Artwork: Nadia Sanmartin

Visual Communication
CMNS 3401
People see things differently, using different
frameworks, contexts, schemas, referencing
associations, memories and sensory experiences.
Schema
What would someone have to know/notice in order to understand these images?
Today’s Agenda
Topic: Learning to analyze visual elements objectively, Formalism

Key concepts:
Visual elements (colour, line, form, mass, space, texture, value), iconography, iconology, Panofsky Method
In-class exercises: Gesture drawings

How do we objectively describe and systematically analyze visuals?

Aesthetics and Appeal

Aesthetics is the study of beauty and

taste. Philosophers have long discussed
whether aesthetics are based on innate
qualities, universal principles, or if we
learn standards of beauty.

Iconographic and iconological readings

can help us to understand how standards
of beauty have evolved in cultures.

Because aesthetics are unique to

individuals, we might ask ourselves not
what is beautiful but what style is visually
appealing?
 What are objective ways to analyze visual imagery?

Private View of the Old Masters Exhibition, Royal Academy, 1888 by Henry Jamyn Brooks
Analytical Approaches from Art History: Iconography

Someone doing an iconographic study of a

painting tries to systematically identify,
describe and classify the imagery seen in
a work.

● the original intent of the artist

● explores the historical significance
of a work
Analytical Approaches from Art History

Iconology also closely examines

the imagery of a work. In addition
to describing the imagery, it also
attempts to interpret their
meaning on a sociocultural and
political level.

What is the meaning of the skull

in this painting?
Panofsky Method: Reading Art on Different Levels

Primary level
Objective description of the visuals

Secondary level (Iconographic Reading)

Analysis of visual symbols for more abstract meanings

Tertiary level (Iconological Reading)

Analysis of the historical cultural context.

Seeks to understand how a work of art might reflect the

cultures and societies of a particular era.

Erwin Panofsky, 1955

What is the meaning of the hand positions and placement of the fingers in Buddhist mudra representations?
How do these representations reflect the society and culture of a particular era?
What about in an abstract representation?
Form and the visual elements
Form is used to talk about the physical nature and appearance of a work.

Form is sometimes used to refer to the visual element of shape.

Formalism is an descriptive analytical approach where you focus on how a work appears
from the position of a viewer.

Vocabulary:
Line
Shape (Form)
Mass (Volume)
Space
Colour
Texture
Value
Visual elements

● basic building blocks of a

visual composition

● vocabulary depends on the medium

(ie., painting vs photography)

● vocabulary comes from oral and

written traditions of people who
create and critique art
Visual elements are related and arranged in relation to each other.

● Points create lines.

● Lines create shapes.
● Shapes are “filled in” or connected to
create a sense of mass and volume.
● Shapes are positioned in space. Our starting point is
● Colour, texture and value influence flat space...any flat
mood. surface on which we
● Value affects colour. might create a visual
representation. It has
This is a not a comprehensive list, but a 2 dimensions: length
mnemonic! and width.
Lines
A line is made of points.
Lines have one dimension (length).
They have position and direction.
Descriptive factors: size, width (thickness,
density), direction, position, interval.
Lines are expressive.
Lines can be implied.
Vertical Horizontal Diagonal

Zigzag Curvy Broken

Examples of words to describe line types.

Expressive (Weight, texture) Organic (Lines found in nature)
When combined with techniques like hatching or cross-hatching, the repetitive arrangement of lines can
add volume and value, becoming even more descriptive.
 Implied (1.) Implied (3.) What imaginary lines draw your
attention to the focus of the painting?

Implied (2.) Edges between shapes

Exercise:

Draw an imaginary line tracing the path

your eye takes as it explores the painting:

Try it with a photo (Halsman, Dali, 1948).

Does the medium make a difference?

 Is this a circle on top of a square or a
Shapes square with a hole in the middle?

Lines connect to form shapes.

