1. Look through the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago’s or the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website. Go to either: http://www.artic.edu/aic and click on “Collection” at the top, followed by “Works of Art”, or http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection.
2. Select artworks from the collection that illustrate 10 of the formal elements and 10 of the principles of design terms listed below. Do not use the same image for more than one term.
3. Copy and paste your images into a 20-slide presentation. Each slide should include the image, the artist (if given) or country/culture of origin, title, date and medium (materials: e.g. oil on canvas, engraving, wood carving), the term your piece exemplifies, and a short sentence explaining how the image effectively demonstrates that term. (For example, “The photograph uses complementary hues because the two main colors, blue and orange, are opposite each other on the color wheel” or “This sculpture represents asymmetry because the two sides are not equal but maintain balance through their opposition.” If you do not have PowerPoint, you may create a document using Microsoft Word.
Formal Elements (choose any 10):
contour line
implied line
lines that outline and shape
lines that create texture
modeling/chiaroscuro
hatching
cross-hatching
contour hatching
stippling
actual mass
implied mass
organic shapes
positive and negative shape (image must have both)
figure-ground reversal
cool colors
warm colors
analogous color scheme
complementary color scheme
impasto
actual texture other than impasto
visual texture
overlapping
linear one-point perspective (explain where the horizon line, minimum of two orthogonals, and vanishing point are)
linear two-point perspective (explain where the vanishing point, minimum of four orthogonals, and two vanishing points are)
atmospheric perspective
kinetic
implied time/implied motion
Principles of Design (choose any 10):
symmetrical balance
radial balance
asymmetrical balance
actual weight
visual weight
absolute symmetry
bilateral symmetry
emphasis and focal point
afocal composition
proportion
repetition
rhythm
unity and variety
