identify one Element of Art and describe how it appears throughout the selected work of art. You will also have the option of choosing a work from Chapter 7: Jewish and Early Christin Art.
Based on your description of the Element of Art paragraph, connect it to one Principle of Design.
Description Help
For your review, this is the list that we are going with for this course. I am aware that there are differences online and in educational circles, but for our purposes, this is a good list to focus on:
Elements of Art:
Color
Line
Shape
Texture
Space
Principles of Design:
Movement
Pattern
Unity/Variety
Balance
Emphasis
Please keep your posts to a 350 word maximum.
Getting Started
Start by selecting one work of art from this week’s readings/chapters assigned. For the reader’s sake, give them information about where it is in this week’s chapter(s) — for instance, the page number and the name of the textbook. If you are using a digital textbook, share about which section it is in for that chapter.
I cannot stress this enough: A great art description about art is less impactful if it doesn’t include the image of the art work. Do your readers a favor and show us the art work!
2. Use the Following Guidelines for the Initial Post
Select one Element of Art from list provided below.
Describe it in detail. Avoid general or sweeping statements. Instead, talk about how it appears in specific parts of the composition. Move from top to bottom or left to right, for example, in order to clearly lead the reader along with your description.
Write one full paragraph (at least). Your description of the Element of Art is the basis for the next step.
Show us how this description “proves” or demonstrates a Principle of Design.
Example: Constantine the Great commissioned a monumental statue of himself, 30 feet high, for the construction he added to the Basilica Nova, an imperial government project started by his political rival, Maxentius. This marble head from the statue is 86 high and dates to 325326 CE. Its part of the collection at the Palazzo die Conservatori in Rome (Stokstad and Cothren 213).
The massive work is carved of white marble, with bold lines differentiating the wavy texture of Constantines full, short hair with the smoothness of his skin, framing his large eyes inside deep sockets, and drawing attention to his unsmiling lips. His hair is combed forward to curl just below his hairline and just above the tops of his defined ears. His eyebrows are careful arcs, detailed with individual hairs and elevated above the plane of his forehead. His nose and chin jut out firmly from his cheeks and jaw.
The design displays elements of portraits made during the tetrarchy, a period when a traditionally Classical works were replaced by a different aesthetic viewpointmilitaristic, severe, and abstract rather than suave, slick, and classicizing (Stokstad 207).
The carved lines are the element of art that create emphasis, the principle of design that draws attention to the striking details of Constantines face and head, projecting imperial power and dignity with no hint of human frailty or imperfection (Stokstad 213). The lines focus attention on the figures eyes, which gaze out above the viewer, unblinking, seeing everything and knowing everything, too. Theres no getting away from the power these lines create a sculpture so imposing that it became a permanent stand-in for the emperor, representing him when the conduct of business legally required his presence (Stokstad 213).
