SDOQUEZON-ADM-SHS12-S-CI1-M2

SHS

Arts and Design 12

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES I:
ARTS AND DESIGN
APPRECIATION AND
PRODUCTION

Quarter 1 - Module 2:
Visual Elements of
Arts and Design

GOVERNMENT PROPERTY | NOT FOR SALE

Creative Industries I: Arts and Design Appreciation and Production – Grade
Eleven (Arts and Design Track)
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 2: Visual Elements of Arts and Design
First Edition, 2020

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Published by Department of Education
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Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Marvin S. Canales, LPT
Editor: Raymar C. Francia, LPT and Guadalupe C. De Jesus, PhD.
Reviewer: Rosalie A. Salgo, EdD
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12

Creative
Industries I: Arts

and Design
Appreciation and

Production

Quarter 1 – Module 2: Visual
Elements of Arts and Design

Introductory Message

For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Creative Industries I – Arts and Design Appreciation and
Production – Grade 11 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Visual Elements
of Arts and Design!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators both
from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping
the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming
their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher
This contains helpful tips, strategies, and techniques that
will help you in guiding the learners to be more creative
and artistic.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage
their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Creative Industries I – Arts and Design Appreciation and
Production – Grade 11 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Visual Elements
of Arts and Design!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a learner
is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies and
skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
What I Know competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.
What’s In
What’s New This part includes an activity that aims to
What is It check what you already know about the
What’s More lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
What I Have Learned module.

This is a brief drill or review to help you link
the current lesson with the previous one.

In this portion, the new lesson will be
introduced to you in various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

This section provides a brief discussion of the
lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.

This comprises activities for independent
practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.

This includes questions or blank
sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will
Assessment help you transfer your new knowledge or skill
Additional Activities into real life situations or concerns.

Answer Key This is a task which aims to evaluate your
level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

In this portion, another activity will be given
to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

This contains answers to all activities in the
module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in developing
this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.

2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.

3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

Lesson Visual Elements of Arts and
2 Design

This lesson will serve as a guide for the students to understand the Visual
Elements of Art and Design. It is important to synthesize information gathered
from other artworks and explorations in the visual and applied art industry.

What I Need To Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
appreciate and produce different form of Arts. This will also help you critique
artworks based on the elements of art in order for you to better understand them.
Your adept at analysis will help you appreciate the richness, and beauty of art which
will motivate you to create artworks of your own. The scope of this module permits
it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the
diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course.

Module 2 – Introduction to Visual Elements of Arts and Design

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify various visual elements of Art
• AD_ADP11-Ia-c1;

2. create an artwork using elements of arts and design
• AD_ADP11-Ia-c1, AD_ADP11-id-g-2, and AD_ADP11-Ih-j3;

3. explain the historical context, cultural traditions, processes and production
• AD_ADP11-Ia-c1; and

4. articulates the meanings and significance of various expressions of visual
and applied arts.
• AD_ADP11-Ih-j3

What I Know

PRETEST
Congratulations! You have now reached the second lesson.
Answer the following exercises.
Read and analyze each statement below. Choose the letter of your answer.

1. Which visual element of Art refers to the sense of touch?

A. Value B. Pattern C. Texture D. Shape

2. What is another term that means for intensity of a color?
A. Value B. Saturation C. Hue D. Complementary

3. Which refers to the lightness or darkness of a color?
A. Shape B. Texture C. Tone D. Value

4. Which refers to the brightness or dullness of color?

A. Shape B. Texture C. Tone D. Value

5. What should be mixed to make a secondary color?
A. Complementary colors B. Intermediate or Tertiary colors

C. Neutral colors D. Primary colors

6. Which may be geometric or organic?

A. Shape B. Texture C. Tone D. Value

7. What is a three-dimensional object that can be measured by height, width and
depth?

A. Form B. Line C. Space D. Shape

8. A flat figure created when actual or implied lines surround a space that can be

geometric or organic.
A. Form B. Line C. Shape D. Space

9. Which element of art is produced when a wavelength of light strikes an object

and reflects back to the eyes?
A. Color B. Form C. Space D. Value

10. What is a mark with length and direction, created by a point that moves
across a surface?

A. Form B. Line C. Shape D. Space

Lesson Visual Elements of Arts and
2 Design

The visual elements of arts and design are the building blocks of an artwork and
the principles of art are the framework for how you arrange these elements.
Understanding the visual elements of art is of key importance to see like an artist.
Rather than looking at an object as what it represents, you will learn to see that
object as an arrangement of different visual elements.

What’s In

Let’s have this first for a review.
Analyze the image below; observe how it was made and what form it is.
Answer the following question on a separate sheet:
1. Is it an art, a design, or both?
2. What form of Arts/Design is it?

LAMBERTO V. AVELLANA, 1976
Anak Dalita, Film

What’s New

Analyze the Artwork below.

© Artnet.com

FERNANDO CUETO AMORSOLO (FILIPINO, 1892–1972)
Market place before a church, 1939 (oil on board)

Answer the following questions:
• What does the artist use to create movement? Can you identify them?
• What did you feel while looking at the Artwork?
• Does it create sense of order?
• What do you think is the artist’s purpose in creating this?

What Is It

Visual Elements of Art

The Visual Elements of line, shape, tone, color, space, texture and form are the
building blocks of composition in art. When we analyze any drawing, painting,
sculpture or design, we examine these component parts to see how they combine to
create the overall effect of the artwork.

The Visual Elements have a relationship to one another:

• Most images begin their life as line drawings.
• Lines cross over one another to form shapes.
• Shapes can be filled with tone and color, or repeated to create pattern.
• A shape may be rendered with a rough surface to create a texture.
• A shape may be projected into three dimensions to create form.

Each of the elements may also be used individually to stress their own particular
character in an artwork. Different elements can express qualities such as movement
and rhythm, space and depth, growth and structure, harmony and contrast, noise
and calm and a wide range of emotions that make up the subjects of great art.

