INSTRUCTIONS:

• Find the page titled Notes: Space,

Proportion, Perspective that we

just put in the Notes section of

your folder.

– Write your Name

– Period 1

– Today’s date: 1/10/17

– Due date: 1/11/17

NOTES: Space,

Proportion, Perspective

1/10/2017

Space

Elements of Art

• Space

–the area within, around,

and between objects.

There are two types of space

Positive

Negative

Positive space is the area

occupied by an object.

It is where something is.

Negative space is the area

not occupied by an object.

It is where something is not.

Though often overlooked,

negative space can be just

as important as the positive

space.

Can you identify the important shape

created by the negative space in this

familiar FedEx logo?

Discuss with your neighbor for 30 seconds.

To create space in an artwork,

you have to create depth.

Depth

– the use of optical

perspective to create the

illusion of deep space on a

2D plane.

Let’s break down that definition

• Perspective = point of view.

– Can refer to both your

physical location or vantage

point, and your mental

perspective or opinion.

• Illusion = tricking the eye.

–Refers to the process tricking one’s

eye into sending a message to the

brain that it is seeing something

that isn’t really there, or that isn’t

there as it seems to be.

–(Think of the way a piece of paper

is a 2D object but we create

artwork that appears to be 3D.)

Let’s break down that definition

• Plane = a flat surface or area.

–Refers to the “flatness” of a

piece of canvas or paper and

how we, as artists, create

illusions that give 2D objects a

feeling of having the quality of

depth.

Let’s break down that definition

How artists arrange space in

their artwork

Areas in Space

Areas in Space

• Foreground – the area closest to

the viewer.

–At the very front of the composition

and usually at the bottom. It is

usually the most detailed part of

the composition. Objects appear

bigger and more detailed.

Areas in Space

• Middle ground – the area

between the foreground and

background.

Areas in Space

• Background – the area farthest

from the viewer.

–At the very back of the

composition and usually

towards the top. It is usually the

least detailed portion of the

composition.

Can you identify the

foreground, middleground,

and background in the

following picture?

Thomas

Hart

Benton

July Hay

1943

Proportion

Principles of Design

Using size and

perspective in art

What is this a picture of? …Now?

When we adjust the size of the car

we are changing two things:

The scale and the sense of

proportion.

Scale – a point of reference by

which to measure or estimate size.

- The people in this picture provide

a point of reference and help us to

estimate the size of the car.

When we adjust the size of the car

we are changing two things:

The scale and the sense of

proportion.

Proportion – refers to how two

elements or objects relate to one

another in size.- A real car is larger than a person. A

toy car is smaller. This provides a

sense of proportion.

What is this a picture of? …Now?

Overlap

Size and Detail

Placement

Foreshortening

Value (Aerial Perspective)

Linear Perspective

Artists manipulate 2D surfaces so they

appear to have 3D qualities by using

these Optical Perspective Techniques:

Overlap

– to cover one object with

another.

Which shape is closer to you?

Now?

There is a relationship between the size

of an object, it’s distance from the

viewer, and the level of detail that is

visible.

As a rule, as objects get farther away our

ability to see the details of that object

diminishes.

For example, have you ever waved at

someone in the distance only to discover

that as you get closer to that person, it’s

not who you thought it was?

Close to viewer = larger with more visible details

Far from viewer = smaller with less visible details

Another way to estimate an object’s

size/location is to examine its

placement within the artwork.

Placement – where an object is

located in the picture plane (i.e. in

the foreground, middle ground, or

background). Placement establishes

the size and distance relationship the

object has with other objects in the

artwork.

http://indianartourway.pbworks.com/w/page/19847406/Akbar%20Inspecting%

20the%20construction%20of%20Fatehpur%20Sikri

Akbar Inspecting the

Construction

of Fatehpur-Sikri

Design by Tulsi the Elder,

Painting by Bandi,

Portraits by Madhu the Younger,

ca. 1590

From Akbar-nama

Victoria and Albert Museum,

London

I.S. 2-1896 91/117

From Akbar's India page 41

Foreshortening is when an

object or distance appears

shorter than it actually is

because it is angled toward

the viewer.

Aerial perspective

– the technique used to create the

illusion of looking through air and

space. Used mostly for

landscapes.

Close to viewer = darker, more contrast

Far from viewer = lighter, low contrast

Albert Bierstadt.The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak.

Caspar David Friedrich. Winter Landscape. 1811.

Caspar David Friedrich. Solitary Tree. 1822.

Linear perspective

– the technique of using lines to create the illusion of distanceand depth because all of the lines moving back into space seem to meet at a point in the distance.

George Cook.Interior of St. Peter’s Rome. 1847.

Vincent van Gogh. Bedroom at Arles. 1888.

Horizon line

– the imaginary place

where the earth and sky

meet.

– It is always at eye level.

Vanishing point

–The point(s) on the

horizon line where all the

lines moving back into

space seem to meet.

One-point perspective

–using a single vanishing point.

Two-point perspective

–using two vanishing points.

ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE

(bird’s eye view)

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/096/3/1/birds_eye_view_by_Stobak.jpg

ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE

(street view)

TWO POINT PERSPECTIVE

END