Unit One: The Elements and Principles of Composition

For the next several weeks, we will explore how artists communicate using a language of non-verbal communication: Line, Shape, Color, Texture and Space. There are nine assignments in this unit. The questions or statements below prompt you to explore concepts, which you will submit for my feedback. Keep in mind as you work on your assignments that in all societies, first impressions and how something is presented or appears has an impact on those viewing or receiving the messages. Your projects should be artistic, organized and an appropriate reflection of the importance of this class and your understanding of the first unit. If you have difficulties in answering a question or understanding a concept, email me or stop by for an appointment. I suggest you keep up by doing assignments after each classroom discussion.

Organize your print media examples in a notebook or appropriate portfolio. Download the photos I take of your sculpture projects and print a copy for your notebook or portfolio. At the end of the unit, you are to submit this portfolio for an overall evaluation. DUE: 2/26

#2. Reading the Non-Verbal, Thinking in Other Ways
Line as an Element in Nature

DUE: 1/20

"What are the meanings inherent in the term imagination? Imagination is the inner force that allows one to experience what was, what can be and what might never be; it can transcend the limitations of space, time, and reality. Sometimes imagination may be a leap into fantasy, often expressed through dreams that reflect inner thoughts and desires. But imagination is more than involuntary illusion; it allows voluntary turning of ideas in the mind, trying new combinations, uncovering unexpected insights through a conscious guiding of visual invention. Imagination not only allows the picturing in the mind's eye of the earth as a sphere floating in space, it can also provide such inventions as Lewis Carroll's JABBERWOCK."

Design Dialogue, Jack Stoops and Jerry Samuelson "BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!" Louis Carroll

In order that we might exercise our imagination, in this class, we will need to be able to read the language of the artist. The first letter in an artist's alphabet is LINE. Concentrating on the use of line as the dominant element employed in a composition. For the purpose of discussion, select magazine, print advertisement, or internet example , which illustrate the examples below. Bring your thoughts to share in class.

1. Select two compositions where the dominant feature in the ad is the emotional use of predominantly one style of line (jagged, curvilinear, meandering, etc.) to sell a product. What is this line? How or why does it make you feel the way you do about the product? Before you give your written explanation, verify that you have selected an example which mostly uses one line style or a particular, purposeful combination of lines, take a piece of tracing paper and copy the lines. Be careful not to neglect significant lines merely to prove your conclusions. Remove the tracing paper. Do the abstract lines on the tracing paper support your reaction to the ad? If not, chances are there are other compositional elements, or perhaps the subject matter, influencing your opinion.

2. Select one composition that employs the use of or combination of lines in a symbolic way. A good example is the AT & T logo. It is a world created by lines, which also represent communication lines. In this case, the logo identifies AT&T as a worldwide communications network. The abstract use of lines creates in the mind a picture of the company or product. The example you select should demonstrate a purposeful manipulation of lines to communicate a concept or idea about the product. Explain your selection. Remember, you are looking for the use of line, not shape.

3. Select a composition where the element of line is used to direct the eye from one location to another with the ad. Discuss the journey through the composition. Where is the first focal point your eye goes to? Where does the eye end up? Does it ultimately lead your eye to the product or product name? Discuss.

#3. Abstracting with Lines

Due R 1/22

"ART . . . TEACHES TO CONVEY A LARGER SENSE BY SIMPLER SYMBOLS." Emerson.

We have investigated the element of line in the two dimensional world. Now, you will investigate the use of line in a three dimensional study.

Your assignment is to execute an abstract three dimensional line study of an emotion. Select on emotion: anger, love, peace, boredom, etc. Observe this emotion in a number of situations. Distill what you observe and take notes. What is the emotion's spirit, its soul, and its essence? This may seem like a silly exercise but take a risk and see if you can stretch your creativity beyond what you already know. Step back and consider how you might recreate your selected emotion in a line sculpture. Consult the Web site for examples.

Your assignment needs to engage us. It is possible for a study to be abstract but fail to engage us because it is too obvious. For example, I have selected anger as a concept to study. I craft a lightning bolt out of a coat hanger and stand it up in a clump of clay. It is abstract but it only engages us for a split second as we figure it out right away. There is no time investment involved by the viewer. Chances are I will forget it right away. On the other hand, your abstraction can be so personal that we cannot figure out what your emotion might be. In this case you will have failed to engage us. Your job is to find just the right abstraction to engage us in an imaginative way, which is not too simple and not too difficult to understand. Calculating the abstractness of your composition requires that you understand your audience. The multi-billion dollar industry of advertisement employs wonderfully creative minds that spend their lifetimes inventing ways to engage the consumer long enough to remember the product's name and / or to induce us to purchase the product. In doing so, these professionals know their audience. In general, you will find a different level of advertisement in a grocery store line than that found in Architectural Digest or The New Yorker. Knowing the audience is essential in the success of an advertisement campaign. For the purpose of our assignments in Principles, assume your audience will be the Trinity Community.

You may use toothpicks, sticks and any item, which would imply a line. For curved lines, I suggest using wire, florist wire or pipe cleaners. The texture of the surfaces of the materials you use also will communicate non-verbally (fuzzy pipe cleaners). For the purposes of this assignment, you are to concentrate on the element of line, not color or texture. To truly isolate the element of line, you may want to paint the entire sculpture white, black, gray ... something neutral.

Put your name on the assignment. Put the emotion you are representing on the bottom.

Example http://www.trinity.edu/sgilliam/principles/artlang.html