Line as a Visual Element of Art

A Line is the foundation of any drawing. It is the first and most versatile of the visual
elements of art. A Line in an artwork can be used in many different ways. It can be
used to suggest shape, pattern, form, structure, growth, depth, distance, rhythm,
movement and a range of emotions.

We have a psychological response to different types of lines:

• Curved lines suggest comfort and ease
• Horizontal lines suggest distance and calm
• Vertical lines suggest height and strength
• Jagged lines suggest turmoil and anxiety

The way we draw a line can convey different expressive qualities:

• Freehand lines can express the personal energy and mood of the artist
• Mechanical lines can express a rigid control
• Continuous lines can lead the eye in certain directions
• Broken lines can express the ephemeral or the insubstantial
• Thick lines can express strength
• Thin lines can express delicacy

Line as Tone and Form

HENRY MOORE (1898-1986)
Sheep, 1972 (intaglio print on paper)
In 1972, while preparing for a major retrospective exhibition of his sculptures in
Florence, Henry Moore would relax by drawing the sheep in a field outside his
studio. As a sculptor, Moore was fascinated by the subtle variations in the cushioned
forms of their woolly fleeces and he recorded these observations in a sketchbook
using a ballpoint pen. Some of these images were later reworked as etchings like the
one above.
The vocabulary of scribbled and hatched lines that Moore developed for these
drawings is very compatible with their subject. His swirling scribbles correspond
perfectly to the bouncy texture of a fleece. He gradually builds up the density of line
to render the darker areas of tone and reduces it to suggest the lighter. In the
background of the work he uses hatched lines to draw the row of trees and the gate
but any inconsistency in their style is immediately concealed in a haze of scribbles.
In this etching a singular style of line multi-tasks to express form, tone and texture
with such empathy for the subject that you almost feel you could pull on the end of
a line to unravel the entire drawing like a ball of wool.

Line as Texture

PETER DOIG (1959-)
The Architects Home In The Ravine, 1991 (oil on canvas, 200x275cm.)
'The Architects Home In The Ravine' is an enchanting painting by Peter
Doig based on photographs and childhood memories of Beaumont House, the home
of the famous Canadian architect, Eberhard Zeidler. This is a vast postmodern
landscape that draws on many different artistic influences and ideas. You can see
its Canadian heritage in the art of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. The
painting is as much about surface as it is about depth, recalling the woodland scenes
of Paul Cézanne and Gustave Klimpt; it is as much about abstraction as it is about
representation, evoking both the dense dribble and spatter of a Jackson Pollock and
the isolation and emptiness of an Edward Hopper; and it is as much about the
relationship between man and his environment, with nature reclaiming its own

habitat as the architecture is menacingly encircled by the encroaching forest.

Line as Structure

ROBERT DELAUNEY (1885-1941)
Eiffel Tower, 1910 (oil on canvas)
Line can be used to generate the fundamental forces in the composition of an
artwork. In Robert Delaunay's image of the Eiffel Tower, one from a series of
eleven painted between 1909-11 when the tower was the tallest man-made
structure on the planet, the artist uses the rhythmic lines of its structure to
suggest its staggering power as it ascends into the skies. The contrasting curves
of the clouds double up as billowing dust as this colossal construction bursts
through the municipal buildings to become the global symbol of modernity at the
onset of the Modernist age.

Line as Movement

KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (c.1760-1849)
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1823–29 (woodblock print from

'36 Views of Mount Fuji')
All the lines in Hokusai's woodcut sweep with tremendous force, rising to a
crescendo on the crest of the 'Great Wave'. The swell of each wave is reinforced by
the contour lines that describe the density of its wall, while the breaking surf claws
the air to maintain its seismic energy. The power of this movement is further
amplified by the helpless boats, cast adrift on the merciless sea. To heighten the
drama, Hokusai freezes the action just at the critical point where the 'Great Wave'
breaks, threatening to engulf the distant peak of Mount Fuji.

Line As Emotion

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Weeping Woman, 1937 (oil on canvas)
Picasso's 'Weeping Woman' was the last of nine paintings and twenty seven
drawings on the tragic theme that was developed from 'Guernica', his vast
monochromatic masterpiece of the same year. It symbolized the grief and suffering
of the innocent victims of Guernica, the Basque town that was bombed by the
German Luftwaffe and the Italian Fascist Aviazione Legionaria in support of General
Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
In 'Weeping Woman', Picasso combines a synthetic cubism with a stained glass like
structure. Jagged lines, fractured shapes and acid colors set the despairing tone of
the work. The desolate woman's tortured emotions are heightened by the artist's
careful balance of bold lines, exaggerated color and simplified drawing. Picasso uses
strong dark lines to pull the fragmented image together and to subdue the optical
shock of opposite colors (red/green, yellow/purple, blue/orange). Despite this, his
heavily laden pigments can still generate enough chromatic intensity to provoke a
state of alarm. The woman's eyes are like shattered lead lights, pierced by the
fractured shards of the handkerchief; her chattering teeth gnaw convulsively on its
cloth. These combine in a pale aqueous blue - a dramatic contrast of monochrome
against color. Her coat is a cloak of thorns and all is sharp and angular in this visual
definition of despair.

Line as Energy

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN (1606-1669)
Two women teaching a child to walk, c.1635-37 (red chalk on paper)
This sketch by Rembrandt is a masterful study in line done for the simple joy of
the subject. To be able to capture the sensitivity of this tender moment with such
economy of means is not only a remarkable testament to the power of line as an
expressive force but also an illustration of Rembrandt's outstanding drawing skills.
Although it does not contain a great deal of detail, this is a work of intense
observation and energy. In a quick sketch that took less than a minute to complete,
Rembrandt manages to capture the unsteady balance, the emotional bond and the
generational relationship of the figures. He also achieves remarkable accuracy in the
drawing of the child's hat which has been recognized as a contemporary model
designed to protect young children from falls. In the hands of a great master like
Rembrandt, a simple line sketch can communicate more in a minute than the
average artist can convey in a month.

