COMPONENTS OF ARTS

ART CRITICISM
AESTHETIC JUDGMENT

works of
art
Define the subject, form, and content of any
artwork,
Distinguish the different components of art,
Examine how artists communicate their
artworks in connection to their real-world,
counterparts, and
Utilize arts sources for prospective artistic
and creative endeavors.

Today's Lesson
Components of Arts

Subject

Form

Content

Aesthetic Judgment

Art Criticism
 SUBJECT
visual narrative focus of a
work of art
refers to people, objects,
places, events, themes, and
ideas in a work of art
the “WHAT” in a piece of art: MOST COMMON SUBJECTS IN ART:
the topic, focus, or image 1. PORTRAITURE 4. GENRE
2. SELF-PORTRAITURE 5. RELIGIOUS
3. LANDSCAPE 6. NON-OBJECTIVE
MOST COMMON SUBJECTS IN ART:

PORTRAITURE SELF-PORTRAITURE
Erasmus of Rotterdam by Hans Rubens, His Wife Helena
Holbein the Younger Fourment, and Their Son Frans
by Peter Paul Rubens
MOST COMMON SUBJECTS IN ART:

LANDSCAPE GENRE
Vines and Olive Trees, Blindman’s Bluff by Komar and
Taragona by Joan Miro Melamid
MOST COMMON SUBJECTS IN ART:

RELIGIOUS NON-OBJECTIVE
Madonna and Child by Simone Autumn Rhythm Number 30 by
Martini Jackson Pollock
 FORM
an artwork's overall composition
MAN POINTING
by ALBERTO GIACOMETTI or organization
The “HOW” in a piece of art:
development of the work,
Importance: to analyze how the
piece was created and to examine composition, or the substantiation
the decision of the artist in utilizing
those elements
 CONTENT
meaning of an artwork
emotional or intellectual
message of an artwork
The “WHY” in a piece of art:
the artist's intention,
communication, or meaning
behind the work Young girl in the Lap of Death
by Kathe Kollwitz
 j e ct

CO
why did the
What does the
artist create

N T
artwork depict?
analysis it?
b of an

E
artwork
u

N
S

T
how does the artist use
media, style, design
elements, and
principles?
F O R M
aesthetic Judgment in art

Kant: a judgment of taste ->

subjective and universal.
influenced by the viewer’s taste,
cultural background, and education
to determine whether a work of art is
successful
perception of beauty and/or harmony
in the abstract image is very subjective
 Some aesthetic principles

BEAUTY BALANCE

HARMONY PROPORTION

Princess Albert de Broglie by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

(Oil on canvas Size121.2 × 90.7 cm)
Aesthetic Theories and the Quality of Art

FORMALISM
FORMAL QUALITIES

IMITATIONALISM AND EMOTIONALISM

LITERAL QUALITIES EXPRESSIVE QUALITIES
CRITH
INK
TIME
!
use aesthetic theories to create an
aesthetic judgment

PAPIAMENTO
JULIO LARRAZ (1987)
OIL ON CANVAS,
143.5 X 209.5 CM
ART CRITICISM
the evaluation and interpretation
of the meaning of an art.

involves making an effort to

understand an artwork from a
theoretical standpoint and to
establish its significance in the
history of art.

the practice of presenting

questions and perspectives
which promote discussion.
Importance
gives the audience an
insight into the work of an
artist
artists sum up their creative
experience and encourage
self-improvement and
artistic growth

 STEPS IN ART CRITICISM

S CRIPTI O E R P RETA
T I
E

O
N
D

IN

N
A U
IS

T
NA DGMEN
LYS
 STEPS IN ART CRITICISM
DESCRIPTION INTERPRETATION
pure description of
exploring the
the objects in an
meaning of the art
artwork without
and establishing a
undergoing ANALYSIS broader context
JUDGMENT
interpretation and
analysis determining how the
comparing it to
elements and
principles of art are other works and
used, what they assessing its
suggest, and why the originality
artist used them to
convey ideas
 SUMMARY (GUIDE QUESTIONS)
Description
a. When, where, and by whom was the work done?
Analysis
a. What is the style of the work and can it be associated with an art
movement?
b. How is the work organized?
Interpretation
a. How did time and place affect the artist’s style, in terms of subject
matter, composition, and content?
b. What message does this artwork communicate to you?
Judgment
a. Is the work considered to be significant in the history of art?
CRITH
INK
TIME
!
critic the painting below using the
4 steps in art criticism

THE PIPER
HUGHIE LEE-SMITH
(1953)
OIL ON CANVAS,
22 X 35 1/4 INCHES
 "The aim of art is to
represent not the outward
appearance of things, but
their inward significance."
-Aristotle
ELEMENTS OF ART & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Elements of Art:

1. COLOR

Color (hue) is one of the elements of art.

Artists use color in many different ways.
The colors we see are light waves absorbed
or reflected by everything around us. In
nature, a rainbow is white light that is
broken apart by the moisture in the air.

People discovered that white light can be

broken apart using tools like prisms or
spectroscopes.

