Composition #2

Critiquing Art

• What is a Critique?
• A critique is an oral or written discussion strategy used to analyze, describe, and interpret works of art.
• Why Critique?
• Improves your work
• Constructive Criticism: advice that is useful and intended to help or improve something.
• Share feedback and thoughtful responses.
• Answer the question: "Hey Mrs. Raskin, why didn't I get an A on this assignment?").
• 4 Steps:
• Description
• Describe the work without using value words like "beautiful" or "ugly".
• Name what you see
• Tell the medium (materials used to make the art) <- photo paper.
• Analysis
• Describe how the work is organized as a complete composition.
• Use elements and principles of art.
• Objectives of the assignment.
• Elements:
• Line 
• Shape
• Value
• Space
• Color
• Form Texture (3-D)
• Principles:
• Emphasis
• Balance
• Rhythm
• Contrast
• Unity
• Proportion
• Interpretation
• Describe how the work makes you feel or think. (What is the mood created by the work).
• What is the meaning or purpose of the work?
• Judgement/Evaluation
• An educated evaluation of the work based on certain art criteria.
• Is the work successful or not? (lesson objectives)

Perspective

Literal:

• Where you stand in relation to your subject.
• How that influences the appearance of your subject.

Figurative:

• The feeling that is conveyed about your subject.

Bird's Eye:

• View of your subject from above.
• Diminishing

Worm's Eye:

• View of your subject from below.
• Dominance and power

* Both Bird's Eye and Worm's Eye will show a literal and figurative point of view.

Photo 1 (Climber):

• Shallow Depth of Field
• Shows more motion than Photo 2.
• Dramatic-- More contrast, proportion, facial expression
• Bird's eye

Photo 2 (Climber):

• Great Depth of Field
• Plain-- Low contrast, not much diversity in any of the aspects of the photo
• Evenly balanced
• Worm's eye

Photo 1 (Basketball):

• Frozen motion
• Great depth of field
• Worm's eye
• Leading line

Photo 2 (Basketball):

• Frozen motion
• Great depth of field
• Bird's Eye

Assignment:

• 12 photos of a PERSON.
• Use different perspectives.
• Simplicity
• All other aspects.

The Principles of Art

Balance:

• The appearance of equal visual weight within a composition.
• Symmetrical- Mirror-image composition, same on each side.
• Asymmetrical- Still looks balanced by objects that are not centered in the frame (Rule of Thirds).
• Radial- Circular style composition, all objets radiate rom a central point.

Rhythm:

• Repetition of elements helps to create a sense of movement in a photograph.
• How viewer's eye moves through the photo.
• Repeated steps, hands, etc.

Contrast:

• Creates a focal point by using differences in the elements.
• Contrasts colors, textures, or shapes to direct your viewing towards a particular part of the photo.

Proportion:

• The relationship between the sizes of objects or comparisons in an image.

Emphasis:

• Emphasis refers to the focal point of the work-what stands out.
• One of the most important decisions!
• Use contrast of all other principles and elements.

Unity:

• Occurs when all of the elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole.
• The repetition of similar elements-- lines, shapes, pattern, and textures-- contributes a sense of unity or oneness.

The Elements of Art

Line:

• The most basic building element.
• A point moving in space.
• Can be real-a yellow line on a road -- or -- implied-geese flying in a "V".

Value:

• The quality of light and dark, both in terms of color and shades of gray in a composition.
• Light and dark values give you visual cues and forms of shapes and objects.

Shape and Form:

• A shape is created when a line meets itself. 2D or flat.
• A form is similar but it is 3D.
• Shapes and forms can be either geometric or organic.
• Positive Shape: physical subject.
• Negative Shape: shapes made by subject.

Color: 

• Hue: the name of a color.
• Saturation: Intensity/purity of a color.
• Value: light and dark of a color.

Space:

• Space is the two dimensional arrangement of objects in a photograph.
• Space also refers to 3D illusion of depth in the image.

Texture:

• Appealing to the sense of touch.
• In photography, a sense of texture can help to make a photo look more 3D or realistic in its dimensional feel.