Line as Form

ALEXANDER CALDER (1898-1976)
Edgar Varèse and Unknown Man, 1929-30 (wire sculpture)
Before Alexander Calder developed a reputation as one of the great abstract
sculptors of the 20th century, he created figurative works with wire and pliers. He
would bend, twist and crimp wire to form three-dimensional portraits of celebrities
and friends that had all the vitality and spontaneity of a line drawing in space. These
works had an element of caricature about them but they still retained a remarkable
likeness to their subjects who often received them as tokens of friendship. Calder
would suspend these 'portraits' from twine which allowed them to rotate slowly,
revealing a surprising impression of volume for such limited means and
demonstrating that unique control of line that is so often seen in the drawings of
sculptors.

Line as Abstraction

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Bull - plate 11, January 17 1946 (lithograph)
At the top of this page it was mentioned that line was the first visual element in an
artwork. In Picasso's 'Bull' it is also the last. This drawing is the last in a series of
eleven studies that lead you through a process of abstraction, refining form, tone and
texture to extract the essence of the 'Bull' in a single line.

Shape as a Visual Element of Art

The Visual Element of Shape can be natural or man-made, regular or irregular, flat
(2-dimensional) or solid (3-dimensional), representational or abstract, geometric or
organic, transparent or opaque, positive or negative, decorative or symbolic, colored,
patterned or textured.
The Perspective of Shapes: The angles and curves of shapes appear to change
depending on our viewpoint. The technique we use to describe this change is called
perspective drawing.
The Behavior of Shapes: Shapes can be used to control your feelings in the
composition of an artwork:

• Squares and Rectangles can portray strength and stability
• Circles and Ellipses can represent continuous movement
• Triangles can lead the eye in an upward movement
• Inverted Triangles can create a sense of imbalance and tension

Two Dimensional Shapes

M. C. ESCHER (1898-1972)
Reptiles, 1943 (lithograph)
Two Dimensional Shapes: Most of the arts we see are two-dimensional: a drawing,
a painting, a print or a photograph which is usually viewed as a flat surface. Most
two-dimensional art tries to create the illusion of three dimensions by combining the
visual elements to a greater or lesser degree.
In Escher's lithograph, the artist is playing with the illusion of two and three-
dimensions in the same image. From an interlocking pattern drawn on a page of his
sketchbook, the flat outlined shapes of the reptiles are brought to life by the addition
of tone. They step out of their two-dimensional world into a three-dimensional
landscape of solidly rendered objects that have been selected for their variety of
shapes and textures. After a short journey exploring this new environment, they
return to their original format by losing their tone and adopting their former position
within the design - a return trip between two and three dimensions.

Three Dimensional Shapes

ANTHONY CARO (1924-2013)
Paul's Turn, 1971 (cor-ten steel)
Three Dimensional Shapes: Anthony Caro uses industrial beams, bars, pipes,
sections and steel plate which he cuts, bends, welds, bolts and occasionally
paints to form the shapes for his constructed metal sculptures. You can walk
around and between these three-dimensional abstract forms to interact with the
changing relationships of their delicately balanced structures.
Although this sculpture is constructed from heavy gauge steel and probably
weighs about the same as an average family car, it seems to defy gravity. The
open arrangement of its composition and the delicate balance of its component
parts collaborate to lift this sculpture from the deadweight of its materials to its
elevated status as an artwork.

Representational Shapes

HARMEN STEENWYCK (1612-1656)
'Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life', 1640 (oil on oak panel)
Representational Shapes attempt to reproduce what we see to a greater or lesser
degree.
Representational art is the blanket term we use to describe any artwork whose
shapes are drawn with some degree of visual accuracy. Realism, however, is not the
sole objective of representational art. It can be stylized with various levels of detail,
from a simple monochrome outline to a fully rendered form with color, tone, pattern
and texture. For example, compare the exquisite detail of 'Still Life: An Allegory of the
Vanities of Human Life' by Harmen Steenwyck to 'The Blue Fan' by Francis Cadell at
the top of the page. Both are still life paintings that use accurate representational
shapes but the former evolves as an outstanding study of tone and texture while the
latter abstracts and develops color as a major theme of the work.
'Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life' is the pinnacle of
representational art. It is painted with a remarkably realistic technique but it is more
than just an example of skilled craftsmanship. Each object has a unique symbolic
meaning and works together to create a moral narrative within the group. To discover
more about the hidden secrets of this artwork please explore our page on Harmen
Steenwyck - Vanitas Still Life Painting.
'The Blue Fan' also uses accurate representational shapes which play a major role in
the composition of the work but the balance of the other visual elements is altered
for creative effect: tone and texture are suppressed to allow the expressive qualities
of shape, color and pattern to flourish.

Abstract Shapes

PAUL CÉZANNE (1881-1973)
Still Life with a Peach and Two Green Pears, 1883-87 (oil on canvas)
Abstract Shapes, modified by the other visual elements, are the subject matter of
Abstract Art.
When Paul Cézanne began to distort the perspective of representational shapes in
his paintings, art took its first steps on a journey that led it through the partial
abstraction of Cubism and Futurism to a range of pure abstract styles including
Suprematism, Constructivism, De Stijl, Abstract Expressionism, Op Art and
Minimalism.
In 'Still Life with a Peach and Two Green Pears' Cézanne tilts the perspective of the
plate towards the picture plane. This has the effect of flattening the composition and
emphasizing the abstract outline of its shapes. The flatness of the painting is further
enhanced by the diamond shaped molding and the circular handle of the cupboard
in the background. Cézanne believed that the two-dimensional qualities of a painting
should not be denied and consequently much of his work involves:
• creating a balanced arrangement of shapes, some of which may be distorted
for the benefit of the composition.
• defining depth and form with the natural properties of color, where warm
colors appear to advance while cool colors recede.
• adapting his painting technique by using regulated brushstrokes to
emphasize the unity of surface in his work.

