Unit 1
Art An Introduction
Introduction
Art is something that
stimulates an individual’s thoughts, emotion, beliefs, or idea through the
sense.
Leonardo da Vinci stated that “art is
the queen of all sciences communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world”.
Tolstoy wrote ‘To evoke in oneself a
feeling one has experienced, and then, by means of movements, lines, colours,
sounds or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling — this is the
activity of art,’
Michelangelo stated that ‘the
true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection’.
Art is the expression of the universal through the individual.— Rabindranath Tagore
‘Art is the activity by which a person, having experienced an emotion, intentionally transmits it to others’— Leo Tolstoy
The
term “art” is related to the Latin word “ars” meaning, art, skill or craft.
Art can be thought
of as a symbol of what it means to be human, manifested
in physical form for others to see and interpret
it. It can serve as a symbol for something that is tangible, or
for a thought, an emotion, a feeling or a concept. Through peaceful
means, it can convey the free spectrum
of the human experience.
There are different forms of art like painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, music, dance, theatre, photography, films etc.
Whatever form of art we see, its main characteristics is that it is pleasing to the senses.
The
oldest documented form of art is visual arts, that uses any medium to represent the artist’s idea, emotion
sand imagination.
Visual art, like paintings, sculptures
and architecture have evolved with time
and different periods saw the emergence of different art movements.
Some of the famous art movements and styles are impressionism, cubism, surrealism, expressionism, favism etc.
Six limbs of Indian Paintings (Shadangas)
“Roopabhedah
pramanani bhava-lavanya-yojanam | Sadrishyam varnikabhangam iti chitram
shadakam ||”
Shadanga
The word shadanga consists
of two words, ‘shad’ which means ‘six’ and ‘anga’
which means ‘part’.
Shadangas are said to be six limbs,
or canons of art on which the whole art of painting depends.
The
limbs through which, art gets life and stand completely as a creative creation by an Artist.
Shadanga is one of the rule of art of paintings written
in the ancient period.
If a painting with any
subject is a body so these shadangas are the body parts of it and if the
painting lacks any of the parts of shadangas, it is considered as an
incomplete, printless and meaningless creation.
The six limbs of art are
1. Roopbheda — Knowledge
of looks and appearance, knowledge or distinction of form.
2.
Pramana — Proportion and measurement
3. Bhava — Expression of sentiments
4. Lavanya-yojana — Aesthetic representation or the infusion of emotion and grace.
5.
Sadrishyam — Resemblance or similarity
6. Varnika-bhangam — Knowledge of colour scheme.
It is important that artisans while working must keep in mind the application of these six limbs of art. These six canons have a vital place in art and aesthetics because they increase beauty, grace and quality of the artefacts.
The shadanga is an
inevitable part of every great Indian masterpiece from the ancient paintings
of Ajanta to those created
by Raja Ravi Verma, and Husain,
you will observe that every notable artist has silently put to use all the six principles.
1. Roopbheda
‘Roopa’ means the outer form or appearance of the subject. ‘Bheda’, on the other hand, means difference. In other words, to
create a painting, an artist needs to have a sound knowledge about the
different forms that exist. He has to know how a form of life differs from a
form of death. Both have their own characteristic features and sublimity.
These are several types
of forms but they are different from each other due to their chief
characteristics. The forms can be perceived by eye and soul. However, they can
be judged by their individuality. First of all it is the eye that sees the
Roopa but after that it is introduced to the soul. Roop is an intrinsic natural
beauty of visual appearance and it is brought out by skilful
manipulation of line or modulation of colour which effects Bheda, differentiation of form.
2. Pramana
Pramana is a Sanskrit
word that means ‘source of right
knowledge.’ Pramana means
correct knowledge of the proportion of different forms. Pramana gives us strong
theory of proportion and measurement with logical calculation. Pramana means measure by which
one obtains accurate
and valid knowledge about the world. A
basic particular size and proportion of any character is art.
It helps in maintaining a
sense of harmony, balance and a sense of proportion within the figures and also
in its relation to other figures, and to the painting as a whole. It helps us
to understand the important and less important parts and objects in subject of
painting.
3. Bhava
‘Bhava’ means an emotion, a feeling, an intention, an impression, or an Idea.
This aspect of art is depicted in the form of feelings expressed by the
subject. Beauty and grace can not be imparted to the image by any cut and dried
rule. It must come from the heart of the artist and the sculptor. The
expression of sentiments has been taken as one of the most important, things in
painting.
