Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Analysis of Art Works
Elements and Principles of
Design in Various Disciplines
of Art and Science
In the oil on canvas painting “Saint Francis of
Assisi” created by the Spanish artist Francisco
de Zurbaran (1598-1664), the expression of
strong religious feelings is enhanced by both the
ecstatic look on the saint's face and the dramatic
effect of the
chiaroscuro
lightning, strong form
the left side only. The artist chose a dark color
of the background and an elongated form of the
figure to place emphasis on an austere religious-
ness conveyed in the artwork. “The Treachery of
Images” (1928-9, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:MagrittePipe.jpg) by Belgian artist Rene
Magritte (1898-1967) brings a challenge to the
ordered society by denying that a picture that
is obviously an image of a pipe is a real pipe.
A pipe has been pictured in a clear and sharp
way expressing an awareness of an object as
it really is. Thus, the artist declares, in accor-
dance with the Surrealist movement in art, that
all is not as it appears to be, and an image of
an object cannot be confused with the tangible
reality. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) created a
series of paintings entitled 'Weeping Women',
along with his “Guernica,” telling about the
cruelty and violence imposed by the Spanish
Civil War in 1936. The face of the “Weeping
Woman” (1937, http://picassogallery.blogspot.
com/2011_01_18_archive.html) is shattered
in the style of the Cubism movement. Strong
colors, firm paint strokes, and sharp lines create
dramatic expression of the weeping woman. The
same concern has been imparted quite differ-
ently by Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) in his
acrylic on canvas painting entitled “Elegy to the
Spanish Republic No. 134” (1961, http://www.
metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collec-
tions/210009638). Strong, dynamic shapes are
painted in black on a white background in the
style of the Abstract Expressionism movement.
Next is the record of students' comparative discus-
sion of this theme. Add your own input.
Art
Music
Science
Mathematics
- are all various forms of art, and use a lot of
the same principles of design.
Concepts like talent, creativity, thought, formu-
las, abstract symbols, and design - are common
to all those areas. They all take a creative mind to
be good at it, to see the spaces in between and all
the good things that come out of them.
Both in art and music, we use metaphoric
representation to tell a story or create emotional
response. Both art and music follow a preset line,
but can be distorted and abstracted earlier. We can
find symbolizing numbers in math or science and
symbolizing notes in music. Music has form and
composition that can be symmetrical or asym-
metrical (like art), and they usually have balance.
Music involves science (physics of sound waves),
and math (metered beats and measures, theories
of music). One may see a difference in the use
of unity and variety: in music, variety is offered
by the use of altered rhythms, melody, and color.
In visual arts, variety is offered by placement,
theme, and color.
There is order in most of disciplines of art and
science. Visual art and mathematics, especially
geometry, are more spatial, while music is time
based. Most of them hold a rhythm.
There are many common elements in art and
architecture, for example: form, shape, color,
repetition, composition, and pattern. Contrast
is common - it evokes excitement and emotion.
Different terms have similar outcomes. Visual
representations of concepts in science and math-
