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Elements and Principles Continued. Line, Texture and Pattern. The Element of Line. The definition of a line is the path of a moving point through space that is made by a tool, instrument, or medium as it moves across an area.
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Elements and Principles Continued Line, Texture and Pattern
The Element of Line • The definition of a line is the path of a moving point through space that is made by a tool, instrument, or medium as it moves across an area. • It is usually made visible because it contrasts in value with its surroundings. • 3-D lines may be made with string, wire, tubes, solid rods, sticks, and such.
Line as a Great Form of Artistic Communication • Line is undoubtedly the most familiar of the art elements; we use it in our daily handwriting, for example • In art, line is used in sketching, often in preparation for larger works • We also use the term line in lots of other everyday ways – checkout line, cafeteria line, etc. • Artists use line to communicate in a variety of ways – ex. it can be used simply to describe the edge of an observed object and/or it could be used more expressively to bring about emotion and deeper meaning about the subject matter or theme of an artwork
Pat Steir uses line to create the waterfall’s power and movement in this private place. Pat Steir, Inner Sanctum Waterfall, 1992
Line becomes a contour as it encircles an objects giving it a distinctive, and often recognizable shape. Ellsworth Kelly, Briar, 1963
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril, 1893 The lines in this image seem to have been drawn with great freedom, communicating the graceful action of the subject.
Physical Characteristics of Line • The physical characteristics of line are many. Lines may be straight or curved, direct or meandering, short or long, thin or thick, zigzag or rounded/twisting. • The value of these characteristics to the artist is that they have certain built-in associations. • For example, when we say that someone is as “straight as an arrow,” we mean that the person is straightforward and reliable; a “crooked” person, on the other hand, is one who is devious and can’t be trusted. • Most of us can find adjectives to fit various kinds of lines; those meanings…make for the possibility of subtle psychological suggestions.
Mel Bochner, Vertigo, 1982 Line, the dominant element in this work, is almost wholly diagonal, imparting a feeling of intense activity and stress.
Jonathan Lasker, The Artistic Painting, 1993 The unique character of the line work in this piece is enhanced by the careful choice of tools, colour and shape. Varied instruments such as a brush, burin, stick, and even the artist’s fingers have distinctive characteristics for the element of line.
The crisp, biting lines of the pen contrast effectively with broader, softer lines of the brush. The personality or emotional quality is greatly dependent on the nature of the chosen medium. Rembrandt, Nathan Admonishing David, undated
Brice Marden, Study for the Muses, 1991-97 Marden presents a weblike network of lines that seem to wander in the space. This artist, however, works, reworks, and calculates the lines as he engages in spatial exploration using subtle changes in value, colour, and trailing line.
Andres Zorn, The Toast, 1893 This work was created using hatching and cross-hatching to create degrees of value: darks where lines are densely drawn and lighter tones where more paper can be seen.
Emile Nolde, Fischdampfer (Fishing Boat), 1910 When knives and gouges are used to cut the wood, the lines and textures created are different from those produced with any other medium.
Seeley is an acknowledged master of the high-contrast image. Combining the undeniable visual appeal of Op art with the implicit realism of the photographic image, the artist’s black-and-white linear abstractions are boldly decorative, highly complex, and a delightful treat for the eye. J. Seeley, Stripe Song, 1981
The spatial illusion (quite important for this example!) is largely the product of the physical properties of the lines strengthened by contrasting areas of value and colour. Denyse Thomasos, Urban Jewels, 1995
Though subjects can often be static and immobile, Daumier used the excitement of gestural line to interpret the gyrations of the dancer and the frenzied beating of the drummer. Honoré Daumier, Street Show, 1865-66
The gestrual lines in this work successfully evoke the movements of the performers. Whatever the intended emphasis – expression of human emotions, depiction of action, or communication of observed information, line is an important element for the artist to use. Steve Magada, Trio, ca. 1966
Your Assignment for the Element of Line Create THREE drawings in your sketchbook that explores the following: DRAWING #1 – Using a FULL PAGE in your sketchbook, EXPERIMENT with line. Choose 3-4 of the artworks in the presentation and try copying the kinds of lines use see the artists have used. Use a VARIETY of materials and mark-making tools. DRAWINGS # 2&3 – Choose a subject/scene in which you wish to interpret Complete TWO Drawings of this SAME SUBJECT where you are using TWO DIFFERENT approaches concerning the physical and/or expressive characteristics of line. Feel free to use the styles/approaches to line that artists in this presentation have used. In your first drawing, experiment with a variety of media to explore a variety of line characteristics!
In your second and third drawings, choose ONE subject and recreate it twice exploring how line characteristics affect meaning and emotion in an artwork.
