ARTISTIC LITERACY
Elements and Principles of Visual Art
Each ART FORM has its own set of 'building blocks' that are used to 'build' the art. We may refer to these building blocks as conventions, or elements, or devices. Below you will find the building blocks for Visual Art, the Short Story, Poetry, Music, Dance, and Drama.
Elements of Visual Art~
VISUAL ART
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DO: Use the short videos below to gather detailed information in your composition books/journals about the elements of visual art, principles of design, Elements of Music, Dance, Drama and Literature. |
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Principles of Visual Design~
DO: Use the Art in Focus books (starting on p. 40) to gather detailed information in your composition books/journals about the principles of art.
APPLICATION-
STEP 1: DIVIDE your paper into 24 EQUAL boxes
STEP 2: LABEL each box with the following elements/principles (one per box)
COLOR, VALUE, LINE, POSITIVE SPACE, NEGATIVE SPACE, PERSPECTIVE, REAL TEXTURE, IMPLIED TEXTURE, SHAPE, FORM, RADIAL BALANCE, SYMMETRICAL BALANCE, ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE, RHYTHM, MOVEMENT, VARIETY, EMPHASIS, PROPORTION, HARMONY, GRADATION
STEP 3:Now, create an ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION of the element/principle
*Illustrations need to FULLY and ACCURATELY define the element or
principle
*Use a VARIETY of media in your illustrations
*Work should be NEAT and show evidence of THOUGHT
STEP 4: After illustrating the above elements/principles, you should have 4 boxes left over. Leave these boxes blank OR fill them for possible EXTRA CREDIT
STEP 2: LABEL each box with the following elements/principles (one per box)
COLOR, VALUE, LINE, POSITIVE SPACE, NEGATIVE SPACE, PERSPECTIVE, REAL TEXTURE, IMPLIED TEXTURE, SHAPE, FORM, RADIAL BALANCE, SYMMETRICAL BALANCE, ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE, RHYTHM, MOVEMENT, VARIETY, EMPHASIS, PROPORTION, HARMONY, GRADATION
STEP 3:Now, create an ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION of the element/principle
*Illustrations need to FULLY and ACCURATELY define the element or
principle
*Use a VARIETY of media in your illustrations
*Work should be NEAT and show evidence of THOUGHT
STEP 4: After illustrating the above elements/principles, you should have 4 boxes left over. Leave these boxes blank OR fill them for possible EXTRA CREDIT
Take a Look
Take a moment to Analyze how Wassily Kandinsky used the Elements of Art and Principles of Design in his work. Interestingly, Kandinsky often titled his visual paintings “compositions.” As noted by the Denver Art Museum, For Wassily Kandinsky, music and color were inextricably tied to one another. So clear was this relationship that Kandinsky associated each note with an exact hue. He once said, “the sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes or dark blue with treble.”
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Elements of Music~
MUSIC
Use your Student Notes Document in
Google Classroom to take notes as we explore the Elements of Music. In Google Classroom you will also find a power point that has examples of each Element. |
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Key Terms:
Pitch – register (high or low); Organization of pitches with a pattern of intervals between them creates scales; Words we might use to describe scales: major/minor, gapped, skipping, linear.
Rhythm – the time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we usually hear these in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse or tempo into meter (sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes beats into groups, usually of two or three; beats can be divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions
Melody- or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say "duration"). Sometimes a melody is considered to be the theme of a composition. We might characterize melody by its contour (rising or falling) and the size of the intervals in it. A melody that uses mostly small intervals (or scale steps) and is smooth is said to be a conjunct melody. Not surprisingly, a melody that uses large intervals is called a disjunct melody. A motif (or motive) is either a very short melody or a distinctive part of a longer melody. I might describe the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as a "motific cell."
Timbre – sound quality or tone color; timbre is the characteristic that allows us to distinguish between one instrument and another, and the difference between vowel sounds (for example, long "a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to describe timbre: bright, dark, brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy, pure, raspy, shrill, mellow, strained.
Dynamics – loud or soft. A composition that has extremely soft passages as well as extremely loud passages is said to have a large or wide dynamic range. Dynamics can change suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting louder, or decrescendo, getting softer.)
Texture – monophonic (one voice or line); polyphonic - many voices, usually similar, counterpoint; homophonic (1. a melody with simple accompaniment); heterophony – “mixed” or multiple similar versions of a melody performed simultaneously; collage – mixing of extremely different textures or sounds.
Tempo – Speed of the beat of music. In a composition the words used to describe tempo may be: fast, slow, accelerando, ritardando, allegro, moderato, andante, largo.
Pitch – register (high or low); Organization of pitches with a pattern of intervals between them creates scales; Words we might use to describe scales: major/minor, gapped, skipping, linear.
Rhythm – the time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we usually hear these in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse or tempo into meter (sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes beats into groups, usually of two or three; beats can be divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions
Melody- or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say "duration"). Sometimes a melody is considered to be the theme of a composition. We might characterize melody by its contour (rising or falling) and the size of the intervals in it. A melody that uses mostly small intervals (or scale steps) and is smooth is said to be a conjunct melody. Not surprisingly, a melody that uses large intervals is called a disjunct melody. A motif (or motive) is either a very short melody or a distinctive part of a longer melody. I might describe the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as a "motific cell."
Timbre – sound quality or tone color; timbre is the characteristic that allows us to distinguish between one instrument and another, and the difference between vowel sounds (for example, long "a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to describe timbre: bright, dark, brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy, pure, raspy, shrill, mellow, strained.
Dynamics – loud or soft. A composition that has extremely soft passages as well as extremely loud passages is said to have a large or wide dynamic range. Dynamics can change suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting louder, or decrescendo, getting softer.)
Texture – monophonic (one voice or line); polyphonic - many voices, usually similar, counterpoint; homophonic (1. a melody with simple accompaniment); heterophony – “mixed” or multiple similar versions of a melody performed simultaneously; collage – mixing of extremely different textures or sounds.
Tempo – Speed of the beat of music. In a composition the words used to describe tempo may be: fast, slow, accelerando, ritardando, allegro, moderato, andante, largo.
Elements of Literature~
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LITERATURE
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THE SHORT STORY
Five Key Elements of the Short Story
Five Key Elements of the Short Story
- Setting
- Plot
- Characters
- Central conflict
- Theme
Key Terms in POETRY
Click HERE for a resource that will help refamiliarize you with these very common poetic devices. 1. imagery 2. rhythm 3. simile 4. metaphor 5. personification 6. onomatopoeia 7. hyperbole 8. alliteration 9. rhyme/rhyme scheme 10. repetition 11. stanza 12. allusion 13. symbol 14. assonance 15. euphemism |
Elements of Dance~
DANCE
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Elements of Drama (Theater)~
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THEATER
technical
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This includes a film or play. CLICK HERE for more notes and information on Elements of Drama.