The Pocket Universal Principles of Art: 100 Key Concepts for Understanding, Analyzing, and Practicing Art

211 Pages·2017·32.268 MB·English

by  John A. Parks

T H E P O C K E T
UNIVERSAL
PRINCIPLES
OF ART
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Brimming with creative inspiration, how-to projects, and useful
information to enrich your everyday life, Quarto Knows is a favorite
destination for those pursuing their interests and passions. Visit our
site and dig deeper with our books into your area of interest:
Quarto Creates, Quarto Cooks, Quarto Homes, Quarto Lives,
Quarto Drives, Quarto Explores, Quarto Gifts, or Quarto Kids.
T H E P O C K E T
© 2018 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
UNIVERSAL
First Published in 2018 by Rockport Publishers, an imprint of The Quarto Group,
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265-D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA.
T [phone] F [phone] QuartoKnows.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without
written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been PRINCIPLES
reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and
no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement
of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every
effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information
supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will OF ART
resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.
Rockport Publishers titles are also available at discount for retail, wholesale,
promotional, and bulk purchase. For details, contact the Special Sales Manager
by email at [email protected] or by mail at The Quarto Group, Attn:
Special Sales Manager, 401 Second Avenue North, Suite 310, Minneapolis, MN
55401, USA. 100 Key Concepts for Understanding,
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Analyzing, and Practicing Art
ISBN: 978-1-63159-373-4 John A. Parks
Digital edition: 978-1-63159-543-1
Softcover edition: 978-1-63159-373-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available
Cover Design: Coa Design
Page Layout: Barefoot Art and Design
Printed in China
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Brimming with creative inspiration, how-to projects, and useful
information to enrich your everyday life, Quarto Knows is a favorite
destination for those pursuing their interests and passions. Visit our
site and dig deeper with our books into your area of interest:
Quarto Creates, Quarto Cooks, Quarto Homes, Quarto Lives,
Quarto Drives, Quarto Explores, Quarto Gifts, or Quarto Kids.
T H E P O C K E T
© 2018 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
UNIVERSAL
First Published in 2018 by Rockport Publishers, an imprint of The Quarto Group,
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265-D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA.
T [phone] F [phone] QuartoKnows.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without
written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been PRINCIPLES
reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and
no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement
of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every
effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information
supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will OF ART
resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.
Rockport Publishers titles are also available at discount for retail, wholesale,
promotional, and bulk purchase. For details, contact the Special Sales Manager
by email at [email protected] or by mail at The Quarto Group, Attn:
Special Sales Manager, 401 Second Avenue North, Suite 310, Minneapolis, MN
55401, USA. 100 Key Concepts for Understanding,
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Analyzing, and Practicing Art
ISBN: 978-1-63159-373-4 John A. Parks
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available
Cover Design: Coa Design
Page Layout: Barefoot Art and Design
Printed in China
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Preface I begin by pointing out the extraordinary fact that
every human culture makes art, from the most remote
As a professional artist and a teacher of many years at
preliterate tribe to the most educated western elites.
the School of Visual Arts in New York, I sometimes find
Clearly, the urge to make art emerges from deep needs
myself guiding a group of students around a museum.
and drives in our revolutionary past.
They are often bewildered.
But it has also been taken up by the development of
In the space of a few minutes, we may come across our cultures and transformed into something immensely
Renaissance angels, fearsome tribal masks, a canvas diverse and complex. This book provides a clear
displaying nothing more than a geometric shape and concise account of how a number of key ideas,
on a white ground, Impressionist views of sunny techniques, cultural forces, and creative inspirations
afternoons, photorealist paintings of Californian diners, have combined to bring into being a broad array of
and artworks that are simply typewritten sheets of artworks. It is the book that I would like to put into my
instructions. students’ hands as they wander through a museum or
talk earnestly about art in the studio.
How can I begin to explain to my students what these
products have in common and how they function as
works of art? How can I convey what ideas, techniques,
practices, superstitions, stylistic developments, or
cultural contexts were in play when they were made?
And how can I do it in a way that is simple, direct, and
accessible? Then, there is the most mysterious question
of all: Why is all this stuff here in the first place? What
is it that drives so many people throughout history to
keep on making art?
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Preface I begin by pointing out the extraordinary fact that
every human culture makes art, from the most remote
As a professional artist and a teacher of many years at
preliterate tribe to the most educated western elites.
the School of Visual Arts in New York, I sometimes find
Clearly, the urge to make art emerges from deep needs
myself guiding a group of students around a museum.
and drives in our revolutionary past.
They are often bewildered.
But it has also been taken up by the development of
In the space of a few minutes, we may come across our cultures and transformed into something immensely
Renaissance angels, fearsome tribal masks, a canvas diverse and complex. This book provides a clear
