High and Low Key Values

Our current assignment focuses on values. Values are the lightness and the darkness of color. For instance, the color Red would be in the middle of the value scale, Light Red would be on the left, and Dark Red would be on the right. The Low Key Values are dark in value. Again, The color Red's Low Key Value would be on the right side of the scale. Here is a photograph taken by 'bdwfh that I got from a website. It really explains the Low Key Value of black. The mixture of the black background and the black cat really catches the eye because the cat is blended into the background giving the effect of continuous.

High Key Values are light in value, These values imply the left side of the value scale. In this picture, taken from a blog by Gaye Adams, has applied the High Key Values. The darkest value applied here would be the shadow of the oranges and it would be the fifth or the sixth value from the left. The lightest would definitely be the first or, as some people say it, the zero.

This art is called 'High Key Oranges' 

by Gaye Adams. She is a painter. She

typically does not do any high key 

paintings; mostly all her paintings 

are dark. 

High Key Oranges: http://gayeadams.blogspot.com/2009/12/high-key-oranges.html
Cat Photograph: http://bdwfh.deviantart.com/art/Low-Key-135646036

Self Critique

This project for me was a learning experience. From what Ms. Dillon and YouTube has taught me, I have been able to save a lot of time trying to figure Adobe Illustrator CS5 out by myself. This Space and Contrast project has given me a few tricky obstacles but I have obtained the knowledge to pass through them. The 3X3 models I created were not all that great but I did come out with a few designs that were favored by my classmates.
For the WOrk-Up model, I improved the design by the advice given to me by Ms. Dillon and gave in a little more time to make the straight lines and circles. It did take time to do the 3X3's and the Work-Up model but It took much longer to create the exact same figures in Adobe Illustrator CS5. This was so because I only know the simple steps; so I turned to YouTube. It did not really explain the procedure throughly but after getting a few tips from Ms. Dillon I became confident. The overall portrait turned out great.
The things I could have worked on is being more precise where I start and place the lines. For me to do that I need to practice more. Due to me not being able to make it to the scheduled lab hours, I have gotten Adobe Illustrator CS5 for me and I have been practicing ever since.

Ambiguous Space

Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow

By Piet Mondria(a)n 

Does the piece exhibit symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial balance?

This artwork definitely does not have symmetrical balance because one half is not similar to the other half.  It also does not have radial balance because the shapes and lines do not start at the middle of the art piece and radiate out in a circular fashion. So this is asymmetrical. 

Where is the focal point?

I would say that there is no focal point because there is no particular spot where the artwork begins. 

Explain how the artist is using space.

Mondrian is using space very well. The way the shapes correlate to the black lines is very distinct because the weight carried by the colored shapes is balanced by the thickness of the lines. The positive space in this art piece are the colored shapes and the black lines. The negative space is the white. Shape plays a big role in this composition. I would say that this composition is flat as well as it has depth. Flat because it does not have shading or any particular structure. Depth because the use of edges and overlap of lines is very smooth and blends in amazingly. 

What kinds of Gestalts principles are at play here?

The Gestalts principles being used in this composition are similarity and figure/ground. I see similarity because the shapes are all the same; they are rectangles. I also see figure/ground because the contrast in color of the colored shapes show more then the ones that are white. 

What are the strengths of this composition? 

This artwork was done back in time where electricity was not invented and straight edges were hard to find. So the crisp, straight lines and shapes really bring the art piece to life. The greatest strength of this composition is the color. Piet used the red, blue, and yellow really precisely and accurately.

Research on this artist..

• Piet Mondriaan was born on March 7, 1872 in Amersfoort, Netherlands.
• He was Dutch.
• He was greatly influenced by Pablo Picasso.
• His greatest composition was Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow in 1930 in New York. 
• After the created of his greatest composition, he started to enhance and add more lines and shapes to it.
• He died of pneumonia on February 1, 1944 in Manhattan, New York, US. (He was 77 years old)
• His funeral was attended by over 200 people the next day. He is currently buried at Universal Chapel on Lexington Ave. 

Piet Mondria(a)n

First Picture URL: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLJGSAXQsNw/TaRHmCVcrI/AAAAAAAAAA8/4e8uhYzMbfs/s1600/mondrian_comp_rgb.jpg

Second Picture URL:http://rupo.ru/i/msg_i/2982/mondrian-foto.jpg