Positive and Negative Shapes

STUART DAVIS (1892-1964)
Colonial Cubism, 1954 (oil on canvas)
Positive Shape: This is the actual physical form of any shape.
Negative Shape: This the space between and around the physical form of any shape.
In 'Colonial Cubism', Stuart Davis plays with our interpretation of space by using
color to subvert our reading of positive and negative shapes. He wrote, "I think of color
as an interval of space - not as red or blue. People used to think of color and form as
two things. I think of them as the same thing, so far as the language of painting is
concerned. Color in a painting represents different positions in space."
When we look at certain shapes in this work, their form appears to either advance or
recede depending on their adjacent shapes and colors. Despite the fact that they are
flat and on the same plane, they alternate between a positive or negative reading of
their space.
There were two things that Davis loved which had a profound effect on his painting:
New York and jazz. The title of this painting is a humorous reference to the ambience
of New York as the inspiration for the shapes and colors of the work while
acknowledging the European origins of its style. His love of jazz is reflected in the
syncopated rhythm of his shapes as they oscillate between a positive and negative
reading across the composition.

Geometric Shapes

ALEXANDER CALDER (1898-1976)
Edgar Varèse and Unknown Man, 1929-30 (wire sculpture)
Geometric Shapes were originally formed mechanically using a ruler or compass.
However today, even the most complex geometric forms can be easily created using
digital imaging software. In art they tend to be used to convey the idea of rigidity,
structure, pattern, perspective and 3-dimensional form.
The American artist Al Held, known for his 'hard-edged' style of Geometric
Abstraction, is quoted in Time Magazine as saying, “We’re not going to get rid of chaos
and complexity, but we can find a way to live with them.” Held's paintings, like "S-E"
above, are a metaphor for this predicament. Their multiple perspectives, different
scales, transparency and opacity, consistency and contradiction, all reflect the
chaotic nature of our minds and our world. The way he composes the painting by
cropping the activity at the edges suggests that this is but a detail of our infinite
'chaos and complexity'. Nevertheless, Held's images are not unsettling, in fact they
are actually quite beautiful and inviting. Within the maze of their illusionistic
geometry there is enough evidence of continuity of line and shape to keep us engaged
in our search for a reassuring visual integrity.

Organic Shapes

GRAHAM SUTHERLAND (1903-1980)
Pastoral, 1930 (etching)

Organic Shapes are usually natural, irregular and freeform in character. You can
see them in the patterns of growth and decay in nature; in the shapes of seeds,
plants, leaves, flowers, fruit, trees, branches; and in the ephemeral forms of clouds
and water. They are also associated with anatomical forms such as heart and kidney
shapes.
Organic shapes can convey a sense of formation and development, and suggest
qualities such as softness, sensuality, flexibility and fluidity.
In 'Pastoral' by Graham Sutherland, the scene is set in a walled garden with a cast
of organic forms. Two ancient trees, one a hollowed-out trunk, the other a bent and
twisted bough, commune in the choreographed language of abstract forms. The
younger members of the woodland surround these two elders like an attentive
audience absorbing their wisdom and experience. The clouds add a sympathetic
backdrop while the garden wall acts like a geometric counterpoint to this organic
drama.

Symbolic and Decorative Shapes

EADFRITH, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (died 721)
'Illuminated Ornamental Cross', 715-721, Lindisfarne Gospels
Symbolic Shapes: A symbol is an object or sign that represents an identity, a belief,
a concept or an activity. For example, the symbol of a cross can represent the
Christian faith; or be an emblem of the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and
water); or the four points of a compass (north, south, east and west); or the flag of
Switzerland; or simply a road sign indicating crossroads.
Decorative Shapes: All decorative forms are based on either Nature or Geometry or
a combination of both. Within each of these categories lies a huge range of styles that
cross historical, geographic and cultural borders including Egyptian, Greek, Roman,
Arabian, Turkish, Persian, Islamic, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African, Asian,
Oceanic, Native American, Celtic, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo,
Neoclassicism, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modernism and Post-
Modernism (the eclectic combination of any of the aforementioned).
The 'Illuminated Ornamental Cross' from the Lindisfarne Gospels unites both
symbolic and decorative shapes in one design. The symbolic shape of the cross forms
the framework for the elaborate network of Celtic decoration. Within its complex
ornamentation lies another layer of symbolism: the endless interlacing of knots and
spirals, a visual metaphor for our universal coexistence with God, nature and one
another.

Transparent, Reflective and Opaque Shapes

RICHARD ESTES (b. 1932)
Donohue's, 1967 (oil on masonite)
Transparent Shapes allow light to pass through so that you are able to see what lies
beyond them.
Reflective Shapes reflect light to create a mirror image of what is reflected on their
surface.
Opaque Shapes absorb light but also reflect some of it as color. As light is not able
to pass through them, you are unable to see through them.
Richard Estes paintings are a perfectly judged balance between the transparent,
reflective and opaque forms of the metropolitan environment of New York. In his
painting of 'Donohoe's', the image is essentially a view into a diner through one of its
windows. However, plate glass windows are not only transparent, they also have
reflective properties. Consequently, the view of the window becomes a composite of
the inside of the diner and a reflection of the street outside.
Apart from the obvious virtuosity of his painting technique, Estes demonstrates
remarkable drawing and compositional skills in the way he edits and balances the
shapes and forms that we see through the window (the table, radiator, figures and
strip light) with the reflections on the surface of the window (the buildings,
pedestrians, traffic lights, signage, smoke and clouds). His paintings always seem to
trigger a compulsive curiosity, pulling the viewer into the complexity of their details.
For example, note how 'Donohue's' is not actually the name of the diner; it is, in fact,
the restaurant across the street whose name is reflected in the window. The visual
poetry of this interior-exterior dialogue is both the fascination and hallmark of Estes'
paintings.

