Art in FocusChapter 5:
Art HistoryAdditional Studio ProjectsPAINTING AN ABSTRACT STILL LIFEComplete a still-life painting in which attention is focused on the design qualities rather than on realistic representation. Your painting will illustrate a concern for harmony of line, variety of shapes, and emphasis realized by the use of contrasting complementary hues.
INSPIRATIONLook through Art in Focus for illustrations of artworks that make effective use of the design qualities. Select one of these works and examine it closely. Which elements of art are used? How are the principles of art used to organize these elements? Do you feel that the overall effect realized by the use of these elements and principles is unified?
WHAT YOU WILL NEED- Minimum of three familiar objects to use in a still life
- Pencil and sketch paper
- Sheet of white drawing paper, 9 × 12 inches
- Ruler
- Tempera or acrylic paint
- Brushes, mixing tray, and paint cloth
- Water container
WHAT YOU WILL DO- Working with other members of your class, arrange a still life made up of at least three familiar objects. Make a pencil sketch of the still life.
- Draw this still life lightly with pencil on the sheet of white drawing paper. To create harmony of line, use a ruler to straighten every line in your drawing. (If you prefer, make all the lines in your composition curved rather than straight.) Extend these lines to divide the background and the still-life objects into a variety of large and small angular shapes.
- Select two complementary hues. Paint all the shapes in your still life with hues obtained by mixing these two colors. You can create different values by adding white or black.
- Emphasize the most important or interesting shapes in your picture by painting them with hues and values that contrast with the hues and values of surrounding shapes.
EVALUATING YOUR WORKAnalyze Are all lines in your composition straight (or curved)? How does the use of the same type of line throughout add harmony to your painting? Does your picture exhibit a variety of large and small shapes? Are these shapes painted with hues obtained by mixing two complementary colors? Did you use these contrasting hues to emphasize certain important shapes in your composition? Were other students able to identify these important shapes?
Judge Do you think your painting would be favorably received by a critic relying exclusively on the design qualities? |  |
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