displaying nothing more than a geometric shape and concise account of how a number of key ideas,
on a white ground, Impressionist views of sunny techniques, cultural forces, and creative inspirations
afternoons, photorealist paintings of Californian diners, have combined to bring into being a broad array of
and artworks that are simply typewritten sheets of artworks. It is the book that I would like to put into my
instructions. students’ hands as they wander through a museum or
talk earnestly about art in the studio.
How can I begin to explain to my students what these
products have in common and how they function as
works of art? How can I convey what ideas, techniques,
practices, superstitions, stylistic developments, or
cultural contexts were in play when they were made?
And how can I do it in a way that is simple, direct, and
accessible? Then, there is the most mysterious question
of all: Why is all this stuff here in the first place? What
is it that drives so many people throughout history to
keep on making art?
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Contents
Preface 025 Dada 051 Materials as Art 077 Scale
Introduction 026 Decoration 052 Minimalism 078 Semiotics
001 Abstraction 027 Distortion 053 Mixed Media and Multimedia 079 Semiotics 2: Deconstruction
002 Allegory 028 Distribution 054 Motif 080 Sensitivity and Sensibility
003 Ambiguity 029 Drawing Language 055 Movement 081 Shape
004 Appropriation 030 The Emotive Object 056 Narrative 082 Shock
005 Areas of Competence 031 Erotic Art 057 Op Art 083 Simplification
006 Authenticity and Outsider Art 032 Expression in the Abstract 058 Overload 084 Space and Volume
007 Autobiography 033 Fantasy and Visionary Art 059 Performance Art 085 Spectacle
008 Balance 034 Finish 060 Perspective 086 Style and Stylishness
009 Beauty 035 Formal Innovation 061 Plasticity 087 Successive Approximation
010 Boundaries 036 Form Rendered 062 Politics and Polemics 088 Sufficiency of Means
011 Brush Techniques 037 Gender 063 Prepare and Develop 089 Surrealism
012 Chance 038 Harmony 064 Printmaking 090 Symbols
013 Classicism and Renaissance 039 Hierarchical Proportion 065 Process as Meaning 091 Symmetry
014 Collage and Assemblage 040 Imagination 066 Proportion and Ratio 092 Temporary Art
015 Color as Light 041 Installation 067 Quality 093 Texture
016 Color as Limit 042 Intentionality 068 Quoting 094 Theme
017 Color Theory 043 Interactive Art 069 Readymades 095 Tone as Structure
018 Composition 044 Juxtaposition 070 Realism 096 Touch Communicates
019 Conceptual Art 045 Kinetic Art 071 Religiosity 097 Tribal Art
020 Consistency of Visual Language 046 Land Art 072 Repetition 098 Trompe l’Oeil
021 Craft 047 Layers 073 Representation 099 Underpainting
022 Creativity 048 Linear Basics 074 Restraint 100 Video Art
023 Cross-Cultural Fertilization 049 Mannerism 075 Rhythm Credits
024 Cubism 050 Mass 076 Romanticism Acknowledgments
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Contents
Preface 025 Dada 051 Materials as Art 077 Scale
Introduction 026 Decoration 052 Minimalism 078 Semiotics
001 Abstraction 027 Distortion 053 Mixed Media and Multimedia 079 Semiotics 2: Deconstruction
002 Allegory 028 Distribution 054 Motif 080 Sensitivity and Sensibility
003 Ambiguity 029 Drawing Language 055 Movement 081 Shape
004 Appropriation 030 The Emotive Object 056 Narrative 082 Shock
005 Areas of Competence 031 Erotic Art 057 Op Art 083 Simplification
006 Authenticity and Outsider Art 032 Expression in the Abstract 058 Overload 084 Space and Volume
007 Autobiography 033 Fantasy and Visionary Art 059 Performance Art 085 Spectacle
008 Balance 034 Finish 060 Perspective 086 Style and Stylishness
009 Beauty 035 Formal Innovation 061 Plasticity 087 Successive Approximation
010 Boundaries 036 Form Rendered 062 Politics and Polemics 088 Sufficiency of Means
011 Brush Techniques 037 Gender 063 Prepare and Develop 089 Surrealism
012 Chance 038 Harmony 064 Printmaking 090 Symbols
013 Classicism and Renaissance 039 Hierarchical Proportion 065 Process as Meaning 091 Symmetry
014 Collage and Assemblage 040 Imagination 066 Proportion and Ratio 092 Temporary Art
015 Color as Light 041 Installation 067 Quality 093 Texture
016 Color as Limit 042 Intentionality 068 Quoting 094 Theme
017 Color Theory 043 Interactive Art 069 Readymades 095 Tone as Structure
018 Composition 044 Juxtaposition 070 Realism 096 Touch Communicates
019 Conceptual Art 045 Kinetic Art 071 Religiosity 097 Tribal Art
020 Consistency of Visual Language 046 Land Art 072 Repetition 098 Trompe l’Oeil
021 Craft 047 Layers 073 Representation 099 Underpainting
022 Creativity 048 Linear Basics 074 Restraint 100 Video Art
023 Cross-Cultural Fertilization 049 Mannerism 075 Rhythm Credits
024 Cubism 050 Mass 076 Romanticism Acknowledgments
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Introduction
The visual arts are unique in that they form a nexus While I have tried to find examples from as broad a
where craft, technology, philosophy, and the range of art as possible, you will quickly note that
imagination come together to make something that they are heavily weighted toward Western art. This
is both wonderful and necessary. This book provides is the tradition that has generated the most diverse
an account of how 100 powerful ideas and principles and active change in recent centuries. The principles,
intersect with the practice of art making. The number, of however, apply to all cultures. Indeed, one of the
course, is not definitive, and many more chapters could fascinating things about art is that although it emerges
be included. The ideas presented range from very broad from a cultural matrix, it is readily understood across
principles, such as harmony or rhythm, to more precise many cultures. French Impressionism is popular in
and local ideas, such as Mannerism or Minimalism. I have Japan, just as Japanese prints have a ready following
given a clear and concise presentation of these ideas in Europe. Tribal art is collected in New York, and
and have provided for many of them an account of the Shakespeare is performed in Africa. Art is a universal
strategies that artists have used to bring them into play. human utterance, and as we share it around the globe
with pleasure and passion, we are all immeasurably
The arrangement of the chapters is alphabetical for the
enriched.
purpose of easy access and reference. Most chapters
take up two facing pages: One page explains the
subject in succinct and straightforward language. The
facing page displays illustrations that demonstrate the
principle at work.
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