The Perspective of Shapes

WAYNE THIEBAUD (1920-)
Around the Cake, 1962 (oil on canvas)
Perspective Drawing is the technique that artists use to calculate the angles of a
three-dimensional shape when drawing it on a two-dimensional surface.
Wayne Thiebaud's painting 'Around the Cake' is a witty demonstration of perspective
drawing. It illustrates two cakes: one in the center of the painting; the other cut into
eight equal slices, each on its own identical plate and arranged in a circular order
like the numbers on a clock. To evoke a sense of time and motion, each slice of the
cake has been rotated by 45° as they advance around the clock. This painting has
some of the contemporary irony that you expect to find in Pop Art but Thiebaud's
slow sumptuous painting technique draws on the unexpected influences of artists
like Giorgio Morandi and Chardin and the art historical lineage that they represent.

Tone as a Visual Element of Art

The Visual Element of Tone defines the lightness or darkness of a color. The tonal
values of an artwork can be adjusted to alter its expressive character.

Tone can be used:
• to create a contrast of light and dark.
• to create the illusion of form.
• to create a dramatic or tranquil atmosphere.
• to create a sense of depth and distance.
• to create a rhythm or pattern within a composition.

Value scale: The value scale represents different degrees of light used in artwork.
Chiaroscuro refers to an artistic technique popularized during the Renaissance,
referring to the use of exaggerated light contrasts in order to create the illusion of
volume.

Tone As the Contrast of Light and Dark

CARAVAGGIO (c.1527-1610)
Basket of Fruit, 1595-96 (oil on canvas)
'Basket of Fruit' is a striking display of summer fruit that, uncharacteristically for
Caravaggio, appears dark against a light background. It is considered to be the first
freestanding still life in Western art and is the only true example of the genre by the
artist. Caravaggio demonstrates outstanding skill in the way he captures the delicate
variations in the colors and textures of the produce. The fruit in the painting is
overripe showing signs of decay with the leaves shrivelling as they begin to dry out.
The real subject of the work, however, is not the 'trompe l'oeil' realism of its dazzling
painting technique but its Vanitas undertones as the fruit enters the initial stages
of decomposition with its dark silhouette eclipsed by the symbolic luminosity of its
background.

Tone as Form

ALBRECHT DÜRER (1471-1528)
Old Man aged 93, 1521 (brush drawing on paper primed with color)
Albrecht Dürer, the great German artist from Nuremberg, made many tonal studies
of heads, hands and drapery as preparatory sketches for his paintings. While on a
visit to Venice in 1505, he adopted a Renaissance drawing technique called
'chiaroscuro' (Italian for 'light-dark') which used three basic tones to create the
illusion of form:
• the dark tones were created with black ink.
• the light tones were established with white gouache, an opaque form of
watercolor.
• the mid-tones were provided by the color of the Venetian Blue paper that he
found in Northern Italy.
Dürer's drawing of the 'Old Man aged 93' (1521) is a superbly skilled brush drawing
that used the 'chiaroscuro' technique to render tone. It was done some years after
his trip to Italy on paper that he primed with a grey-violet wash for the mid-tone as
he no longer had access to his Italian source of Venetian Blue paper. Dürer built up
his dark tones in several layers of cross-hatched brushstrokes, graduating their
shades from the natural black of the ink, through three or four paler concentrations
to the mid-tone of the primed background. The highlights were hatched and stippled
in white to complete the wrinkled form of the old man with his luxuriant beard.

Tone As Drama

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Guernica, 1937 (oil on canvas)
The painting of 'Guernica' is the depiction of the artist's horror at the bombing of the
small Basque village during the Spanish civil war. Pablo Picasso painted this huge
canvas (11ft 6in x 25ft 7in) for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris World Fair to focus
international attention on this barbaric act.
'Guernica' is probably the most dramatic painting of the 20th century, yet it is
painted in tones of black and white without any hint of color. Picasso deliberately
avoids using color due to its emotional import which would detract from the dark
despair of the subject. He turns to the black and white tonality of newspapers to
reinforce the reality of his stylized drama and to present the brutality of the atrocity
as authoritative fact. To emphasize this relationship, he stipples the hair on the body
of the dying horse with lines reminiscent of newsprint. The absence of color in the
work also lends a note of respect for the innocent victims of Guernica.

Tone as Tranquility

JEAN FRANÇOIS MILLET (1814-1875)
The Angelus, 1857-59 (oil on canvas)
The Angelus is a Catholic devotion that can be traced back to the 13th century. The
Angelus bell would ring three times a day to call the community to prayer.
Traditionally workers would stop their activities at the sound of the bell and say the
Angelus prayer in the morning, at noon and again in the evening.
This painting by Jean François Millet portrays two Barbizon peasant workers who
have stopped harvesting potatoes to say the evening Angelus. The man has reverently
removed his cap and the woman joins her hands in prayer. They both bow their
heads in respect as the Angelus bell peels from the church tower on the distant
horizon. Millet's use of subdued tones captures the peace and tranquility of the
moment while the bright tones of the sunset gently silhouette their bowed heads to
highlight the humility of their prayer.
There is an alternative interpretation of Millet's 'Angelus' that originates from
Salvador Dali which still registers with its muted tones and tranquil mood. Dali
believed that this was a funeral scene and that the couple were praying over their
dead child. At his insistence, the Louvre x-rayed the image to reveal a coffin shaped
box painted beneath the basket of potatoes.

Tone as Depth and Distance

CHARLES SHEELER (1883-1965)
Canyons, 1951 (oil on canvas)

Charles Sheeler, the American painter and photographer, was associated with
Precisionism, the first homegrown modern art movement in the USA. The
Precisionists described the urban and industrial landscape of modern America with
a crystal cut vocabulary of geometric forms and dramatic perspectives.
'Canyons' is a cubist influenced cityscape of transparent and opaque silhouettes
derived from building facades, windows and rooftops. Sheeler colors these shapes
using a graduated scale of tones to create an atmospheric impression of aerial depth
and distance. The title of the painting is a poetic metaphor linking the urban
landscape of streets and skyscrapers in modern America to the geological landscape
of rivers and ravines in the American wilderness.

