Line: Psychic

Artist: Edgar Degas
Title of Work: The Dace Class
Year Produced: 1874
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Source: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/edgar-degas/the-dancing-class-1874

Psychic line are invisible lines that are made in a piece in many way. This piece employes psychic line effectively by using the psychic lines from the girls eyes to the male teacher in the middle to create a focal point on the teacher. The bottom ballerina’s dress also creates a psychic line that leads to the teacher as well.

 

Artist: Edgar Degas
Title of Work: Danseuses à la barre
Year Produced: 1877
Medium: Oil on canvas
Source: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/edgar-degas/dancers-practicing-at-the-barre-1877

This piece also uses psychic line very well to create a focal point and keep you there. From either direction on the ballerinas, there extended legs, dress, and body curvature lead your eye in between the two ballerinas and it seems to stay there considering the lines created from their straight legs almost block you in.

Line: Implied

Artist: Tornwing
Title: Untitled
Year Produced: Unknown
Medium: Unknown
Source: http://www.studentartguide.com/articles/line-drawings

I really enjoy this piece because its a really good example of implied line. Implied line, most commonly, is using any sort of broken line to create the sense of a line without it being there. The way they use it in this piece makes it much more visually interesting because you have to search a bit more for the image that you normally would.

 

Artist: Suzanne Caporael
Title of Work: Seeing Things: Rain
Year Produced: 1990
Medium: Color Woodcut
Source: http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/encyc_lineimplied.html

In this piece the artist uses implied line to represent the rain. Instead of using full lines to show rainfall, he uses dashed line. This gives more of a feel to the rain and makes the piece more interesting than if it were solid diagonal lines.

Line: Actual

Artist: Bruce Pollock
Title of Work: Labyrinth
Year Produced: Undated
Medium: Pencil and Ink on Paper
Source of image: http://brucepollock.com/paper.html

I really enjoy this image because using basic line to create basic shapes, he made a piece that resembles a whole landscape, when really its just the repetition of line. Its such a beautiful piece while staying very basic and clean. I particularly like the squiggly lines that form a few different circles, the way these lines are shaped give those circles a completely different feel from the rest.

 

Artist: Perter Root
Title of Work: Untitled
Year Produced: 2000
Medium: Pencil on Paper
Source of Image: http://www.peterroot.com/index.php?/projects/line-drawings/

This piece is a good example of how interesting and beautiful simple line can be. Line is one of the most basic concepts in art, being pretty much any mark made on paper, but it can still be amazing all by itself. This piece is interesting because he utilizes line in a way that creates shapes, value, and depth, though it is still only simple line. The way it tracks around the paper keeps you inside the piece and keeps your eye moving.

Shape: Geometric

Artist: Don Relyea
Title of work: Blue Recursive
Year Produced: 2007
Medium: Digital
Source: http://www.donrelyea.com/hilbert_algorithmic_art_menu.htm

Geometric shapes are shapes that have defined edges, and that are usually seen as more rigid, structured, ect. This piece utilizes only geometric shapes to form a very interesting pattern. I would probably like this piece a lot less if it weren’t for his use of color, using only different shades of blue. I think it makes the piece extremely visually appealing.

 

Artist: David Mesguich and Valentin Van der Meulen
Title of Work: FOLDS
Year Produced: 2009
Medium: Polypropylene
Source: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/geometry/

This image is an extremely interesting geometric piece. Most of what I like about it is that it’s portraying a very organic figures, a skull and faces, using rigid, geometric shapes. Though it is easily recognizable, I think the way he uses the geometric shapes obscure the image enough to draw your interest in easily.

Shape: Organic

Artist: Yellena James
Title of Work: Season
Year Produced: 2013
Medium: Ink, Marker, Paper
Source of Image: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62748145/giclee-fine-art-print-season-11×14-print?ref=shop_home_active

Organic shapes are exactly what they’re called, shapes that feel organic and natural. They are usually curving, free-flowing, and just feel like something you would find naturally occurring. I really enjoy this piece because it does feel so free-flowing. Everything is very soft, including the color palette that she uses. This is a great example of interesting use of organic shape.

 

Artist: Yellena James
Title of Work: Morning
Year Produced: 2013
Medium: Pen and ink
Source of Image: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62254435/giclee-fine-art-print-morning-print-sale?ref=related-1

This is another great example of interesting use of organic shape. Not only are the shapes she uses organic, but they imply an image of growing flowers. Her intricate, curving lines add great interest to the piece and make the shapes feel alive. Her color palate also adds to the piece, using soft blues and pinks overall, while adding black for interested and to solidify certain areas.

Shape: Positive/Negative

Artist: MC Esher
Title: Sky and Water I
Year Produced: 1938
Medium: Woodcut Print
Source of Image: Google Images/WikiPaintings

In a basic definition, negative space is space that is between objects or space that is left blank, positive space is space that is occupied or marked. This piece utilizes positive and negative space very well, and it makes the piece very interesting. It transforms both types space into representational shapes of actual things (fish/birds).

 

Photographer/Artist: Lee
Title: Power Lines
Year Produced: 2006
Medium: Photography
Source of image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leecullivan/122271605/

I really like this piece because it uses negative space (as far as space that is not occupied by form) extremely well. The shape of the black telephone poles pushing into the vast negative space occupied by the sky make the piece very visually appealing.