Elements of Art: Space | KQED Arts

Summary

Space is an intrinsic element of art and is multifaceted in its representation. The video elaborates on how space, being one of the seven elements of art, plays a critical role in various forms of art, especially in site-specific artwork designed for a particular environment. It explains the distinction and interaction between positive and negative spaces in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks. The video further illustrates how artists like Kehinde Wiley and Georgia O'Keefe manipulate space to create illusions of depth and distance using techniques such as overlapping elements, varying hue and value, and utilizing perspectives. The discussion extends to the impact of these techniques and invites artists to analyze and incorporate their unique approach to space in conveying their artistic messages effectively.

Highlights

• Site-specific art is bound to its environment, making space an integral element. 🌍
• Positive space includes the main objects, while negative space is the background area in art. 🖌️
• Kehinde Wiley uses overlapping to create a sense of three-dimensional space in his portraits. 👤🌌
• Techniques such as perspective and varying hues give a real sense of depth to paintings. 🎭
• Artists can create unique styles and communicate messages through their approach to space. 🖼️

Key Takeaways

• Space is a fundamental element of art and exists in various forms, notably in site-specific art tailored to a particular space. 🎨
• Positive and negative spaces play distinct roles in artworks, and artists often blend the two to create visual interest.🖼️
• Techniques like overlapping, perspective, and value variation help create an illusion of depth in two-dimensional works.🔍
• Artists like Kehinde Wiley and Georgia O'Keefe show how creative manipulation of space can enhance the narrative of their art. 🎨
• Observing how space is used can deepen understanding and appreciation of artworks, as well as enhance your own artistic practice.🌌

Overview

Space is always part of an artwork and defines its presence in unique ways, especially in site-specific creations. This form of art cannot be separated from its environment, showing how integral space is. Besides, understanding space involves distinguishing positive and negative spaces, which artists often merge to produce compelling effects.

Take, for instance, the works of Kehinde Wiley and Georgia O'Keefe. They adeptly manipulate spatial elements to evoke depth and narrative. Wiley, for example, overlaps patterns within his portraits to suggest three-dimensionality, while O'Keefe employs varied red hues to give her art a tangible depth.

Effective use of space can greatly define an artist's style and how their work communicates messages. By observing artworks with a keen eye on space, one can gain insight into the artist's vision while evolving their own artistic methods. Whether it's through dense, open, or symmetrical compositions, space is key in creating art that resonates deeply.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Space in Art Space is an integral component of art and is often depicted in various forms. Site-specific work exemplifies this concept, as it is created for a particular space.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Space as an Element of Art The chapter 'Space as an Element of Art' discusses the indispensable nature of space in art, emphasizing its role as an integral element. It highlights that space, one of the seven fundamental elements of art alongside line, shape, form, texture, value, and color, is pivotal as it encompasses the area within an artwork. Moreover, for many artists, the transformation and utilization of space become the artwork itself, suggesting a deep interconnection between the artwork and its environment.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Space in Two-Dimensional Art The chapter 'Space in Two-Dimensional Art' explores the concept of space within artworks, particularly in paintings, drawings, and other two-dimensional media. It highlights how the work's space is confined within the borders of the medium, such as paper or canvas. The text explains the distinction between positive space, occupied by main objects, and negative space, surrounding these objects. Furthermore, the chapter discusses artists' deliberate attempts to blur the lines between positive and negative space to create intriguing visual effects.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Space in Three-Dimensional Art This chapter covers the concept of space in three-dimensional art, differentiating between positive space (the area occupied by objects) and negative space (the areas between and around objects). It also touches on techniques used in two-dimensional works to create the illusion of three-dimensional space, mentioning painter Kehinde Wiley as an example.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Techniques to Create Illusion of Space The chapter 'Techniques to Create Illusion of Space' discusses how artists use various techniques to create a sense of three-dimensional space in their work. It highlights the use of overlapping, where artists place objects or figures in front of others in portraits to give a sense of depth. The chapter also talks about landscape painter Wang Wei, who arranged objects at different parts of the canvas to imply space. Furthermore, it notes how figures positioned higher in a painting can appear to be moving further back into the space, despite being the same size. Additionally, the use of relative size by some artists is mentioned as a way to create the illusion of real space.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Use of Perspective in Art The chapter 'Use of Perspective in Art' explores how various artists use perspective to create a sense of depth and space in their artworks. It highlights Ben Shahn's technique of depicting smaller figures in his paintings to convey distance compared to larger ones, creating an illusion of depth. Roy DeCarava's photographs are discussed for their use of sharply focused figures against blurry, soft backgrounds, enhancing the perception of real depth. Additionally, the chapter discusses the use of varying hues and values to give two-dimensional works the illusion of real space, mentioning painter Georgia O'Keefe as an example of using such techniques.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Describing Space in Artworks The chapter focuses on how artists describe space in their artwork. It highlights the use of classic single and two-point perspective techniques by painter Alex Roulette to create a sense of deep and expansive space. Additionally, it mentions that objects appear smaller to suggest distance, pointing out various other methods artists use to depict space in their creations.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Conclusion and Invitation to Observe Space The chapter explores how artists approach the concept of space in their works. Different qualities such as dense, open, cluttered, symmetrical, shallow, and flat are discussed. Artists use these spatial qualities to create unique styles and reinforce the messages they want to convey to the audience.