Color as a Visual Element of Art

The Visual Element of Color has the strongest effect on our emotions. It is the
element we use to create the mood or atmosphere of an artwork.

There are many different approaches to the use of color in art:

• Color as light
• Color as tone
• Color as pattern
• Color as form
• Color as symbol
• Color as movement
• Color as harmony
• Color as contrast
• Color as mood

In the visual arts, color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and
the visual impacts of specific color combinations. Color theory first appeared in the
17th century when Isaac Newton discovered that white light could be passed through
a prism and divided into the full spectrum of colors. The spectrum of colors contained
in white light are, in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Color theory subdivides color into the “primary colors”
of red, yellow, and blue, which cannot be mixed from
other pigments; and the “secondary colors” of green,
orange and violet, which result from different
combinations of the primary colors. Primary and
secondary colors are combined in various mixtures to
create “tertiary colors”. Color theory is centered around
the color wheel, a diagram that shows the relationship of
the various colors to each other.

Color “value” refers to the relative lightness or darkness Color wheel: The
of a color. In addition, “tint” and “shade” are important color wheel is a
aspects of color theory and result from lighter and darker diagram that shows
variations in value, respectively. “Tone” refers to the the relationship of the
gradation or subtle changes of a color on a lighter or various colors to each
darker scale. “Saturation” refers to the intensity of a other.
color.

Additive and Subtractive Color

Additive color is color created by mixing red, green, and blue lights. Television
screens, for example, use additive color as they are made up of the primary colors of
red, blue and green (RGB). Subtractive color, or “process color”, works as the reverse
of additive color and the primary colors become cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
(CMYK). Common applications of subtractive color can be found in printing and
photography.

Color as Light

GIACOMO BALLA (1871-1958)
Street Light, 1909 (oil on canvas)
Color is the sensation that is stimulated in our brain by different wavelengths of
light. One wavelength will stimulate our perception of red, another orange, another
yellow and so on through all the colors of the spectrum.
Giacomo Balla's beautiful painting of a street lamp is a poetic impression that
represents the physical properties of light. At its center, the bulb burns with a white
heat in the darkness of the night. Its radiant glow dissolves in concentric waves, each
of which diminish in intensity and change color to suggest the different wavelengths
of the spectrum.
Balla was an Italian Futurist who revered the modernity of urban life. He painted
'Street Light' at the time when electric lighting was first introduced to the streets of
Rome. It is a Futurist celebration of the power of technology as a symbol of the new
age. The light even outshines nature herself as the corona of the crescent moon
struggles to compete with its incandescence. The painting technique that Balla
employed was derived from Pointillism, a more scientific approach to the analysis of
color, and as such forms the perfect marriage between the subject and its execution.

Color as Tone

EMILE NOLDE (1867-1956)
Lake Lucerne, 1930 (watercolor on vellum)
Dramatic color combined with a vigorous painting technique are the key elements of
Expressionism in art. Expressionist painting was more about using color and the
physical qualities of a medium to express your feelings about the subject rather than
simply describing it in a naturalistic fashion.
'Lake Lucerne' by Emile Nolde is a classic example of an expressionist painting
technique. It is painted more from memory than from observation using the natural
fluidity of watercolor to mirror the changing mood of the landscape. First Nolde soaks
his paper, in this case vellum, with water. He then builds up the shapes of the
mountains with washes in different tones of blue, more intense in the foreground
becoming paler in the background. This creates an impression of aerial perspective
as the tones of the colors appear to fade into the distant landscape. He continues
using a 'wet on wet' technique to form the ephemeral layers of clouds and the watery
reflections in the lake. Finally, he applies a spot of yellow which bleeds over the damp
surface to create the glow of the setting sun which he then repeats on the lake to
create its reflection.

Color As Pattern

JUAN GRIS (1887-1927)
Violin and Checkerboard, 1913 (oil on canvas)
In Cubism the artist selects the essential features from multiple viewpoints of the
subject and reconstructs them as an abstract composition. At the drawing stage of a
cubist painting, the artist was often confronted with a confusing structure of lines
and shapes to which he/she would apply patterns of color, tone and texture in an
attempt to organize the spatial arrangement of the composition.
In 'Violin and Checkerboard' by Juan Gris, the artist assigns different colors to
particular shapes which create an asymmetrical pattern of forms arranged around
the white cloth at the center of the painting. This pattern of colors leads the viewer's
eye in a clockwise motion around the picture. Color distributed as irregular pattern
is often used as unifying element in the composition of artworks.

Color as Form

ANDRÉ DERAIN (1880-1954)
Portrait of Matisse, 1905 (oil on canvas)
To create the illusion of form in a painting, artists traditionally added lighter and
darker pigments to the main color of an object in order to render the naturalistic
effects of light and shade. The main disadvantage of this technique was that much
of the intensity of the original color was sacrificed when it was blended with
highlights and shadows. The Impressionists had introduced a more scientific
approach to the analysis of color to try to solve this problem while some of the Post
Impressionists had begun to use color structurally (Paul Cézanne and Georges
Seurat) and symbolically (Gauguin and Van Gogh).
One group of artists who were bored with all the various naturalistic, structural and
symbolic approaches to using color in painting were 'Les Fauves'. They simply wanted
to use color that spoke to the spirit, celebrating its vitality and feel-good factor.
Fauvism was a style of painting developed at the start of the 20th century by Henri
Matisse and André Derain. 'Les Fauves' valued intense color for its emotional impact
more than for its ability to render form. They used colors at their highest pitch with
a simplified drawing technique to express their feelings about their subjects.
In the painting above, André Derain demonstrates how the intensity of Fauvist color
can be used to replace the traditional technique of rendering form with light and
shade. First, Derain simplifies his drawing of Matisse into angular planes. Next, he
selects colors which are sensitively balanced, paying some respect to their tonal
values but pitched at their maximum intensity. Finally, the colors are applied in
slabs of expressive brushwork without any subtle blending. Color and form now
coexist as equals in his painting, both expressing and describing this exhilarating
'Portrait of Matisse'.

