Chapter Two

Positive and negative areas

All of the surface areas in a picture should contribute to unity. Those areas that represent the in artists initial element(s) are called positive areas. Positive areas depict recognizable elements or non representational elements Unoccupied spaces are termed negative areas

Title: Reduced Black Piece Artist: Magdalene Odundo Date: 1990 Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts

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The negative areas are just as important to total picture unity as the positive areas, which seem tangible and more explicitly laid down. Negative areas might be considered as those portions of the picture plane that continue to show through after the positive areas have been placed in a frame space.

Title: Cubi IX View: studio view Artist: David Smith Date: 1961 Institution: Walker Art Center

 Traditionally, figure and/or foreground positions have been considered positive and background areas negative. The term figure probably came from the human form, which was used as a major subject in artworks and implied a spatial relationship with the figure occupying the position in front of the remaining background

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

 In recent times abstract and nonobjective painters have adopted the terms field to mean positive and ground to mean negative. They speak of a color field on a white ground or afield of shapes against a ground of contrasting value.

Rubins Vase by Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin

 The concept of positive-negative is important to beginners investigating art organization, since they usually direct their attention to positive forms and neglect the surrounding areas. As a result, pictures often seem overcrowded, busy and confusing.

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The art elements
The artist employs the media to implement the art elements: line, shape, value, texture, and color. These elements are the fundamental constituents of any artwork. The artists constant concern is with composing the elements. When dealing with objects, the artist reduces the objects to elements. A chair might be seen as a shape or a group of lines, a wall as a value, and a floor as a color.

 The principles of organization

The principles of organization are only guides. They are not laws with only one interpretation or application. These are used to help organize the elements.

 Artworks are a result of personal interpretation so the use of principles is highly subjective or intuitive. Organization in art consists of developing a unified whole out of diverse units. This is done by relating contrasts through similarities. Unity and organization in are dependent on dualism of contrast and similarity a balance between harmony and variety.

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Harmony
May be thought of as a factor of cohesion Relation of various picture parts Pulling together of opposing forces on a picture surface is accomplished by giving a common element.

Chapter Two
Rhythm is established also when regulated visual units are repeated. Harmony may create the feeling of boredom or monotony when its use is carried to extremes. However, properly introduced, harmony is necessary ingredient of unity.

 Repetition
Result of duplication. Reemphasizes visual units. Connects parts and binds artwork together Creates attention or emphasis. Not necessarily duplication, but means similarity/ likeness

Laylah Ali, Untitled, 2000

 Rhythm
Continuance or flow, derived from reiterating and measuring related, similar or equal parts. Recurrence, a measure such as meter, tempo, or beat