Lesson 1

Elements of Art Structure

Learning art history is like learning a foreign language. It takes time to develop a large enough vocabulary to be able to speak without getting frustrated. Each lesson will include vocabulary words which you must define throughout your study and commit to memory. To help get you started, there are some very basic visual elements, or concepts, or working assumptions used in any encounter with a work of art, that you need to be familiar with.

Reading Assignment

Janson, "Primer of Art History" and "Introduction"

Art can generally be described in basic terms as being composed of two major elements, form and content. Throughout this course you will be asked to think about art and describe it in those terms. Formal and contextual analysis will be used in tandem for the duration of this course.

Formal Qualities of Art

Form refers to the genuinely visual aspects of art and architecture—their physical qualities. Form includes line, color, texture, spatial qualities, and composition. These characteristics make up the vocabulary of formal analysis. They are the formal qualities of a work of art. Aesthetic definitions are not rigid. Scholars often use them in slight variations. For the purpose of this survey, however, the following will serve as the basis of our formal discussion.