Color as Harmony

EDGAR DEGAS (1834-1917)
Blue Dancers, 1899 (pastels)
Harmony is the compatibility, balance or progression of similar elements. 'Blue
Dancers' by Edgar Degas is a carefully composed pastel painting that illustrates the
harmony of color as well as several other visual elements:
• The shape of the painting is square while the rotational movement of the
figures is composed within a diamond forming a harmony of rectangular
shapes.
• The decorative frills around the bodices of the dresses form a subtle harmony
of curves.
• The pointed projections of arms, elbows and wrists create a rhythmic harmony
of angles.
• The warm ochres of the background should clash with the cool blue dresses
in the foreground as they are opposite colors. However, Degas reconciles their
opposition with a clever harmony of their colors. He scumbles traces of blue
over the warm ochre background which is counterbalanced by the ochre
underpainting that beats beneath the blue dresses. This has the effect of
harmonizing the foreground with the background but still retaining enough
contrast to stimulate our interest.

Color as Contrast

JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER (1775-1851)
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 1835 (oil on canvas)
Few painters in the history of art capture the intensity of light and energy more than
Turner. In his first of two versions of 'The Burning of the Houses of Lords and
Commons' (1835), the visual elements of the painting are fueled by a collision of the
classical elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Turner personally witnessed this event from among the thousands of people who
lined the south bank of the River Thames as well as from a boat that he hired to get
closer to the scene. He created a series of quick watercolor sketches of the fire but
there is some dispute that they were painted at the location.
The composition of the work is divided into four sections, each of which harbors one
of the four classical elements. On the left the blazing oranges and yellows of the
burning buildings are set in opposition to the cold blues and lilacs of the sky. The
hot colors of the flames and their reflections (fire and water) are intensified by the
cold colors of the sky and bridge (earth and air). A similar tension is established by
the tonal contrast of the dark crowd against the light river which is counterbalanced
by the light sandstone of Westminster Bridge against the darkening sky. This
painting is a cleverly arranged contrast of opposite colors, tones and classical
elements which Turner has devised to heighten the impact of each.

Color as Movement

VICTOR VASARELY (1906-1997)
Vonal KSZ, 1968 (silkscreen print)
When you look at an abstract artwork your brain instinctively searches for signs of
rhythm and order to try to make spatial sense of the image. Victor Vasarely makes
use of this impulse to create an impression of movement by combining graduated
squares and sequential colors. These lead the eye into and through the image with
increasing and decreasing acceleration. The squares, which graduate from large to
small, are aligned on their horizontal axes but are staggered on their vertical axes to
create the illusion of a tunnel whose dizzying perspective unfolds as they travel
towards the vanishing point at its center.

Separation of Color Progressions in Vonal KSZ, 1968 (silkscreen print)
The receding squares in this image form the shape of the movement while the
progression of colors determine its speed. In our illustration above we have separated
the alternate sequences of colors so that you can see their relationship more clearly.
You can now distinguish their tonal scale as one sequence moves from dark through
light to dark, while the other moves from light through dark to light. The changing
contrasts of these sequences form a counterchange of tones and colors which give
rise to the retinal roller coaster ride that is 'Vonal KSZ'.

Color as Symbol

VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890)
The Potato Eaters, 1885 (oil on canvas)
This is Van Gogh's masterpiece from the first period of his work before he moved to
Paris in 1886. 'The Potato Eaters' are a poor Dutch peasant family sitting down to
share their frugal evening meal. They are agricultural laborers and the earthy greens
and browns that Van Gogh uses to paint them symbolize their closeness to and
dependence on the land for their survival. There is a unity of color and texture
between the hands and faces of the peasants and the potatoes and coffee they are
sharing. The dark somber tones of the work sympathetically reflect their humble
existence and the artist's respect for the quiet dignity of their labor.

Color as Mood - Joy

VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890)
Sunflowers, 1888 (oil on canvas)
For Van Gogh, yellow was the color of joy and friendship. He painted a series of at
least seven sunflower pictures to decorate the rooms of his 'Yellow House'. These
paintings were conceived as a welcome to his friend and fellow painter Paul Gauguin
with whom he dreamed of setting up a ‘Studio of the South’ [2] in Arles in the South
of France.
In contrast with the somber mood of 'The Potato Eaters', 'Sunflowers' is one of the
most joyful paintings in the history of art. Despite the fact that it has echoes of the
Vanitas subjects of 17th century Dutch still lifes, as some of its blooms have turned
to dead seed heads, it still glows with a radiance that transcends any hint of
melancholy.
The composition of the work is simplicity itself: fifteen sunflowers sit in a vase on a
table; they are arranged symmetrically and fill the canvas; the vase, flowers, table
and background are predominately yellow and cast no shadows. It is this absence of
complication in both the drawing and arrangement of the work that liberates its color
to communicate with a greater intensity than you would expect. 'Sunflowers' radiates
color rather than using it as a descriptive element.

Color as Mood - Sadness

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
The Old Guitarist, 1903-04 (oil on panel)
We often use the language of color to describe our emotions. We talk of being 'red'
with rage or 'green' with envy. If we are feeling good, we are in the 'pink' or if we are
sad, we've got the 'blues'. When Pablo Picasso painted 'The Old Guitarist' he was
certainly suffering from the 'blues'. In fact, the main body of his work between 1901-
04 is now referred to as his 'Blue Period'.
In 1901, Picasso sank into a deep depression after the suicide of his close friend
Carlos Casagemas. His subsequent work reflected his sad psychological state in both
its subject matter and the colors he used to paint it. One symptom of his depression
was that he entered a period of self-imposed social exile. As a consequence of this he
identified himself with those whom society had exiled - the poor, the lonely, the
infirm, the destitute vagrants and vagabonds of street - and they became the subjects
of his work. He would paint these sorrowful figures mostly in tones of blue to enhance
their melancholic mood.
'The Old Guitarist' is a major work that illustrates the key elements of Picasso's
'Blue Period'. There is a strong focus on the humanity of the old man whose
emaciated and twisted physique not only expresses the anguish of his abject
condition but also the tormented emotions of the artist himself. This is a timeless
image whose style unites past and present. It owes as much to the tortured
mannerism of the 16th century artist El Greco as it does to the contemporary
introspection of Expressionism. Picasso's use of blue as the corresponding color of
sadness is counteracted by the comforting shade of the brown guitar. Its soulful tone
is the only note of consolation in this tragic image.

