An Object to Be Considered a Work of Art

Fine art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice
Ocvirk, Stinson, Wigg, Os, Cayton
Twelfth Edition

Chapter 1
Introduction
pp. ten-13

The Three Components of Art

Subject, form, and content take ever been the iii bones components of a work of art, and they are wednesday in a style that is inseparable. In general, discipline may be thought of as the "what" (the topic, focus, or paradigm); form, every bit the "how" (the development of the piece of work, composition, or the substantiation); and content, as the "why" (the artist's intention, communication, or meaning behind the piece of work). Subject The subject of visual art can be a person, an object, a theme, or an idea. Though there are many and varied ways of presenting the subject matter, information technology is only important to the caste that the creative person is motivated past it.

Objective images, which stand for people or objects, look as close as possible to their real-globe counterparts and can exist conspicuously identified. These types of images are also called representational.

Dennis Wojtkiewicz, Kiwi Series #1, 2005.
Oil on canvas, 36 10 66 in. Marilyn Levine, Anne's Jacket, 1999.
Ceramic, 36 10 xx 1/2 x 7 1/4 in.

Gus Heinze, Expresso Buffet, 2003. Acrylic on gessoed panel, 32 x 35 ane/2 in.

Artists who explore the procedure of abstraction (simplification and rearrangement) create images that look less similar the object on which they are based, although they may withal exist recognizable. Barbara Chase-Riboud, Bathers, 1973. Floor relief, bandage aluminum and silk in sixteen pieces, 400 ten 400 ten 12 cm.

Piet Mondrian, The Greyness Tree, 1911.
Oil on canvas, 30 1/ii x 42 7/8 in. Ismael Rodriguez Rueda, El Sueno de Erasmo (The Dream of Erasmus), 1995.
Oil on sheet, 39 i/2 x 47 one/2 in.

DeLoss McGraw'due south "The Story of Eutychus," mixed-media Marcel Duchamp, Nude Decending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912
Oil on canvas, 58 x 35 in. Harold E. Edgerton, Baseball hit-fly ball, 1950s-1970s. Gelatin silver print In the nigh extreme blazon of abstraction, the subject does not refer to any concrete object, and this nonrepresentational image is thus considered non-objective. Here, the field of study may be difficult for the observer to identify, since it is based solely on the elements of art rather than real-life people or objects. This type of subject area frequently refers to the creative person's idea well-nigh energy and movement, which guides the utilize of raw materials, and it communicates with those who can read the language of form. Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1916. Oil on canvass and wood strip, 47 1/4 x 29 1/2 in. Music, like visual art, deals with subjects and provides an interesting comparison. Unless there are lyrics, information technology is frequently difficult to place a specific bailiwick in a slice of music. Sometimes, the subject is recognizable - the thunderstorms and birdsongs in Beethoven'due south Pastoral Symphony or the taxi horns in Gershwin's An American in Paris. Other times, nevertheless, the subject is more abstract, and it is an emotion or idea that comes across strongly in the music. Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man is a skilful example of this: he does not try to depict the subject field literally but creates a nobel, accessible, and uplifting musical theme that honors the plight of the common homo. In a like mode, nonobjective fine art seeks to present a more general theme or idea every bit the subject.
Mark Rothko, Number 10, 1950.
Oil on sail, 7 ft. vi three/8 in. x 4 ft. 9 1/8 in. Regardless of the type of art, the most important consideration is what is done with the subject. Subsequently you recognize the bailiwick in a piece of work (whether information technology is obvious or not), ask yourself whether the creative person has given it expression. Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950.
Oil on sail, viii ft. 9 in. x 17 ft. 3 in. Charles Sheeler, Gold Gate, 1955.
Oil on canvas, 25 one/8 in. x 34 7/8 in.

Form

As a component of fine art, the discussion class refers to the total overall arrangement or system of an artwork. It results from using the elements of art, giving them order and meaning through the principles of system. When studying a work'south form, we are analyzing how the piece was created. More than specifically, nosotros are examing why the artist made certain choices and how those choices interact to form the artwork's final advent. In this sense, the discussion form may actually exist thought of as a verb rather than a substantive.