The ‘Bhava’ is an expression of inner sensation which comes naturally through visible representation of object. Bhava are of two types:
(i) Covert i.e., the hidden emotion (ii) Overt i.e., the revealed or visible emotions.
We
can easily see the overt expression of sentiments by our eyes, but only heart
can feel its covert form.
In Indian theory of art ‘Bhava’ is an essential
aspect of the artefacts.
For
instance, Ajanta painting
became famous in the world
only because of the
beauty of expression I.e. Bhava in them.
4. Lavanya-yojana
Lavanya-yojana enhance
the beauty and grace of the artefacts. The painting will look monotonous if beauty or grace is not there. Shri Avanindra
Nath Tagore has elaborated the Lavanya-yojanam in his six limbs of
Indian painting saying that “Bhava is the
expression of inner beauty and lavanya is the making manifest of the outer beauty by adding charm to it. Lavanya-yojanam gives gleam to beauty.”
It
is an extremely essential element
of art.
Its importance can be
illustrated through the example of a meal rich in all flavours and spices
except the salt. Just as the curry loses its charm without the salt, so does a
painting without lavanya.
An artist cannot justify
a character unless the grace is achieved, therefore, it is the Lavanya that enables any artist to show the beauty that
resides not in appearance but essence.
5. Sadrishyam
Sadrishyam means the recognition of an actual form and creating it exactly
same or similar to the real form or idea, i.e., a peacock painting should
actually look like a painting of a peacock,
and not like that of any other
bird or animal.
An artist strives to
achieve Sadrishyam in his creation. Sometimes he derives it from the forms, sometimes
from the attributes
and sometimes from the virtues.
Poets often compare
woman’s locks of hair with a snake or a beautiful girl called ‘moon faced’,
eyes are compared with those of a deer. All these similies work well in
literature, but an artist cannot draw snakes instead of a lady’s tresses or a
moon instead of a girl’s face. In art, the artist has to use his skill and
insight so that the viewer can feel the similitude.
6. Varnika-Bhangam
The combination of two words Varnika and Bhanga is called Varnika Bhanga which conveys the knowledge of colour scheme. It means the use of colour in an artistic style for creating an aesthetic sense. It is said to be an artistic manner of using art materials such as brush, colours etc. This principle focuses on the way strokes are applied to a canvas, and the knowledge of the artist about the different colours. There should be an appropriate colour scheme to express the idea and atmosphere in a painting. Opposite or wrong colours should not be used otherwise the meaning of the painting will change. For this, the painter, should be versatile in the application of colour. Each and every colour has its own intensity and identity which reflect the prominent mood of human behaviour.
Every painter should have
good knowledge about colour and the ways to handle it. Artist should have the
knowledge of what colour scheme can make a definite atmosphere lively. In the
hands of a prominent artist, even ordinary colours pronounce extraordinary because beauty is not in the colours,
it is because of the way they are used in the painting.
Element of Art
Element of art are
stylistic features that are included within an art piece to help an artist
communicate. Each of the elements may also be used individually to stress their
own particular character in an Artwork. The elements of art are described as
follow:
1. Point
A point is the first and
smallest element of visual art upon which all other elements of art are based.
Point serves as the focus of something visual, and therefore draws
attention. Points are found in all works
of art. Point
can simply be the focus of
attention, which can be emphasised to become a focal point. Point can also
appear as a series of points that lead the eye in a particular direction.
2. Line
A line is a dot that went for a walk. — Paul Klee
A series of points connected
by a straight path is defined as a line. A line has no thickness and can extend
indefinitely in both directions. Line is an element which can control
viewer’s eye.
It can describe edge. It
can indicate form as well as movement. It can also indicate value and a light source in drawing.
A line can be of different
types:
Vertical Line
Horizontal Line Digonal Line Zig-zag Line Curved Line
It is one of the most
crucial elements, as everything begins with just a simple dot in space, that transforms into lines
and then drawings. Lines are everywhere!
There are a variety
of different lines
in art. Every
line protrude different emotions. organic lines can create a sense of flowing movement, while geometric
line can create a rigid feel or no movement. Curvy, wavy lines create a mood of
peacefulness, while vertical
lines depict strong
and hard emotions. Horizontal line are more peaceful than vertical lines. Diagonal
lines create a sense of motion.