Elements of Art: Space | KQED Arts Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Space is always part of an artwork. Sometimes, in multiple ways. No art form demonstrates this more than site-specific work. Site-specific art is designed exclusively for one particular space.
• 00:30 - 01:00 For this type of art, it's impossible to isolate the work from its surrounding environment. So, for many artists then, space and how to transform it is the artwork. Space is one of the 7 elements of art along with line, shape, form, texture, value, and color. Space is the area in which an artwork is organized. It encompasses the area within a work of art and can also include the
• 01:00 - 01:30 area immediately outside of and around a work of art. In paintings, drawings, and other two-dimensional work, the space of an artwork is usually contained within the borders of the paper or canvas it's made on. The main objects in a work of art take up positive space -- the area around them then is called negative space. Sometimes artists intentionally try to blur the boundaries between positive and negative space.
• 01:30 - 02:00 In sculpture and other three-dimensional arts, positive space is the area that objects actually occupy and negative space is all the other areas between and around the objects. Many two-dimensional works create the illusion of three-dimensional space by using some very specific techniques. Notice how painter Kehinde Wiley overlapped some of the background pattern onto the
• 02:00 - 02:30 front of people in these portraits. This overlapping gives a sense of three-dimensional space. Landscape painter Wang Wei placed objects in different parts of the canvas to imply three-dimensional space. Notice how figures towards the top of the painting seem to be moving further back in space, even though they are roughly the same size. Some artists do use relative size to give their work the illusion of real space.
• 02:30 - 03:00 The smaller human figures in these paintings by Ben Shahn seem to be more distant and further away from the larger ones. Roy DeCarava often contrasted sharply focused figures with blurry soft backgrounds in his photographs. Such a contrast in detail gives the sense of lush, real depth. Varying hues and values will also give two dimensional works the illusion of real space. See how painter Georgia O'Keefe used a variety of
• 03:00 - 03:30 red values and abused her work with a feeling of true depth. Painter Alex Roulette uses classic single and two point perspective in his work to create the impression of deep, expansive space. Notice, too, how objects get smaller, in order to seem more distant from each other. Some other ways to describe how artists use space are:
• 03:30 - 04:00 dense, open, cluttered, symmetrical, shallow, flat. How would you describe the way artists approach space in these works? What qualities do you see? How artists use space is one way they are able to create a unique style and reinforce the messages they hope to communicate.
• 04:00 - 04:30 The next time you're looking at a painting, photograph, or sculpture, try to notice how the artist is using space in their work. And, when you're making your own artwork, try to develop an approach to space that resonates with other ideas you're trying to communicate. That way your messages will surely travel far and wide.