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Fine Art Lexicon
Young Woman with Peonies (1995)
Oil on Linen
Bruce I. Campbell
After: Frederic Bazille 1870
Art is all around you! Study this painting, "Young Woman with Peonies" by Frederic Brazille (1870) as skillfully copied by Bruce I. Campbell (1995). Observe the vibrant colors of this genre scene in a space that shows gradating values on the vendor's face and hand, flat shapes for leaves, and finally, the three-dimensional form of a single peony. Notice a soft texture for the blouse fabric or lines on the head scarf.
Space is the area surrounding a subject that can be infinitely open as a 10 foot canvas, a room with a twelve foot ceiling, or as minute as the open area in a brass keyhole. An occupied space is positive as with a furnished room while unoccupied space is negative like an unfurnished room; both areas co-exist together.
Color is the pigment in paint, dye on the threads of a tapestry, or in nature as a field of wild flowers. A hue is the basic name that identifies a color. Primary colors or hues are red, yellow, and blue; Secondary colors are green orange and violet. White, gray, black, and brown are neutrals, not colors, but may be added to lighten or darken a pigment.
Value is gradation in dimension or depth and can be seen in a landscape of mountains; the distance between the observer's location and the mountain ridge far away gives a range of colors or neutrals from dark shades to a middle hue to light tints. Take a photograph and notice not all greens are "green". With paint samples, not all whites are "white", but may have yellow added and not all blacks are "black" but change when blue is added. Value is transforming, a flat orange circle appears as a round orange fruit in a still life painting when the colors range from light to dark creating chiaroscuro.
Line is a continuous mark as seen in a stripe upholstered high-back chair that creates a straight path or the curved path of leaded mullions in a stained glass window where the length can be longer than the width. These two types of lines, straight and curved, can be seen together as veins in marble or a wrought-iron gate.
The Elements of Art
Shape is created when lines enclose a space; it is two-dimensional and has one flat plane or surface. A design on wallpaper of geometric circles within a square is similar to a single design piece in a quilt fabric motif. Shapes can be created by using colored lines; the interior space can have solid color without intensity ranging from light to dark. A solid shape is positive and occupies space while the opposite space is negative and unoccupied; they can overlap, touch, or stand alone and can be viewed from one angle because shapes do not have three-dimensional sides like forms.
Form is not a shape, but a combination of planes or surfaces that become three-dimensional as flat panels like a Spanish carved door. A form can have curved surfaces such as an alabaster lamp on a commode. The surface may be open for a clear view to the other side or closed and solid as with a modern granite sculpture in a garden. Forms can be seen from different angles; they are tangible, can be held and touched.
Texture is the quality of a surface that attracts the senses. and can be a visual, tactile, or audible. The experience can be seen as the play of light on a satin pillow,the soft edge of a painted flower petal, felt as soft silk velvet or the nubby softness of wool mohair, or heard as the rustling sound of a fine silk taffeta. Texture as raised irregular surfaces create depth from shadows like impasto brush stokes in paintings.
Take a second look at "Young Woman with Peonies" by Frederic Brazille (1870) as skillfully copied by Bruce I. Campbell (1995). Now, notice the art principles in this genre painting of a vendor: balance shown by the asymmetrical arrangement of flowers, some in hand and others in a basket; a contrast between the light fabric of the blouse against a dark background; proportion in the size of the vendor to the scale of the flowers; rhythm (movement) is shown by the wave of large to small flowers in and over the basket; emphasis (accent) with a single peony in hand; variety as in the curved line pattern on the headscarf and the textured rim of the basket or the chiaroscuro in the draped sleeve of the blouse; and unity of all elements and principles in visual harmony.
Principles are the rules for using the elements when designing an artful creation from a fabric to landscaping a garden. Likewise, principles can also be used as a guide for making decisions when planning and selecting for your interior space.
Balance: the arrangement of the elements that may be the symmetrical (formal or even) design in a cathedral's rose window when the sunshine illuminates the colored glass or an ocular window with six panes of clear glass. Balance can also be asymmetrical (informal or uneven) as with the form and texture of a bonsai tree that is cultivated to grow naturally askew.
Contrast: the difference between elements that are usually opposite such as a red, warm velvet pillow placed next to a smooth, cool celadon green ceramic bowl. Here, textures and colors contrast, but the most extreme contrast is a play between black and white as in photography.
Proportion: a relationship between sizes or scale which can be seen when more than one item is arranged as a group of perfume bottles. Although individual with distinctive characteristics there are similar and contrasting features: space, form, color, and texture.