3. Shape and Form
A shape is an enclosed space, a bounded two-dimensional form that has both length and width. Shapes are the building blocks that artists use to create images on canvas and on our minds. Form can be described as a 3 dimensional object which occupies space. In other words form is a shape that has value and mass. A square is a shape whereas a cube is a form because it has both volume and mass. Similarly, a triangle is a shape and a cone is a form.
Shape Foram
1. Colour | |||
Colour is the element of art that is produced when light striking an object, is reflected back to the eye. In art, colour plays a very important role everything can be seen only because of its colour. Colour is a sensation, a human reaction to a hue arising in part from the optic nerve, and in part from education and exposure to colour, and perhaps in the largest part simply from the human.
CHARACTERISTICS OF COLOURS
Primary Colours
The primary
colours are red, yellow and blue. They are called
primary because, no two other colours
can be mixed to crate a primary
colour. They can only be created through the use of natural
pigments.
All
other colours found
on the colour wheel can be created
by mixing primary colours together.
Secondary Colours
The secondary colours
are orange, green
and purple. These
are created by mixing equal, part of two primary
colours.
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Tertiary Colours
They are created
by mixing equal parts of a secondary
colour and a primary
colour together. There are six tertiary colours.
red-purple, red-orange, blue-green, yellow-green, blue-purple, yellow-orange
Colour Schemes
Colour schemes are ways in which colours are put together
in an intelligent way.
Monochromatic
Here, mono means one and
chroma means colour,
therefore, a monochromatic colour scheme is said to be of one colour and it’s shaded and tints.
Analogous Colours
These are the colours
that are next to each other on the colour wheel. For instance, red, red-orange, orange,
red-violet etc.
Complimentary Colours
The colours which are located
opposite one another on the colour wheel. For example:
Red and Green, Blue and Orange etc.
Warm Colours
The
groups of colours
in the colour wheel that is associated with the sun, warmth and fire.
These colours are called warm colours
as they evoke warm psychological feelings in people.
Shades of yellow,
red and orange
are known as warm colours.
Cool Colours
The
colours which are associated with water, sky and coolness
are considered cool colours.
Hue
A hue refers to the
dominant colour family of the specific colour we are looking at. White, Black
and Green are never referred to as hue. Hue refers to the origin of the colour we see. It is the property
of light by which the colour of an object is
classified as red, blue, green, or yellow in reference
to the spectrum.
Tint
A tint is when white is
added to any colour to create a lighter version of the colour. An example of a tint is pink.
Pink is a tint created
by adding white
to red.
Tone
Tone is said to be the
relative scale of light to dark values in an image. One colour can have an almost infinite
number of different tones. it is important in creating depth and solidity
in any art work.
Intensity
It is also called chroma or saturation it refers to the brightness of a colour. Any colour said to be at full intensity when not mixed with black or white. Therefore, intensity is the degree of purity of a hue or the brightness or dullness of a colour.
5. Space
Space is one of the seven
elements of an artwork. It is the boundary inside
the frame within which the subjects in the art are created. It can also
be referred to as the area inside, outside and between the subject of the
artwork. Positive space is where the shape exists and the area inside the shape
and negative space is the area around and between positive spaces.
6. Texture
Texture refers to the surface quality
in a work of art. Textures are associated
with the way things look or feel. Everything has some type of texture.
Some things feel just as they appear, it is called real or actual texture.
Some
things look like they are rough but are actually
smooth or vice-versa, this is called visual or implied texture.
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Rock Wood Fabric Brick
Principles of Art
The
principles of art and design are the foundation of the language
we use to talk about art.
The principles of art represent how
the artist uses the elements of art to create
an effect and to help convey the artists intent.
The principles of art are as follows:
1. Balance
Balance refers to the visual weight of the elements of art (line, form, shape, texture etc.) of the composition. It is a sense that the painting feels stable and “feels right”. Imbalance causes a feeling of discomfort in the viewer.
Balance can be achieved
in three different ways:
Symmetrical or formal balance
Symmetric Asymmetric
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It
is a form of balance
in which the parts of an image are organised
in a way that one side mirrors the other.
Asymmetrical or informal balance
In this form of balance, one side of
a composition does not reflect the design of the other side.
Radial balance
It is a form of balance where drawing
extends from the centre of a circle. in this
the elements are equally spaced around a central point.
