HUMANITIES: ART APPRECIATION (VISUAL ARTS DESIGN) STUDY MATERIAL
ART DESIGN
Design is the overall organizational visual structure of the formal elements in a work of art.
A beautiful design is produced by proper arrangement of different art elements. Good designs are the result of
careful and correct application of principles of design. Principles are rules or guides to put elements together to
achieve beauty.
Two Kinds of Designs
1. Structural design – shows us strength and durability and requires simplicity, proportionality and
suitability of materials to meet the purpose
2. Decorative design – enhances the surface of the structure and gives strength to the materials, it must
be simple and moderate. Consider the background and space to give an effect of simplicity and dignity.
It varies into:
a. Naturalistic design – the exact replica of natural form
b. Conventional design – a result of the impression of natural form
c. Geometrical design – produced with the aid of mechanical instruments
Everybody is a designer in his own way. One must carefully consider that a good design of art is the
result of careful and correct application of the principles of design as the design of things because other objects
differ from one perception to another.
Vaphio Cups (The interior portion and the handle of the cup represent the structural design. The exterior portion of the cup
represents the decorative design particularly conventional design. The outer sheet metal increases the aesthetic appearance of the
cup and enhances its durability as well)
The Vaphio Cups (15the century) were found in a tomb at Vaphio, near Sparta. Their origins which are
not certain, are either Minoan or Mycenaean. They are made of two sheets of gold fastened together. One
sheet is left smooth for the inside; the other is done in repousse relief for the outside. The scenes on the cups
depict a ritual involving bull catching.
, TECHNIQUES OF SUBJECT PRESENTATION
1. Realism – the means of presenting the subject is largely dependent on the artist’s interest, imagination,
creativity and purpose. No art is said to be an exact replica of nature. The art is said to be realistic when
the subject is depicted in the way it would usually be seen in nature.
- Realism suggests a precise copying of the actual appearance of object, warts and all.
- Naturalism is a way of depicting object as they might exist – in other words, it implies a
certain amount of improvement of the actual appearance.
The Gross Clinic
The Gross Clinic (1875) is considered the masterpiece of American realist painter Thomas Eakins. The
painting was rejected for an exhibition in Philadelphia to commemorate the centennial of American
independence because it was considered too harshly realistic.
2. Abstraction – when an artist is overwhelmed by a phase of a scene and does not display the subject as
an objective reality, but shows only his idea or his feelings about it.
- It is a nonrepresentational as it focuses on the structure and form rather than on the object
itself.
- Shows adequate of likeness, attains to represent things and the original objects are reduced
to simple geometric figures and can be rarely identified unless the artist labelled it in its title.
Abstraction is presented in different manners such as:
a. Distortion – a technique of the artist to dramatize the shape of the figure to generate as emotional effect.
b. Elongation – an artistic method of lengthening or protracting or extending the natural form of an object to
focus on the movement or texture or shape.
ART DESIGN
Design is the overall organizational visual structure of the formal elements in a work of art.
A beautiful design is produced by proper arrangement of different art elements. Good designs are the result of
careful and correct application of principles of design. Principles are rules or guides to put elements together to
achieve beauty.
Two Kinds of Designs
1. Structural design – shows us strength and durability and requires simplicity, proportionality and
suitability of materials to meet the purpose
2. Decorative design – enhances the surface of the structure and gives strength to the materials, it must
be simple and moderate. Consider the background and space to give an effect of simplicity and dignity.
It varies into:
a. Naturalistic design – the exact replica of natural form
b. Conventional design – a result of the impression of natural form
c. Geometrical design – produced with the aid of mechanical instruments
Everybody is a designer in his own way. One must carefully consider that a good design of art is the
result of careful and correct application of the principles of design as the design of things because other objects
differ from one perception to another.
Vaphio Cups (The interior portion and the handle of the cup represent the structural design. The exterior portion of the cup
represents the decorative design particularly conventional design. The outer sheet metal increases the aesthetic appearance of the
cup and enhances its durability as well)
The Vaphio Cups (15the century) were found in a tomb at Vaphio, near Sparta. Their origins which are
not certain, are either Minoan or Mycenaean. They are made of two sheets of gold fastened together. One
sheet is left smooth for the inside; the other is done in repousse relief for the outside. The scenes on the cups
depict a ritual involving bull catching.
, TECHNIQUES OF SUBJECT PRESENTATION
1. Realism – the means of presenting the subject is largely dependent on the artist’s interest, imagination,
creativity and purpose. No art is said to be an exact replica of nature. The art is said to be realistic when
the subject is depicted in the way it would usually be seen in nature.
- Realism suggests a precise copying of the actual appearance of object, warts and all.
- Naturalism is a way of depicting object as they might exist – in other words, it implies a
certain amount of improvement of the actual appearance.
The Gross Clinic
The Gross Clinic (1875) is considered the masterpiece of American realist painter Thomas Eakins. The
painting was rejected for an exhibition in Philadelphia to commemorate the centennial of American
independence because it was considered too harshly realistic.
2. Abstraction – when an artist is overwhelmed by a phase of a scene and does not display the subject as
an objective reality, but shows only his idea or his feelings about it.
- It is a nonrepresentational as it focuses on the structure and form rather than on the object
itself.
- Shows adequate of likeness, attains to represent things and the original objects are reduced
to simple geometric figures and can be rarely identified unless the artist labelled it in its title.
Abstraction is presented in different manners such as:
a. Distortion – a technique of the artist to dramatize the shape of the figure to generate as emotional effect.
b. Elongation – an artistic method of lengthening or protracting or extending the natural form of an object to
focus on the movement or texture or shape.
