Elements of Art and Principles of Design

ELEMENTS OF ART AND PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

LINE. The basis of all visual design is line. Most of the time, we think of line (if we even think of it at all!) as just something like this: _______________________. In an email address, it looks like a continuous underscore. In art that is two-dimensional (drawings, paintings, prints, etc.), line can be defined as: (1) a linear form in which length is more important than width, (2) a linear form that is created by the edge of color(s), and (3) a linear form that is implied by directional cues created such as brushwork, texture, shapes, etc. The first of these characteristics is visible in Picasso's Girl Before a Mirror, fig. 0.6, p. 17. Notice how the line of her back, on the left, stands out strongly against the diamond pattern of the background. Miró's Composition, fig. 0.2, p. 15, illustrates the first two of the characteristics. The outlines of the shapes not solidly colored in and the edges created by the solidly colored forms make lines. Also, do not miss the lines created by the areas of gray and gold in the background. The last characteristic, implied line, can be found in two very different works, Leonardo's Last Supper, fig. 11.11, p. 326, and Pollock's No. 1, 1948, fig. 18. 5, p. 581. Look at the rectangular shapes in the side walls of Leonardo's painting. Your mind makes a visual line connecting all the top sides of the rectangles together. This is implied line. Now, flip to the painting by Pollock. Concentrate on the black paint and then on the white. Doing this usually helps your eyes become more acutely aware the implied lines created by the directional flow of Pollock's slinging of the paint.