2. Emphasis / Dominance
Emphasis is when the
artist creates an area of the composition that is visually dominant and
commands the viewer’s attention. It
happens when the artist creates the elements of art in such a way that the
attention is drawn to a particular area and that particular area tend to
dominate the other parts of the artwork.
In the pictures shown above, the artist has used different elements of art to create the desired emphasis.
3. Movement / Rhythm
Rhythm is the principle
of design that suggests movement or action. Rhythm is usually
achieved through repetition of lines, shape, colour and
more. It creates a visual tempo in
artworks and provides a path for the viewer’s eye to follow.
Movement is said to be the result of using the elements
of art such that they move the viewer’s eye around and within the image.
4. Proportion
Movement
Proportion refers to the dimensions of a composition and relationship between height, width and depth. The use of proportion affects how realistic
or stylised an artwork
is. When drawing
or painting realistically, proportion is important. If the proportions are incorrect, then the resulting
image will look less realistic or abstracted.
For
example:
If you’re painting a
portrait of a dog and a person, the dog should be at the correct scale in
relation to the person.
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Proportion
5.
Variety
Variety is the principle of art that adds interest to an artwork. It is the use of
different visual elements throughout a work. Variety is about varying elements
and objects in the artwork,
to avoid making it boring. When an artist places different visual
elements next to one another, he is said to be using variety.
Variety
6. Harmony / Unity
Unity is an artwork
creates a sense of harmony and wholeness. An artists achieve unity in an
artwork by using similar elements within the composition and placing them in a
way that bring them all together.
For
example:
A working car gives
the sense of unity. When all the parts of a car are working together, it moves. No part of the car when separated
from the whole is capable of functioning. When the car
functions as it should, the parts are said to be working in unity.
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Harmony
1. Introduction
to Art
A creative activity
that expresses imaginative or technical skill.
2. Types of Art
• Paitning
• Sculpture • Literature • Architecture • Cinema • Music •
Graphics • Dance • Theater
3. Six Limbs of Art
•
Roopbheda — Knowledge of loots and appearance.
•
Pramana — Accuracy
and precision of
measurement.
•
Bhava — The feeling or
intention.
•
Lavanya-Yojana — Artistic
representation.
•
Sadrishya — Resemblance
•
Varnikabhanga — Correct
use of brush and colours.
POWER BOOSTER
1. Element of Visual Art
1.
Point
2.
Line
3.
Shape and forms
Shape
is 2 dimensional whereas form is 3-dimensional squares, circles and triangles
are known as shapes, while balls, cube and cones are forms.
4.
Space
Positive space — Area within
an object.
Negative space — Area around
the object.
5.
Texture
6.
Colour
Principal of Art
• Balance
• Emphasis
• Movement
• Proportion
• Variety
• Harmony
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Choose The Suitable Answer
1.
Which of the following
is the meaning Pramana?
(a) Use
of colours (b) Form or shape
(c) Size and Proportion (d) Appearance
2.
How many shadangas or canons or art are considered in Indian art?
(a) Ten (b) Six (c) Five (d) Seven
3.
Which element
of art can extend indefinitely in both directions?
(a) Line (b) Point (c) Shape (d) Texture
4.
Which colour is formed when Yellow and Blue are mixed together?
(a) Purple (b) Red (c) Orange (d) Green
5.
Which colour is complimentary to Red in a colour wheel?
(a) Blue (b) Green (c) Yellow (d) Orange
6.
3-dimensional
shapes are called ……….
(a) Forms (b) Space (c) Rhythm (d) Hue
7.
Which of the following
is true?
(a) Emphasis, Rhythm and Proportion are canons of art
(b) Emphasis, Rhythm and Proportion are principles of art
(c) Line, form and space are principles of art
(d) Shape, Form and texture
are limbs of art
ANSWER — 1(c), 2(b),
3(a), 4(d), 5(b),
6(a)
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(Answer in about 30 words)
8.
Write a short note on following:
(a) Roop
bheda (b) Lavanya
Yojana
(c)
Varnika Bhangam (d) Shape and form
(e) Emphasis (f) Balance
(Answer in about 100 words)
9.
What are complimentary colours?
10. Describe lines and effects of lines.
11. Explain the difference between
shapes and forms.
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(Answer in about 200 words)
12. Describe the limbs or canons of art.
13. Describe colour and its types.
14. Explain briefly, the elements
of art.
15. Explain briefly, the principles of art.
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