into
was a melting pot, and the the mid-20th century
Romans had no qualms about challenging conventions and
adapting artistic influences what is contemporary to a time
from the other Mediterranean is ever provoked to broaden
cultures that surrounded and our perspective of perception
preceded them
7. Contemporary Art
 Characteristics: considered
themselves miserable artists, but  Arts produced: Traditional
great engineers. Most of the Roman arts, Mixed arts- ex. lyrical
sculpture is a simple continuation of painting, trans creation,
the Greek of the Hellenistic period focus on performance art
(for example, most of the religious (dance, music, motion
images). But the Romans differed pictures,), photography,
from the Greeks in two areas: the pottery, graffiti art, street
relief and the portrait. The Roman arts, and many more
relief reaches extraordinary levels,  Materials Used: A wide
and stands out for the composition of array of materials that are
the scenes and certain effects of often mixed, from the
depth. The Roman portrait reaches traditional media to new
extraordinary levels of realism and materials, for example,
psychological depth. The monumental coffee-painting, sand
Roman sculpture has left also works painting, etc.
 Characteristics: emphasis
of imperishable beauty.
-Roman sculpture was to pay on self-expressions and the
homage to Roman rulers of their emotional attitudes; it is created
day, who were considered as having a world view and sensitivity
divinities. But during the to changing times; art appropriation
byzantine period, Christian art is common; focus on performance
was abundant. arts; installation arts that transforms
space; the idea of “art for art’s sake.
6. Modern Art

 Arts produced: paintings, ART MOVEMENTS

sculptures, mosaic, murals,
o An art movement is a tendency or a
pottery, sculpture, crafts,
furniture art, architecture, style of art with a particularly
specified objective and philosophy
mixed media arts
that is adopted and followed by a
 Materials Used: oil paint,
group of artists during a specific
acrylic paint, watercolor, period that may span from a few
stones, rocks, metals, bronze, months to years or maybe even
 decades. They can emerge organically, emphasis on the pleasures and
from artists who are interested in the social values of the here and now
same aesthetic and concepts, or they as opposed to the spiritual values
can develop around a central figure or that prepared for a better life to
institution. come.
o This was the mindset that had
1. Naturalism. contributed to the success of the
o Inspired by the great Classical civilizations and
lifelike accuracy of Classical it was believed that its spirit
sculpture, a quality that had could be resurrected to
disappeared from artistic
regenerate Italian society. A new
representation during the Dark
wave of rational thought and
and Middle Ages.
o Elements of naturalism began critical analysis challenged the
to reappear during the Proto- civil and religious authorities of
Renaissance in the paintings of Giotto. the medieval Italy and
In contrast to the flat, formal figures of revitalized both education and
Byzantine art, Giotto introduced more religion by creating a greater
lifelike forms whose eye contact,
expressions, postures and gestures o respect for intellectual freedom
conveyed an unprecedented range of and individual expression.
emotions. They were also composed
o Unlike later forms of Humanism,
within an organized space where
overlapping figures suggested the the Renaissance humanists did
illusion of depth and constructed a not deny their Christian faith.
narrative flow. They simply wanted a more
direct line to the Almighty,
2. Humanism missing out some of the middle
management of the Church.
o The revival of Classical learning
Their aim was to increase the
inspired the philosophy of responsibility of the individual
Renaissance Humanism, a key in determining their own destiny.
element that helped to shape the
intellectual and artistic development
in Italy and across Europe from
around 1400 to 1650. It fostered the
idea that an individual’s faith was
not totally governed by institutional
religion, thereby freeing artists from
the influence of the clergy. While
Naturalism had more influence on
form in Italian Renaissance art,
Humanism had more influence on its
subject matter.
o Renaissance Humanism could be
defined by Protagoras' statement
that 'Man is the measure of all
things'. In simple terms, this
meant that any individual could
shape their own character and
influence their own future by the
way they lived their life.
Humanism also placed a greater