Color as Mood - Peace

GUSTAV KLIMT (1862-1918)
Isle on Lake Attersee, 1902 (oil on canvas)
Gustav Klimt's reputation was built on his paintings of sensual allegories and society
portraits of beautiful women, all dripping with opulent ornamentation in a fusion of
figuration and abstraction. Klimt was always a workaholic. His idea of a taking a
peaceful holiday was to paint a different subject, in a different style, in a different
place. For around sixteen years (1900-1916) he visited the Salzkammergut, a
picturesque region of alpine lakes, forests and mountains where he painted
landscapes as a form of relaxation. These works were almost always square shaped
as he used the same small ivory viewfinder to frame the landscape. Consequently the
composition of these paintings was flat and patterned as he would 'crop' the image
around or below the horizon, thereby negating the effect of perspective. This allowed
him to focus on the abstract relationships of the colors, shapes, patterns and
textures of the woods and the lakeside.
The 'Isle on Lake Attersee' has many of the characteristics of Klimt's summer
landscapes. The isle and its horizon are at the top of the picture acting like a hinge
that swings your attention down to the reflective surface of the lake. There are few
more peaceful pursuits than to sit at a lakeside and watch the glimmer of light and
color on the surface of the water. Klimt conveys that peaceful feeling of total
relaxation and contentment in the way he focuses his attention on the
Impressionistic spectrum of turquoise and blue reflections that gently merge into the
soft waves of yellow sunlight.

Color as Mood - Anxiety

EDVARD MUNCH (1863-1944)
The Scream, 1893 (oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard)
'The Scream' by Edvard Munch has entered the public consciousness as an emblem
of anxiety. All its components combine to form an image of impending doom; it is a
panic attack in visual elements. The two main colors of the painting are orange and
blue, a lurid contrast from opposite ends of the spectrum guaranteed to form a tense
relationship. An anxious state of agoraphobia is generated by the extended
perspective of the bridge and the haunting waves of sound that echo around the
fjord. A stomach-churning glimpse over the edge of the handrail initiates an attack
of vertigo. A deep sense of isolation and helplessness is experienced by the figure
who is holding his head to absorb the phobic assault from this environment, while
his path of escape is blocked by the spectral figures at one end of the bridge and the
mysterious border which channels the burning color of the sky at the other.

Color as Mood - Noise

GINO SEVERINI (1883-1966)
The Dance of the Pan-Pan at the Monico, 1909-1911/1959-1960 (240cm x 400cm,

oil on canvas)
We began this analysis of color in art with one Futurist painting and we end it with
another. 'The Dance of the Pan-Pan at the Monico' was the large centerpiece to
the first Futurist Exhibition outside Italy which was organized by Gino Severini at
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in Paris. It was painted in 1909-11, but this version was
destroyed and Severini repainted it from a postcard in 1959-60.
The Futurists embraced the noise, energy and intensity of modern city life. The
raucous night-life of the cabaret with its vibrant fashions and risqué dancing to
ragtime rhythms, all illuminated by modern electric lighting, was the perfect setting
for a vision of Futurist fun. Severini smashes this image into countless fragments
which he reassembles in a dynamic composition that captures the collective
consciousness of Futurism. Contrasts of opposite colors collide in a shatterproof
structure that frames the fun, frolics, noise and excitement of modern entertainment.

Texture as a Visual Element of Art

The Visual Element of Texture defines the surface quality of an artwork - the
roughness or smoothness of the material from which it is made.

We experience texture in two ways: optically (through sight) and physically (through
touch).

Optical Texture: An artist may use his/her skillful painting technique to create the
illusion of texture.

Physical Texture: An artist may paint with expressive brushstrokes whose texture
conveys the physical and emotional energy of both the artist and his/her subject.
They may also use the natural texture of their materials to suggest their own unique
qualities such as the grain of wood, the grittiness of sand, the flaking of rust, the
coarseness of cloth and the smear of paint.

Ephemeral Texture: This is a third category of textures whose fleeting forms are
subject to change like clouds, smoke, flames, bubbles and liquids.

Optical Texture

JAN VAN HUYSUM (1682-1747)
Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn, 1724 (oil on canvas)
Jan Van Huysum was one of the most influential Dutch still life artists of the 18th
century. Dutch artists developed still life as an independent genre to fill their
employment gap when religious art was banned by the Protestant churches during
the Reformation. Van Huysum was famous for his magnificent flower paintings
whose compositions were a mixture of Baroque chiaroscuro and Rococo
flamboyance.
You can see that Van Huysum's pictures were not painted as a unified arrangement
from life as there are a variety of flowers in the group which bloom in different
seasons. He would construct and paint these works from separate studio studies of
individual stems, buds and blossoms which he would carefully adapt and compose
to create his spectacularly colorful displays.
It was Van Huysum's stunning painting technique that elevated his status to that of
the greatest Dutch painter of flowers. At this time, the quality of realistic
representation in a picture was seen as a measure of excellence. The Dutch even had
a word for it - 'bedriegertje' which means 'little deception'. His outstanding ability to
paint the realistic textures of petals, stems, leaves, droplets of moisture, a horde of
insects and the distinctive surfaces of terra cotta vases and marble pedestals, left his
contemporaries standing still. We do not know a great deal about Van Huysum's
painting methods as he was extremely secretive about his technique, to the extent
where he refused to allow anyone into his studio while he was working. He once
employed an apprentice, Margareta Haverman, but discharged her as he felt that her
competent copies of his paintings were devaluing his own.