Module 3: Vocabulary Words in Art

Seated Figure Sewing

Seated Figure Sewing by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (undated)
Drawing, ink on paper, The Phillips Collection

A contour line is the perceived line that marks the exterior edges of an object in space. A plain contour has a clean, connected line, no shading and emphasizes an open "shell" of the object.  In Henri Gaudier-Brzeska's Seated Figure Sewing (undated) a three-dimensional form can be seen using contour lines.  The contour lines in Seated Figure Sewing create the illusion of a body occupying space, the lines of the figure limit what the viewer sees in the drawing.  The lines within the drawing suggest a woman sitting on a blanket, bare footed, sewing.

Plain of Auvers

Plain of Auvers by Vincent van Gogh, 1890
Painting, oil on canvas

Expressive lines are loose and free lines. Vincent van Gogh's work is recognizable through his use of loose and free lines, which at times looks almost uncontrollable, but for van Gogh remains consistent.  Art was Van Gogh's means of personal, spiritual redemption, and his voluminous letters to his devoted brother Theo.  In Vincent van Gogh's Plain of Auvers van Gogh uses expressive lines to allow the viewer to follow the painting beautifully with swirls of brushstrokes from the grass of the plain to the clouds in the sky.  Vincent van Gogh's use of expressive lines are his personal signature and his use of color expressed his emotions.

Supper at Emmaus

Supper at Emmaus by Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio, 1601
Painting, oil and egg tempers on canvas

Foreshortening refers to the method of representing an object in a picture in depth to appear shorter than it actually is because it is angled toward the viewer. Foreshortening is an important element in art where visual perspective is being depicted and makes the view of the objects seem more natural when seen from above or below. Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio paintings combine a realistic observation of the human state, physically and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, Supper at Emmaus is a perfect example of foreshortening. see the hands of the gentleman on the right, they are the same size, there is no depth to the painting, but rather the whole painting touches the canvas.   

Maison Particuliere

Maison Particuliere by Theo van Doesburg, 1923
Architectural drawing

Axonometric projection is a technique that translates space in such a way that the changes or scale inevitable in linear prospective in which all lines remain parallel rather than preceding to a common vanishing point. Maison Particuliere is an axonometric drawing by Theo van Doesburg with assistance from Cornelius van Eeseren. The Maison Pariculiere project was one of the first designs featuring a minimal confinement of space. This drawing clearly shows that it removed any visible distinction between the building's front, side and rear elevations. 

What She Sees

What She Sees by Donald K. Sulton, 1995
Hologram and tar on tile over masonite

Positive/Negative space or shape is empty space, surrounded and shaped so that it acquires a sense of form or volume. Positive shapes occupy positive space. The area around positive shapes, the background, is negative space. Donald Sulton's What She Sees is an object surrounded by empty space, the viewer has nowhere else to look but at the point of interest, in this case an "eye". The viewer can fully appreciate the object without any distractions. With the proper use of negative space, the subject is isolated and placed in intense focus. Even the simplest and most ordinary objects can be fascinating when composed in this manner. For every positive space there is a negative space that surrounds it. 

Virtual space is a body of principles proposing a consistent and systematic understanding of the idea of virtual space, particularly with respect to its uses and occurrences in visual media, art, and architecture (http://virtualspacetheory.com/ Or Ettlinger, PhD.).  Virtual means digital. Mary Flanagan's From the Ranks, 2007 http://www.maryflanagan.com/from-the-ranks was the result from her playing an online video game called "America's Army", which was created by the US Army for recruiting purposes.  She used the basis of the video game for her work From the Ranks.  From the Ranks is a series of captured pictures and text to create a series of images reflecting the role of the military in everyday American culture. The work engages the viewer to the role of the military in everyday life.  See below additional work of Mary Flanagan's From the Ranks.