visual arts

Student Name

Professor Slaughter

ARH 1000

March 1, 2020

Unit #1 Active Learning

I chose to do project #1 with the the different black shapes of different sizes on a white

canvas. In my assignment I used two hearts, two circles, two rectangles, two rounded squres, two

long point triangles, two wide triangles, two rounded rectangles, two pentagons, and two hearts

for variety. All the shapes are various sizes, but all have two of each as mentioned in the

instructions. In the first image I attempted to try and make the large shapes appear closer to me

to attempt to make all the shapes look similar sized. Within that attempt I realized that it did sort

of make them look the same size, but it looked like they were moving away from me on the

page. It looked like each shape was only getting smaller just because they were becoming

smaller and smaller. Based off of my observations the placement of the sizes makes the shapes

look like they are moving further away from me because the shapes gradually got smaller within

the order they were placed in.

When I tried my second attempt where the shapes are more scattered on the page, and not

uniform in a line like the first attempt, my intentions were to try to make the smaller shapes look

bigger by placing them closer to me towards the bottom of the white display paper. With that

attempt, the shapes actually created the opposite effect. The shapes in attempt number two look

like they are doing the same thing as the first attempt, traveling down the page this time, but

again, moving away from me. No matter what I try with these shapes, the larger ones seem to be

the closest looking while the smaller shapes seemed futher away. The larger sizes combined with

the smaller objects create a sense of illusion like there is something more to the landscape.

Darker colors put on a lighter background also create gravity. Depending on how you

want to look at each shape in accordance to where they are placed on the paper, you will create

the illusion of distance on the flat surface. As defined in the textbook this project would be

considered two dimensional art, not three, even though it might give off that illusion of depth.

The shapes have no differentiation in highlighting, gradient, or shading. Without highlight,

gradient, or shading, an image will appear flat just as the shapes do against the white canvas. In

the second attempt you can see some indications of volume because it looks like the shapes are

falling downward which causes you to imagine the shapes as 3D.

The contour lines of the shapes (sharp black edges) make the shapes look like they could

have volume as well, giving you a sense of a definite shape. As mentioned in the lesson, the lines

give the viewer clues about the curves, the shapes are trying to communicate to the view which

indicates depth by using directional changes. This project could be expressed as a Cubist style; a

type of way of representing all aspects of what could be a three dimensional object onto a flat

two dimensional surface. The first attempt with the uniform line, presents a feeling of control

and uniformity while the second attempt shows freedom of falling shapes. Both projects might

have the same shapes, but both assert a different feeling of emotion All in all, depending on how

you arrange certain shapes, the results of emotion, depth, volume and view point change within

the space.

Attempt 1:

Attempt 2: