Basically, art history is focused on the visual arts: architecture, painting, sculpture and techniques as: collage, stained-glass, mosaics, pottery, between others. To understand the qualities of an object it is important to recognize the elements contained in a piece and the principles that the artist could follow to organize those elements.
Elements:
Style is considered as the combination of form and composition (elements and principles) that makes a work distinctive. According to Stokstad (2007) the most commonly used terms to discuss artistic styles include:
Elements:
- Line
- Shape
- Color
- Texture
- Space
- Balance
- Gradation
- Movement
- Proportion
- Rythm
Style is considered as the combination of form and composition (elements and principles) that makes a work distinctive. According to Stokstad (2007) the most commonly used terms to discuss artistic styles include:
- Period style. Referes to the carachteristics that distinguish a particular historical era.
- Regional style. Refers to stylistic traits that persist in a geographic region.
- Representational styles: are those that create recognizable subject matter. Realism, naturalism, abstract, linear and painterly are kind of representational styles.
- Realism and naturalism: describe the artist´s attempt to describe the observable world. Realism tries to be really accurate while naturalism implies a part of subject matter.
- Abstract: The artist starts from a realistic or natural objects and simplifies it capturing the essence of a form.
- Linear: in this style the artists uses line as the primary means of definition and modeling (creating of a 3D illusion).
- Painterly: describes a style of painting in which vigorous, evident brushstrokes dominate and shadows and highlights are brushed freely.
It is also important to know that we have to be able to recognize in a work art the content: this is what this art piece represents. "The content may comprise the social, political, religious, and economic CONTEXTS in which a work was created, the INTENTION of the artist, the RECEPTION of the work by the audience, and ultimately the meanings of the work to both artist and audience. Art historians applying different methods of INTERPRETATION often arrive at different conclusions regarding the content of a work of art." (Stokstad, M., 2007, p.xxviii)
Style is considered as the combination of form and composition (elements and principles) that makes a work distinctive. According to Stokstad (2007) the most commonly used terms to discuss artistic styles include:
Style is considered as the combination of form and composition (elements and principles) that makes a work distinctive. According to Stokstad (2007) the most commonly used terms to discuss artistic styles include:
- Period style. Refers to the characteristics that distinguish a particular historical era.
- Regional style. Refers to stylistic traits that persist in a geographic region.
- Representational styles: are those that create recognizable subject matter. Realism, naturalism, abstract, linear and painterly are kind of representational styles.
- Realism and naturalism: describe the artist´s attempt to describe the observable world. Realism tries to be really accurate while naturalism implies a part of subject matter.
- Abstract: The artist starts from a realistic or natural objects and simplifies it capturing the essence of a form.
- Linear: in this style the artists uses line as the primary means of definition and modeling (creating of a 3D illusion).
- Painterly: describes a style of painting in which vigorous, evident brushstrokes dominate and shadows and highlights are brushed freely.