The visual aspects of the artwork are intertwined between each other, creating a foundation of any art piece. Line, shape, tone, color, pattern, texture, and form must be evaluated when examining a drawing, painting, or sculpture to discover how they interact to produce the overall impact of the piece of art (Brown). The majority of pictures begin as line drawings, through which the forms are created later. Shapes can be filled in with color and tone, or they can be repeated to make a pattern. To provide texture, the form might be displayed with a rough surface. Each of the parts can also be employed alone in a piece of art to emphasize their distinct personalities. Movement and rhythm, space and depth, development and structure, harmony and contrast, disturbance and tranquillity, and a wide spectrum of emotions are all aspects that may be expressed through many components in excellent art.
The line is the foundation of all drawings, and it may be used to convey different aspects, from pattern and depth to rhythm, movement, and emotional range. In the composition of a piece of art, shapes can be employed to affect sentiments. The brightness or darkness of a color is defined by its hue. A piece of art’s tonal values can be changed to modify its expressive nature (Brown). It may be utilized to give a feeling of depth and distance, as well as a dramatic atmosphere. Color is the visual element with the greatest emotional influence. Color is used in artwork to establish the mood or ambiance of the piece. Color can be employed as light, tone, pattern, form, or symbol.
The roughness or smoothness of the material is reflected in the texture of a work of art’s surface. Brushstrokes, for example, have an expressive texture that expresses both physical and emotional intensity. To express a feeling of balance, harmony, contrast, rhythm, or movement, a pattern is generated by repeating or repeating aspects of an artwork. It is frequently based on the artist’s inspiration derived from watching natural patterns in nature.
“Olympia” by Édouard Manet displays a naked white lady sleeping on a bed gazing in the center in a realistic artistic direction, while “Portrait of Mnonja” by Mickalene Thomas depicts a woman in colorful clothing sitting on a sofa looking to the left in a flatter creative direction. The viewer in Manet’s “Olympia,” on the contrary, is met with two ladies, one white and one black. The woman is lying and resting her head on pillows. The painting’s hues also depict the white woman’s chilly and callous nature, while Mickalene highlights flashy bright images. The deeper background colors draw attention to the foreground, emphasizing Olympia’s and her bedding’s softer whites. Manet used a lot of color in his paintings, notably in the foreground and the backdrop, which is entirely blacked out. There is practically no feeling of depth in the piece as a result of this. Manet painted with loose brushstrokes, and if we examine closely, we can observe how his paint application appears unsystematic and rushed at first view.
Mickalene Thomas’ art delves with issues of beauty, sexuality, and black female identity. The use of rhinestones and bright textile patterns in Thomas’ paintings adds even more drama and sensuality. Unlike Manet, who preferred to avoid depth and bright colors, Thomas built her work on them. Moreover, she is one of the modern artists who are working with unusual materials, particularly sequins and sequins. Rhinestones in work are evocative of folk art and Haitian voodoo art. They also convey a metaphor for women’s makeup, which may either highlight or conceal a woman’s individuality.
Works Cited
Brown, Gillian. Visual Elements and Visual Paradigms: Re-thinking Scientific Conceptual Figures Through Graphic Design. University of the Arts London, 2019.