The colors of the visible light spectrum are red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo and violet.

White light consists of all of the colors mixed together. The color of an
object depends on how it absorbs and/or reflects light. If an object
absorbs all of the light wavelengths, it will appear black. If it reflects all
of them, it will appear white. If an object absorbs all wavelengths except
red, for example, it will look red.

Color has three properties:

1. Hue – the name of a color, such as red, blue, or yellow.
2. Value – the lightness or darkness of a color.
3. Intensity – the brightness or dullness of a color.

Colors are arranged in a circular format on a color wheel. Red, yellow, and blue are the
primary colors. Violet, green and orange are the secondary colors.

Artists make use of different types of color schemes to create different effects.
 Complementary – colors opposite of one another on the color wheel
 Monochromatic – different values of a single color
 Analogous – colors that are side by side on a color wheel and share a hue
 Warm – red, yellow, orange
 Cool – blue, green, violet
2. VALUE

Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. You can get

different values of a color by mixing its shades (adding
black to a color) and tints (adding white to a color). A
tone is created when gray is added to a color.

3. LINE

Line is one of the elements of art. You can find lines

everywhere you look.

Line can vary in width, direction, and length.

There are many different kinds of lines. Here are some

common lines:

 Horizontal lines – lines that run parallel to the

ground, appear to be at rest.
 Vertical lines – lines that run up and down, seem
to show dignity, formality, and strength.
 Diagonal lines – lines that signal action and
excitement.
 Zigzag lines – lines that are made from combined diagonal lines, can create a
feeling of confusion or suggest action.
 Curved lines – lines that express movement in a graceful, flowing way.

4. SHAPE

Shape is one of the elements of art. When lines meet, shapes are formed.

Shapes are flat and two-dimensional - height and width. Some shapes are geometric,
such as squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, and ovals and using created using a ruler or
drawing tool. Other shapes are organic or irregular and free-form.

These are geometric shapes. Organic shapes look like things from nature.
5. FORM

Form is one of the elements of art. Forms are three-dimensional—they have height,
width and depth. Shapes are flat; forms are not.

Here are some common forms:

6. TEXTURE

Texture is one of the elements of art. Texture is the way something feels when you touch
it – actual texture; examples, rug, clothes, wood, etc. Artists also create the illusion of
texture in artworks such as paintings, drawings and prints – implied texture; created with
elements such as pattern and line.

7. SPACE

Space is one of the elements of art. Space is an empty place or surface in or around a
work of art. Space can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, negative and/or positive.

You can easily see the positive and negative space in this sculpture.

Artists also create positive and negative space in two-dimensional artworks.

Positive space – the shapes or forms

Negative space – the empty spaces between the shapes or the background
Principles of Design:

1. BALANCE

Balance is one of the principles of art which describes how artists to create visual weight.

Artists think about how to make their works balanced by using elements such as line,
shape, or color. There are several ways to balance an artwork:

Symmetrical (formal) balance means both sides of an imaginary line are the same.

Asymmetrical (informal) balance means each side of an imaginary line is different yet
equal.

Radial balance means lines or shapes grow from a center point.

2. CONTRAST

Contrast is one of the principles of art which creates excitement and interest in artworks.
Two things that are very different have a lot of contrast. White and black have the
greatest contrast. Complementary colors also have high contrast.

Artists use high contrast to make something show

up. In Wheatfields with Ravens, Vincent van
Gogh used high contrast colors to make the
yellow wheat fields stand out against the dark
blue sky.
Artists may choose low contrast for a softer look, as Claude Monet did in this painting of
a bridge.

3. PATTERN

Pattern is one of the principles of art. Artists create pattern by repeating a line, shape or
color over and over again.

Lines create patterns on the headdress of the Golden Effigy of King Tutenkhaman.
In "Water Lilies," Claude Monet repeats the pattern of water lilies floating on the pond.

4. RHYTHM

Rhythm is one of the principles of art. Visual rhythm makes you think of the rhythms
you hear in music or dance. Artists create visual rhythm by repeating art elements and
creating patterns.

In Okazaki, Ando Hiroshige's bridge supports create

a rhythm that leads your eyes through the landscape.
5. EMPHASIS

Emphasis is one of the principles of art. Artists use

emphasis to make certain parts of their artwork stand out
and grab your attention. The center of interest or focal
point is the place the artist draws your eye to first.

In this painting, "The Letter," Mary Cassatt emphasized the

envelope by painting it white against the dark patterns of
the woman's dress. She also placed the envelope in the
center of the painting to draw your eye to it.

6. UNITY

Unity is one of the principles of art. Unity is the feeling that everything in the work of art
works together and looks like it fits.

Gustave Caillebotte used shape to create unity.

Repetition of shape and color can make an artwork
unified.

7. VARIETY

Variety is one of the principles of art. Variety occurs when an artist creates something
that looks different from the rest of the artwork. An artist may use variety to make you
look at a certain part or make the artwork more interesting.

Jasper Cropsey painted a large tree to create

variety in his landscape, "In the Valley."