Firehouse Gallery Reaction Paper

2D Design

Professor Michael P. Giacalone

‘Borders: Visible/Invisible’ reaction paper.

Exhibition at the Firehouse Plaza Gallery CCB building on Campus

Answers to be numbered, and typed. Paper to be printed. Due Wednesday Oct 19^th

1.      Find a work in the exhibition that uses the density, and intensity of line as an important element. Include the artist and the title of the work. Describe HOW the artists uses line in this way. DESCRIBE what you see. WHAT does using line in this way make you feel or think about in regard to this piece.

2.      Find a work in the exhibition that has organic and geometric shapes competing for dominance (like in our class project.) Include the artist and the title of the work. DESCRIBE the shapes you see, and how they interact.

3.      Find a work in the exhibition in which a range of values from light to dark is important. Include the artist and the title of the work. DESCRIBE how the values are used, and HOW they help bring the image to life.

From the official questionnaire 

4.      The artists in this exhibition considered the concept of Borders, which could range from physical borders to conceptual borders (such as spiritual or political), even to creative, social or technological borders. What “borders” do you confront on a daily basis? Are they positive or negative?

5.       Artists use imagery and colors like authors use words and adjectives- to tell a story or send a message. A symbol is an image that represents an idea. Select an artwork that you feel contains a strong use of symbols, or a symbol that is personal to you. Name the symbol(s) and explain your reasoning, keeping in mind the concept of Borders Visible/Invisible.

VALUE: The Art of Light & Dark

VALUE


(noun) - A formal element of art, value refers to the range of lightness or darkness of tone or color within an image. Value becomes critical in a work which has no colors other than black, white and a gray scale. For a great example of value in action, think of a black and white photograph. You can easily visualize how the infinite variations of gray suggest planes and textures.


Gradient Value: This is the approach to using tone or "shading' which utilizes soft, blending, blurring movements from light to dark and vice versa to try to capture the effects of light on subject matter in the physical world. Light and shadow is used to created the illusion of shape, depth and texture as well as environmental illusions of light.

Rembrant Artists Father

Edward Weston

Robert Longo (contemporary)

Now look at the difference in the same subject matter when we switch to Graphic/Closed value, where independent shapes and areas are given distinct non-gradient values edge to edge. This effect creates greater contrast and immediacy, but sacrifices realism. This is the approach to value most frequently scene in graphic design.

Shepard Fairly

In this vintage Polish movie poster, graphic value and chromatic (color) contrast work hand in hand. Remember in every color their is still a value that must be considered.

also here:

 closed/graphic value grey scale


gradient/illusionistic grey scale

Assignment 001: Organic & Geometric Shapes Compete For Dominance

All two dimensional shapes break down into two basic categories:

Organic (or curvilinear) and Geometric (or rectilinear)

Organic shapes are typically asymmetrical shapes with an irregular boundary, often flowing or curving, thus they are often also referred to as curvilinear shapes. However, the boundaries or edges can also be jagged or prickly, showing one of various possible influences from the natural world. Examples of organic shapes include the shapes of plants, rocks and animals. Aside from obvious organic forms, designers  often create abstract and unique organic shapes and patterns which may reference nature, but do not precisely resemble any actual natural object or being. 

Examples of Organic Shapes in Art:

Salvador Dali Metamorphosis of Narcissus

Joan Miro, Carnival of Harlequin,

 Peter Max
 

Ryan McGinness

Emilio Pucci print

Arcimbolo

Pablo Picasso painting...


Geometric (or Rectilinear Shapes) are mechanical shapes characterized by their ability to be mapped or grid-ed mathematically. Thus they have straight lines, definable angles and arcs, and can be represented by points and equations. Beyond squares, circles and triangles, designers build new and provocative geometric forms by combining and expanding existing shapes into new directions.

Examples of geometric shapes in art and design:

Piet Mondrian

Frank Stella's 'Harran II', 1967

Movie poster, Boris Bilinsky, 1927

Dado panel, first half of 15th century; Mamluk
Egypt
Polychrome marble mosaic

Pucci geometrics

Steve Ditko

So our assignment is to create a 9x12 2D image where you create a visual tension or 'competition' between organic and geometric shapes. This could be expressed 'figuratively,' meaning with recognizable objects and settings (like a werewolf wrestling a geometric robot) or through abstract compositions of shapes, tones and colors.