Shapes that are “filled in” have mass.
Shapes can be created by implied lines.
Words to describe shapes: outlines, filled
shapes, geometric, organic
Some of the most “successful” brand logos are iconic because they are made
up of easily-recognizable shapes.
Mass and Volume
Mass is a quality that suggests physical
weight.

Shapes that are filled-in appear to have

greater mass than shapes that are not
(outlines).
Mass and Volume (Planes) Plane

Shapes that form the flat surfaces of a

3-dimensional object in a 2-dimensional
space are called planes. Plane

Combined, these flat surfaces add volume

and create a sense of perspective
Square
(illusion of depth).
Plane of 3D
object
Objects with volume have three
dimensions: height, width and depth. This is an orthographic drawing. It’s a
three-dimensional object using two-dimensional
views of the object.
 objects “on top” appear closer
Spatial relations

Objects made up of shapes can be

positioned in space, either in relation to
each other, or within a system of
converging parallel lines. Lines used in
this way are called perspective lines.

larger objects appear closer

The use of perspective lines give us
the illusion of depth in a flat space.
Drawings can have more than one
vanishing point. 2 vanishing points
give us 2-point perspective.
Besides creating the illusion of depth, perspective lines can direct our eye to a particular area in the image.
 Is there perspective
in images without
parallel lines?

Tutorial: Hannah Waweru

Space

Whether 2-D or 3D, all visual works can be

described by their use of positive and
negative space.

Positive space - Space occupied by objects

that are the main focus of the image.

Negative Space - Space that is not occupied

by the main focus of the image.

Ambiguous images often play with our

perception of positive and negative space.
Questions? (well yes, probably)
 1 primary +
Basic Colour Theory primaries 1 + 1 primaries
secondary colour

Colour theories are systematic ways to

organize colours based on their relationships.

The colour theory that is most well-known is

based on research into light properties and
artistic practices of mixing pigments.

Primary: Red, Blue Yellow

Mixing primary colours gives us the
secondary colours.
Mixing secondary colours with a primary
colour give us tertiary colours.
When describing colours in painting, we might use words Neutral shades don’t have a lot of colour and
like pigmentation or talk about the amount of black or do not appear on the colour wheel. They are
white used to create different tints or shades or talk
often used as background colours.
about their function.
Colours are combined in different arrangements (schemes). Arrangements based on the colour wheel are harmonies.

Describing colours digitally: when making digital images, we use words like hue to refer to colour, saturation to
describe the amount or intensity of colour, and brightness to describe the amount of black or white.
Colours that “pop” are called accent colours and often have symbolic meaning.

What makes a colour an accent is

their relative amount and purpose.
Texture

Texture is surface quality.

In art, texture is actual or implied.

Top right: Van Gogh, impasto technique

Lower right: Ink brushstroke that “looks” rough

When we look at something, we have a sense of

texture because of tactile experiences.

What textures do you associate with these words?

How might these textures be visually represented?
Crumbly
Gooey
Hairy
Values

Value is the amount of lightness and

darkness of a colour.

In art, value is usually scaled from

white (highest value) to black
(lowest value).

Images that make use of a limited

range of values are said to be more
unified in appearance or have less
contrast.
Motion
Motion can be suggested
by the use of visual
elements.
Images that suggest
motion make use of
repeated objects,
expressive lines, or
continuous lines (real or
perceived).
Gesture drawing exercise

Try to express the essence of the action you see. Try it with lines or shapes.
Visual Elements: Basic Building Blocks

● Provides shared vocabulary to

discuss and work with imagery
● Aids in the process of analyzing
imagery

How about when the visual

arrangement typically involves
both text and visuals?

Worksheet:
Analyzing Visual Elements
in a Poster.
Next:
Topic: Gestalt principles
Key concepts: Figure and ground, similarity, proximity,
continuity, closure, contrast, juxtaposition of text and
images
Readings:
Rock, I., & Palmer, S. (1990). The legacy of Gestalt
psychology. Scientific American, 263(6), 84-91.

Visual analysis worksheet due this Sunday.