Element of Line in Art

Element of Line in Art

in terms of line . . .

The Obvious

STRAIGHTHORIZONTALVERTICALDIAGONAL

Barnett Newman, Dionysius, 1944, 67x49in.

Barnett Newman, Yellow Painting, 1949

Barnett Newman, Untitled (The Cry), 36x24in., ink on paper

Lines can be implied . . .

IMPLIED LINESNot really there (not a clear line) but eye is guided along the picture to a focal point.

What is the focal point in this next picture?

Diego Rivera, The Flower Carrier, 1935, 48x48 in.

Note lines implied by directional

gazes

Pierre-Auguste RenoirLe déjeuner des canotiers, 1880–1881Oil on canvas, 129.5 × 172.7 cm

Morandi, GiorgioStill Life (The Blue Vase)1920Oil on canvas

The blue lines point out . . .

IMPLIED LINES

Morandi, GiorgioStill Life (The Blue Vase)1920Oil on canvas

implied

Kenneth Noland, Thrust, 196345 x 45 in.

A VENETIAN WOMANJohn Singer Sargent (American, b.1856, d.1925)1882oil on canvas93 3/4 x 52 1/2 in. (238.1 x 133.4 cm)

A VENETIAN WOMANJohn Singer Sargent (American, b.1856, d.1925)1882oil on canvas93 3/4 x 52 1/2 in. (238.1 x 133.4 cm)

Lines used to create emphasis:How does this painter make the women the center or focal point of this picture?

Lines can curve . . .

Hokusai, KatsushikaThe Great Wave Off KanagawaFrom "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji"1823-29Color woodcut10 x 15 in.

Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1970

IS THIS ART?• It’s just a scribble but does it have any of

the ‘elements of art’?

• It defines an area• It creates an illusion of depth (volume)

Look again …

Brice MardenAmerican, born Bronxville, New York, 1938 Cold Mountain 2, 1989-1991Oil on linen, 108 1/8 x 144 1/4 in.

What lines lurk in

this texture?

Jackson Pollock, Lavendar Mist No. 1, 1950

Consider the expressive quality of the jagged lines

in this work . . .

What is the artist trying to make you feel?

Clyfford Still, 1957, No.1

Georgia O’Keeffe, Red, White and Blue, 1931

The Obvious AgainSTRAIGHTCURVED – SMOOTH, JAGGEDThe most important thing in this last picture is that the artist has used many elements (color, line, position) all to make the skull the focal point of this picture.

Clyfford StillAmerican, 1904 - 1980 1948-C, (1948)Oil on canvas80 7/8 x 68 3/4 in.

complex contour lines formed by these complex shapes

Lines create or imply shapes

Shapes can be open or closed

Lines around a shape are CONTOUR lines

SHAPE

open/closed

geometric/biomorphic or organic

Frank Stella, Wolfeboro II, 1966

closed, geometric

THE UPSTAIRSCharles Sheeler (American, b.1883, d.1965)1938oil on canvas19 1/2 x 12 3/4 in. (49.5 x 32.4 cm)

Lines create planes or levels; planes suggest volume or depth.

It gives the picture a 3D look!

VOLUME

Implied in painting; actual/ real in sculpture

LINE SHAPE VOLUME / DEPTH 3D

Kenneth SnelsonRador, 1975brass & stainless steel21 x 17 x 6 inches

Kenneth SnelsonAmerican, born Pendleton,

Oregon, 1927

Needle Tower, 1968Aluminum and stainless steel720 x 243-1/2 x 213-3/8 in.

How do the last sculptures create depth or volume?

Actual? Or Implied?

RodinBalzac

Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, 1936-7

Volume/ depth and Lines work together!

Look at the examples from architecture design!

Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, 1936-37

Frank Gehry, Disney Concert Hall

Frank Gehry, Disney Concert Hall

Frank Gehry, Disney Concert Hall

Henry MooreKnife Edge Mirror Two Piece1976-1978, bronze534.5 x 721.1 x 363.1 cm (210 1/2 x 284 x 143 in.)

LINEWhat is a line in Art?Line – an area whose length is greater than its width; an indication of direction. This can be found in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, clay/pottery, and architecture.

Lines can be actual or implied; a line which shows an outside edge of an object is a contour line.

A directional line points or moves the eye in a particular direction. Horizontal – across: Feel - quiet, stable. Vertical - up and down: Feel - Reaching up, uplifting, rising. Diagonal - corner to corner: Feel - dynamic, moving.

Lines can express feeling – thick or thin, weighty or straight, hard-edged or soft.