Chapter 5 – Line
Key Concepts:
Formal Elements
- Line
- Space
- Light and Color
- Texture
- Pattern
- Time and Motion
Key Terms:
line – A mark left by a moving point, actual or implied, and varying in direction, thickness, and density.
outline - The edge of a shape or figure depicted by an actual line drawn or painted on the surface.
contour line – lines that define volumes and shape in space.
implied line - A line created by movement or direction, such as the line established by a pointing finger, the direction of a glance, a body moving through space, or the alignment of shapes and colors in a composition.
line of sight – A type of implied line created by the direction a figure in a composition is looking.
expressive line - Closely related to romantic line, a kind of line that seems to spring directly from the artist's emotions or feelings--loose, gestural, and energetic--epitomized by curvilinear forms; as opposed to analytic or classical line.
analytic line - Closely related to classical line, a kind of line that is mathematical, precise, and rationally organized, epitomized by the vertical and horizontal grid, as opposed to expressive line.
convention - A traditional, habitual, or widely accepted method of representation.