Crtical Thinking: Analyzing Elements of Art

"The elements of art are the building blocks used by artists to create a work of art" -J. Paul Getty Trust

LINE: A line is a one-dimensional, identifiable path created by a point moving in space that holds some sort of width, direction, and length. In "Alley by the Lake", Afremov uses horizontal, vertical, diagonal, straight, curved, thick, and thin lines. Horizontal lines (seen on the ground) help give a sense of space. In this painting, the horizontal lines imply a continuation of the landscape beyond the picture plane. They ground is also painted thickly, unlike the tree branches, which are painted thinly. Vertical lines (the street lights, the trees), communicate a sense of height. This is because they are perpendicular to the earth, extending upwards towards the sky. In this painting, the vertical lines help make the scene more realistic by making the people seem like only a small part of a larger picture. The lights are also straight lines, which indicate sharpness and stability. Curved lines, like the people or the leaves in the trees, often draw attention to the horizon. They also represent the human body and have a pleasing, sensual feel. Finally, diagonal lines (where the grass meets sidewalk), are meant to convey movement because they are neither vertical nor horizontal, indicating that they are in motion. This makes sense in this piece, seeing how the people are walking on the path (which is shaped by diagonal lines), and walking away. 

SHAPE AND FORM: These elements define objects in space. Shapes have two dimensions (height and width) and are usually defined by lines, while forms have three dimensions (height, width, and depth). Because "Alley by the Lake" is a two-dimensional piece of art painted on a flat surface (a canvas), shapes are created as opposed to forms. The different types of lines mentioned earlier make the objects in the painting. Many of these are triangular or rectangular shapes such as the lake, the trees, and the alley. However, he also creates circles for light bulbs and a hemisphere for an umbrella.

SPACE:  In art, space refers to a feeling of depth or three dimensions, as well as the artist's use of area within the picture plane. In "Alley by the Lake", Afremov uses space to its full capacity, leaving no part of the artwork untouched. He avoids using negative space, or the area around primary objects, by making every part of the painting a primary object, known as positive space. The trees, the people, the lights, the sky-these all stand out in the painting and occupy some sort of space. As for the direction of the artwork, Afremov uses a linear perspective that heads away from the observer on an imaginary angle, eventually disappearing into a "vanishing point". A vanishing point is a point in a perspective drawing to which parallel lines not parallel to the image plane appear to converge. In this painting, the vanishing point exists at the end of the alley, in the area around the couple's umbrella. This linear perspective can also be seen through the lights - which pass from the scene in a diagonal, linear fashion, eventually disappearing into the background (or converging into the vanishing point). As they get closer and closer to this point, there is a clear reduction in this detail and size of the shapes, indicating that they are far away and heading away from the observer.

COLOR: Hue, value, and intensity are the three main aspects of color. Color is the light reflected off objects.  In "Alley by the Lake", the colors are breathtaking. Afremov uses primary, secondary, and complimentary colors. If you look at the background alone, you can see a mixture of hues - starting from the left of the painting, where a long stretch of yellow and orange trees blend together, to a soft, hazy blue sky depicted on the right. By combining cool, watery colors with warm, fiery colors, Afremov emphasizes the beauty and magic of the nature and in the night. Such contrast makes a painting come alive. In this case, the colors also work together to depict the natural coolness in air right after it rains. When I look at this painting, I picture myself feeling cool to the touch yet warm to the heart - knowing the rain just washed away any feelings of regret and replaced them with a new beginning. The coolness and regret come from the right of the painting, where various shades of blues are used, while the feelings of warmth and excitement come from the left, where fiery hues take over. The dominant colors in this painting are black, brown, yellow, and blue. As for the value of the painting (how light or dark it is), I would say "Alley by the Lake" is a combination of both. Afremov is an optimistic painter, so it is no surprise that there is a lot of light (the sky, the lake, the lights, the leaves on the trees, etc). Overall, I feel happy looking at this painting. However, if you take a closer look, there are dark objects too, such as the trees, the light poles, and the ground. These give the painting an edgy vibe. In addition, "Alley by the Lake" is  full of intensity (how bright or dull it is). The lake and sky are gloomy, while the lights and trees are bright. There is also an emphasis on the lights in the background (they're not painted to scale- they're larger and brighter than they should be), as well as the shadows cast down on the alley. Some of the lights get lost in the wetness of the ground, while others appear to be added. The colors used in this painting create contrast: dark vs. light, cool vs. warm, gloomy vs. bright, fire vs. ice. They are blended together in a way that is simply eye-catching and marvelous. A true masterpiece, in my opinion.

TEXTURE: Through touch, we can sense the surface quality of an object. This is known as the object's texture. I would imagine that the surface of "Alley by the Lake" would be rough to the touch, due to Afremov's impasto technique. Impasto is an art term used to describe thickly textured paint that is almost three-dimensional in appearance.