978-0205677207 Chapter 5

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Chapter Five: Space

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

• Shape and Two-Dimensional Space

• Three-Dimensional Space

• Representing Two-Dimensional Space

• Linear Perspective

• Some Other Means of Representing Space

• Distortions of Space and Foreshortening

• Modern Experiments and New Dimensions

The Critical Process

Thinking about Space: Jeffery Shaw, The Legible City

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

This Chapter Will:

• introduce the element of space

• define elementary concepts of relating to space

• describe the many techniques artists use to suggest the illusion of three-

dimensional space on a flat surface

• introduce necessary terms for understanding actual space and the space artists

address

• explain different types of perspective, their application, and function

KEY TERMS

reserve

scale

overlap

picture plane

vanishing point

vantage point

frontal

diagonal

axonometric projection

foreshortening

cyberspace

hyperspace

verisimilitude

virtual reality

one-point linear perspective

two-point linear perspective

wunkirkle

MyArtsLab RESOURCES

Primary Source Document: Agnolo di Tura del Grasso

Primary Source Document: Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) – Artists on Art

Primary Source Document: Karel van Mander Writes About Pieter Bruegel the Elder

LECTURE AND DISCUSSION TOPICS

1. What Is Space? Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

Question: What discovery affected our concept of space at the beginning of the 21st–

century? Answer: Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Einstein’s theory introduced to

science the concept of “relativity”—the notion that there is no absolute motion in the

universe, only relative motion. Einstein showed that we reside not in the flat, Euclidean

2. Making Space, Visually Speaking…

When an artist draws a simple shape on paper—a square, a circle, any shape—they create

two things: the shape, and the space that surrounds it. Usually, the space surrounding a

shape becomes the background and pushes the shape into the foreground When an artist

3. Three-Dimensional Space

Barbara Hepworth’s Two Figures (fig. 93) are two vertical masses, occupying three-

dimensional space like standing human forms. Hepworth has also carved out negative

spaces that acquire a sense of volume and form by means of the mass that surrounds

them. A characteristic of three-dimensional art is that we encounter it in a physical way

4. Perspective

A complex method of creating the illusion of actual space on a flat picture plane is known as

perspective. Perspective was known to the Greeks and Romans but not mathematically

codified until the Renaissance. It allows the picture plane to function as a window to a scene.

5. Distorting Space for Reality

The stereoscope was invented in the 19th century. The device used two photographs side

by side to imitate the binocular vision of actual vision, or human eyesight. Man with Big

Shoes (fig. 108) is an example of a stereoscopic card that not only creates the illusion of

6. Verisimilitude?

In the modern era, artists have often intentionally violated the principles of perspective or

verisimilitude (apparent visual truth) in an effort to better equate the three-dimensional

image with the two-dimensional surface. In Henri Matisse’s Harmony in Red (The Red

Room) (fig. 113), the artist has eliminated almost any sense of three-dimensionality by

uniting the different spatial areas in one large field of unified color and design. The

wallpaper and the tablecloth are the same fabric, objects appear overly large, shapes are

repeated, and the tree trunks beyond the room repeat the wallpaper pattern in the room.

In fact, the window can be viewed either as a window or a painting on the wall. In

7. Space Today

Show Terry Winters’ Color and Information (fig. 115) to discuss new dimensions of

space. Consider how multimedia technology, including video and computer technology,

has made it possible to create artificial environments that a viewer experiences as real

space. Cyberspace, hyperspace, and virtual reality are becoming increasingly viable

CRITICAL THINKING: More Opportunities to Think about Art

1. Thinking about Topological Slide

Chapter 6 ends with The Critical Process, a look at Jeffrey Shaw’s interactive

installation, The Legible City, and how the technology involved in the creation of this

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

1. Writing about Space

Have students select an ancient and a modern work of art, and write an essay that

describes the similar and disparate uses of space, identifying the spatial strategies

employed by the artists.

2. Experiencing the Three-Dimensionality of Sculpture

Assign students to investigate a sculpture park, such as the renowned Storm King Art

Center in upstate New York (a link to Storm King and a listing of other parks is available

HANDS-ON PROJECTS

For additional project ideas, remember to investigate the Hands-On Projects found on

MyArtsLab.

1. Perspective Drawing

A good way to test an understanding of perspective is to take tracing paper and, with a

ruler, trace the perspective lines of several paintings in the text. Have students begin with

Olaf Eliasson’s Suney (fig. 95)Many of the perspective lines are already indicated in the

text, but see how many more they can add. Next, assign Childe Hassam’s Boston

2. Architectural Design

Assign students to design an ideal airport or other public building that must manage a

heavy flow of traffic. Have them take into consideration the interior and exterior space;

Other Suggested Websites:

Linear perspective information is available at the following websites:

www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/g_perspective.html

www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/ExploringLinearPerspective.html