Rhythm (movement): a repetition of elements as a pattern to create action; the negative background field contrasting against positive foreground shapes in a work of art, and the repeated fabric motif or the interplay of texture between the warp and weft of a sisal carpet.
Emphasis (accent): an area of special treatment in artwork which is usually seen once or represented in a minute way such as a large or small bit of paint, a bright spot, or a raised surface treatment.
Variety: a combination of elements arranged to add complexity, diversity, and change. Just the shape of a single red square drawn on paper has very little appeal until a thick blue triangular line is placed in the center and the result is three triangles. When a wide yellow circle is drawn around the red square then the figure becomes complex with a variety of shapes, colors, and lines.
Unity: achieved by understanding the principles and how to effectively place the elements in a visually pleasing arrangement. Whatever medium is used (oil, acrylic, or watercolor), whether with a brush or palette knife, an old master, modern, or abstract work, all elements and principles working together will create art that is unique, exciting, and complete. Skill is required when accomplishing this task.
Now, imagine a world without art as colorless, no value, neither shapes nor forms, not a line or texture in a completely barren space. This would be a very dull world without the elements of art: space, color, value, line, shape, form, and texture. These same elements of art are the foundational components of a design and are used to create an alive and exciting room. Understanding the elements of art will also serve as a guide for making decisions when planning and selecting fine art for your interior space.
The Principles of Art
Glossary of Terms
abstract: a style of art shown as geometric designs (lines, shapes, bright bold colors) that transmit moods or feelings. This style is the opposite of realism (representational art). Abstract art is non-representational; the painting or drawing does not resemble the true or realistic form of the subject.
aesthetic (esthetic): the subjective perception of beauty that is pleasing to the critical eye.
assemblage: art as a combination of found objects arranged and displayed on a two-dimensional surface, or as a free-standing sculpture.
carving: a process of subtracting or removing sections of wood to create incised areas as in the frame of a painting, or wood blocks for printing.
ceramics: refined clay forms that are decorated and fired at high temperature in a kiln.
cityscape: a scene depicting an urban area rendered in a painting, photograph or graphic print.
collage: a collection of a variety of media (paper, fabric, wood, metal, photographs) aesthetically arranged on a flat surface.
design: the effective use of the elements and principles to achieve an overall sense of unity.
folk art: a variety of creative expressions by naturally trained artists who embrace and produce works that reflect their vernacular, cultural traditions and heritage.
fresco: a technique of applying a thin layer of water to a plastered wall, then using egg whites as an adhesive to hold dry, powered pigments; when dry each layer becomes fused as a permanent mural painting.
frieze: the horizontal continuous band of decorative art surrounding the exterior of a building or the interior wall.
landscape: a scene depicting natural formations and rendered in a painting, a photograph or graphic print.
medium (pl. media): the materials used by an artist to create a work of art, such as oils, pen and ink, or chalk; the tequinice such as painting sculpture or collage, used with these materials.
mixed media: a combination of assorted materials which may seem to be unrelated but arranged in a composition by applying the elements and principles.
motif: one complete design created by skillfully applying the principles to the elements.
mural: a large painting on a wall where the subject was applied directly onto the surface as a fresco or a large painting affixed or hung on the wall.
palette: an artist’s tray or board on which colors (pigments) are mixed or the range of an artist’s colors.
print: the transferred, reversed graphic print from an inked raised surface of a woodblock or a film negative.
portrait: a painting of a person or group of people as the subject usually seated or standing shown as a full view, bust or head.
relief: the result of removing parts of a two-dimensional surface to create lower areas and shadows for a multi-dimensional appearance.
realism: a style of art that resembles the true representation or accurate likeness of a subject. This style is the opposite of abstract art.
sculpture: three-dimensional, free-standing art form that can be viewed from all sides and can be created in a various materials including stone, metal, glass, or wood; a sculpture as a human figure is a statue.
seascape: a scene depicting water formations and rendered in a painting, a photograph or graphic print.
still life: a painting of inanimate natural, objects (fruits, flowers, vegetables or bread) arranged with a manufactured object (a vase, instrument, candelabra or book) in a composition while skillfully applying the elements and principles.
stylized: a creative approach to an individual preference in interior, fashion, furniture design, and art.
tapestry: a textile made of woven cotton or wool threads. Large textile tapestries are hung on a wall, smaller tapestries cover pillows or serve as upholstery for furniture.
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