Having students view the following magazine cover-illustration, from The Smithsonian American Art Museum: Ask students to identify compositional lines in Rice's illustration. Decode an exhibition label. Jacques-Louis David - The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries. A second diagonal line is formed by Antigone's (the woman at the top of the composition) line of sight. How is the use of line in the two paintings different? Line is one of the most important Elements of Art. Sol LeWitt Bands of Lines in Four Directions in Black and White 1977 screenprint on paper 15 x 19 inches Collection Walker Art Center; Gift of the artist, 1983 Organic lines. Outlines show the edges of the shapes and forms being drawn. Students can follow this path in the line drawing of the painting's composition available from the Study Activity. Formal elements include not only line, but also components such as color, shape, and value or key (lightness or darkness). Here is a lesson where students will produce a night scene consisting of an expressive sky based on line and Van Gogh's Starry Night using line, shape, expressionism, resist, painting and paper. Next, each group should be given a second image from the following list: Students should then work together again to find and define the use of line in the second image. Divide the class into four groups and distribute the following images, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art, and The Smithsonian American Art Museum, giving one image to each group: Each group should examine the image they have been given, working together to find and elaborate upon the use of line in their image. Note that while vertical and horizontal lines suggest a static image, diagonal lines transmit a sense of motion and dynamism. By depicting the emperor standing David suggests a sense of strength that would not be conveyed if Napoleon was shown lying down or sitting in a relaxed position. In addition, they might also mention the curving line that is formed by the tree branches ringing the man's head. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the graphic design industry would grow about 13 percent from 2010 to 2020, and that its high turnover rate would result in plentiful openings … LINE: A mark on a surface. Blog Home Abstraction and the Use of Different Types of Line in Art. How do these lines move the eye from one corner of the image to another? Along with elements like color, shape, texture and space, it is something aesthetic to contemplate aside from the subjective, interpretive components of an artwork. 
sculpture or design without drawing lines to divide the paper or canvas into shapes and forms! Reply. Students should think about why the artist chose to compose this image in a horizontal format, and why his composition includes the heavy use of horizontal lines. Then each group may compare and contrast the use of line in the two images, present their findings on compositional line to the rest of the class. Students will learn how line is defined in the visual arts, and how to recognize this element in painting. Ask students to think about why David created a vertical composition through repeated vertical lines. Students should recognize the vertical format and composition, from the shape of the canvas (width narrower than height) to the placement of the figure (standing). As emperor of France in the early nineteenth century, Napoleon, was one of the most powerful men of his day. I could give you a lecture about line weight, types of lines, and design principles that work with lines… But I am not going to do that. Unlike either the David or the Grien images, Fuseli's painting is composed of diagonal lines. Two main types of lines in the visual arts to be discussed include: Contour lines: lines which provide the edges to shapes within a painting or drawing. I'll be using this blog for my report in Artman. Compositional lines: actual or implied lines within the composition of a painting or drawing which guide the viewer's eye, … It is common for artists to use various line drawings as a warm-up, oftentimes giving them fresh ideas on how to begin working on a longer study, which may end up a final work of art. Vertical lines within a composition often give viewers the impression of strength and stability. Have students access the line drawing of this image through the Study Activity to aid in discussing line within the composition of this painting. When they have completed their investigation and answered the questions in the Study Activity the groups should reconvene to share what they have found. Characteristics of line. This means that any shapes yo… Variety is the principle of art that adds interest to an artwork. In the third activity of this lesson students learned about the way in which different kinds of line can set the tone or convey information about a painting's subject. Ask students to point out designs which show: Types of LINES - Intro to Art study guide by srees7 includes 53 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. When our eyes reach the eyes of one of the figures in the painting we follow the implied line created by that figure's gaze. The list of types of line in art includes implied lines, diagonal lines, gesture lines, outlines, contour lines, expressive lines, and more! Students should concentrate on the lines that are formed by the streets, the paths in the snow being shoveled by the men, the edges of the buildings, the river, and the distant skyline. Students should note the line of the man's body, from the angle of his legs and arms, to the line made by his torso. While most of the aspects of composition that have been discussed in this curriculum unit, Composition in Painting: Everything in its right place, have been design principles, line is considered a formal element. Review the curriculum unit overview and this lesson plan. :) God bless! Line is perhaps the most basic element of drawing. Identify line in the composition of a number of art works, and how this element works to make the painting successful as a whole, Explain how the artist's compositional choices guide the viewer's eye to important components of the image, Identify sight lines in several paintings and explain how they influence direction, Discuss ways in which the compositional structure of a painting effects the tone of the painting, or communicates information or emotional content to the viewer. Lines are created when one point connects to another. They'll also draw inspiration from ";Harold and the Purple Crayon" to make it more engaging. That is quite appreciated. Line reinforces the vertical composition in this image. Have students read the background information about the story depicted in the painting. Look closely at these lines. Morris Louis American, 1912–1962 Beta Kappa, 1961 acrylic on canvas, 262.3 x 439.4 cm (103 1/4 x 173 in.) Posters or art postcards can be used in the classroom. In the elementary years, art instruction focuses often on teaching about the types of lines in art. Brush up on your visual literacy as we breakdown the wide variety of lines that visual artists use. It is one of the most crucial elements, as everything begins with just a simple dot in space, that transforms into lines and then drawings. Compositional lines do not always take the form of lines actually drawn on the canvas, or created by a form within the composition; lines are sometimes implied by elements in the painting. Not only can a line be a specifically drawn part of your composition, but it can even be an implied line where two areas of color or texture meet. Have the students look for types of line. The piles of hay that come back down the hill to the left of the barn lead the eye back down to the jug in the foreground. Radial Balance. But what is line art? Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Ask them to note which of these elements they find in the Woods painting, and to explain their answers. They might also note the curve of the woman's neck and back, which leads into her right leg, which also leads the eye to the basket at the center. Students may note that in both paintings the artists use formations in the landscape both to move the viewer's eye around the composition and to keep the viewer's attention contained within the space framed by those lines. Imagine creating a painting, Divide the class into three groups. Thank you for this and I promise you that I will give credit for your work. First, it's important to note that a line doesn't simply move from point A to point B. Curves may take us slowly uphill, or turn sharply twisting our mind as they turn. For example, repetition is one way of organizing the arrangement of color or shape. Ask students what kind of an impression these lines make as they view Fuseli's image? 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