The Formal Elements LINE

The Formal Elements A work of art is appreciated only when it is visually appealing and elements like color, tone and texture are blended perfectly. A great deal of emphasis is put on these visual elements in the fields of arts and creativity. The composition of paintings, sculptures, graphic designs, and photographs are balanced by thoughtful arrangement of these elements. Therefore, formal elements are those that give an edge to the quality of diverse genres of artwork.

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LINE We will explore line as one of the formal elements. We will EXPLORE CREATE UNDERSTAND, and EVALUATE

LINE Line is used in various ways other than sketching borders and outlines. If you look at a painting or photograph closely, then you can easily see the different paths formed by objects in the painting or photograph. A line could be either imaginary or real. Even if you cannot see it clearly, you can generally see which direction it travels in. Lines are either vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and curved.

VERTICAL LINES Vertical lines are used for defining height. Paintings having many architectural works (e.g. interiors of churches, monuments, etc.) have numerous vertical lines in them. Since the lines are drawn from the Earth towards the sky.

HORIZONTAL LINES Horizontal lines are basically drawn to define objects that are parallel to the ground. You can trace long stretches of landscapes, base of mountains or anything that moves away from the space and comes towards the Earth. Even a horizon is depicted by horizontal lines.

DIAGONAL LINES Diagonal lines are symbolic of dynamic and unstable objects present in a painting. The angle of a diagonal line comes from 90 degrees so therefore, represents a line which is not straight. For example, a building hit by an earthquake or a ship stuck in the storm will have diagonal lines in them.

CURVED LINES The shape and contour of landscapes is usually defined by curved lines. It is also used to make figures and portraits look more realistic Even a slightest variation in the nature of the curve affects the portrait. Use of imaginary curved lines is extensive in sculptures.

Examples of Line in Art Can you identify the different lines within these paintings?

This artist is called Kandinsky. He uses many different lines, which travel in different directions His art work is formed of many shapes too. Look at the image, can you see how the lines are various widths too? Some are very thick and long, some are thinner and shorter.

Lesson Objective Using the worksheet provided create your own images in the style of Hundertwasser using LINE as a focus You will evaluate your images at the end of the lesson.

How can you draw these houses simply in the style of Hundertwasser? Look at the various lines in the images of London housing?

Hundertwasser house drawings

Which Level are you working towards? LEVEL 1 You are able to draw a house shape using straight and curved lines. There are only two colours LEVEL 2 You are able to draw a house shapes using many straight and curved lines adding colour LEVEL 3 You are able to draw a house with an interesting shape with many curved and straight lines and many colours