The vocabulary of art

Art

Line: Not all artwork contains lines, and those that do not seem extraordinary because of the presence of line in almost everything we look at. In fact, the following image of a painting by Jackson Pollock is composed of paint splatters that seem like lines to our eyes but which are in fact not:

http://2modern.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/jackson_pollock_1.jpg

The difference between Pollock's work and the following Picasso drawing is that the latter uses line to convey a specific form. In this case, the artist paints a face:

http://infodome.sdsu.edu/about/newsletter/winter_2007/images/piccasso2.jpg

Line can be understood as "outline" when it conveys the essential features of an object. When a line exists just for the sake of being a line, as in many abstract works of art, the concept of line is deconstructed entirely. A line can be straight or curved and can flow from any one point to any other. Few artists convey the essential features of line as well as Mondrian, evidenced in the following painting:

http://likovna-kultura.ufzg.hr/images27/Mondrian.jpg

Shape: A shape can be anything, including a line. Shapes can and often do represent familiar objects such as in a still life painting. In abstract works of art, shapes are non-representational. The following still life by Cezanne is replete with a variety of different shapes, converging to convey the idea of objects on a table:

http://www.art-palazzo.de/cezanne/images/cezanne-onions-bottle%206.jpg

The human eye creates a gestalt image based on the way the artist places shape on the canvas. Shapes in an abstract work of art may contain colors or textures but do not generally suggest any object with which we are familiar in our daily lives.

Mass: Mass can be suggested on a two-dimensional surface as in the above-mentioned still life. In Cezanne's painting, the orbs of onion symbolize their mass. However, mass is best conveyed in three-dimensional and multimedia works of art. The following sculpture of an elephant and its baby seems to possess volume and weight: the essential features of mass: http://www.environmentalcreations.com/files/categories/african_aaaaaaaelephantmama&baby_large.jpg

Light can be no better explained than through the works of Dutch painter Rembrandt. In "St. Joseph's Dream," an angel hovers in the center of the composition. The angel is a source of light; light emanates from the angel. Rembrandt achieves the effect via the use of color:

http://wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/OPRA/BRUE-5ZKEG2/$File/Rembrandt%20-%20St.%20Joseph%27s%20Dream.JPG

The dark areas of the painting are monotonously brown, especially those farthest from the angelic source of light. Rembrandt uses shades of white to depict the source of light, and uses shades of dark brown to convey the parts of the scene not touched by that source. Therefore, "St. Joseph's Dream" demonstrates how artists use both light and color in their paintings.

The concept of color value may be better illustrated by impressionist artists like Renoir. In "The Skiff," Renoir depicts a boat on a placid pond using different shades, or values, of blue:

http://smphoto.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/renoir-the-skiff.jpg

Capitalizing on color value in this case adds considerable depth and nuance to the painting, as well as texture.

Texture: Texture is most obvious in three-dimensional and especially in multimedia artwork. Sculptor Giacometti molded metal, preserving its naturally bumpy texture as in the following depiction of a man walking:

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/art/20th/sculpture/giacometti01.jpg

One of the distinguishing features of Giacometti's work is his use of texture. Instead of smoothing the metal to create a more realistic sculpture, the artist lets the texture become an essential defining element of the artwork. Multimedia artist Louise Nevelson sometimes carved niches into wood, thereby achieving the same type of textural experience:

http://www.cyberpathway.com/art/lane/nevel1.jpg

In fact, the Nevelson piece also illustrates the visual function of Pattern. The wooden cells are each the same size, even if the forms that fill them differ slightly. Pattern is also exemplified in Tibetan thangkas: which utilize consistent, geometrical, and symmetrical shapes and forms to create patterns: http://www.ethnicpaintings.com/images/thanka-painting-mandala.jpg