The elements of art, which include line, texture, colour, shape, and value, are the most bones, indispensable, and immediate building blocks for expression. Their characteristics, determined past the artist's option of media and techniques, can communicate a wide range of complex feelings. All artists must deal with the elements singularly or in combination, and their arrangement contributes to the aesthetic success or failure of a piece of work.

Based on the intended expression, each artist can suit the elements in whatsoever manner that builds the desired character into the piece. However, the elements are given order and meaningful structure when arranged according to the principles of organization, which help integrate and organize the elements. These principles include harmony, diverseness, balance, proportion, dominance, movement, and economy. They assist create spatial relationships and effectively convey the artist'southward intent. The principles of organization are flexible, non dogmatic, and can be combined and practical in numerous means. Some artist adapt intuitively, and others are more than computing, but with experience, all of them develop an instinctive feeling for organizing their work. And so important are these concepts of elements and principles that they are studied separately.

Content

The emotional or intellectual message of a piece of work of art is its content - a statement, expression, or mood adult past the artist and interpreted by the observer. Of the 3 components of art, content may exist the most hard to place, considering the audience, without directly advice with the artist, must decipher the artist's thoughts by observing the work's subject and form. For case, in Young Girl in the Lap of Expiry, the hit emphasis of the left-to-right diagonals, the sharp contrasts of lite and dark values, and the aggressive and powerful drawing strokes give us some insight into Kathe Kollwitz's business organisation for life, though nosotros may not understand the depth of her passion.

Kathe Kollwitz, Immature Girl in the Lap of Death, 1934.
Crayon lithograph, 42 x 38 cm.

Ideally, the viewer's interpretation is synchronized with the artist'due south intentions. However, the viewer's multifariousness of experiences tin can affect the communication between artist and viewer. For many people, content is determined by their familiarity with the subject; they are confined to feelings aroused by objects or ideas they know. A much broader and ultimately more than meaningful content is non utterly reliant on the image just is reinforced by the form. This is especially so in more abstract works, in which the viewer may not recognize the prototype as a known object and must, thefore, interpret meaning from shapes and other elements. Images that are hardly recognizable, if representational at all, can still evangelize content if the observer knows how to interpert form.

Occasionally, artists may exist unaware of what motivates them to make certain choices of epitome or form. For them, the content of the slice may be hidden instead of deliberate. For example, an artist who has had a violent confrontation with a neighbor might subconciously need to express anger (content) and is thus compelled to piece of work wit abrupt jagged shapes, bitter acrid reds, slashing agitated marks (form), and exploding images (subject).

Sometimes the pregnant of nonobjective shapes becomes articulate in the artist'south mind just after they evolve and mutate on the canvas.

Although information technology is not a requirement for enjoying artwork, a lilliputian enquiry about the artist's life, fourth dimension period, or culture can help expand viewpoints and atomic number 82 to a fuller interpretation of content. For example, a deeeper comprehension of Vincent van Gogh'southward specific and personal use of color may be gained by reading Van Gogh's messages to his brother Theo. His letters expressed an evolving belief that color conveyed specific feelings and attitudes and was more that a mere optical feel. He felt that his use of colour could emit power similar Wagner's music. The messages also revealed a developing personal color iconography, in which carmine and green symbolized the terrible sinful passions of humanity; black profile lines provided a sense of anguish; cobalt blue signified the vault of heaven, and yellow symbolized dear. For Van Gogh, colour was non strictly a tool for visual fake but an instrument to transmit his personal emotions. Color symbolism may not have been used in all his paintings, but an understanding of his intent helps explain some of his choices and the power in his work.

Vincent van Gogh, The Night Buffet, 1888. Oil on sheet, 27 one/2 x 35 in.

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Source: https://personal.utdallas.edu/~melacy/pages/2D_Design/Components_of_Art/Components_of_Art.html

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