Line and Its Function Contour Line

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1 Line and Its Function

2 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions A contour is defined as a shared edge where two forms meet. The line created to describe the outer edges of objects or shapes is called a contour line. Egon Schiele

3 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions Contour line, drawn or painted, may vary in width because the artist is illustrating that different parts of a subject possess different degrees of weight, size, importance, or distance from the viewer.

4 Ingredients Used by the Artist Line and Its Functions Contour lines are thinned when forms are meant to retreat into the space of the paper or canvas, and thickened when the forms are meant to appear closer to the viewer. View over'het Ij' from Diemerdijk c

5 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions In Rembrandt van Rijn s drawing Jan Cornelius Sylvius, the Preacher, notice that the lines depicting the chair and the book edge were drawn with wider, heavier strokes than the lines of the robe. Not only did Rembrandt intend to make the chair and the book edge appear closer to the picture plane, but he also wanted to express their weight in relation to the robe.

6 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions Still thinner lines sketching the face, hair, and beard suggest their relative weight and farther distance from the picture plane. We must depend on these few quickly drawn lines for all the information Rembrandt conveys. If all the lines were of approximately the same thickness, the illusions of relative depth and weight would be lost.

7 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions Also notice how Rembrandt engages the mind s eye to establish these relationships. Even though the lines are fragmented, they suggest enough aspects of the subject matter so that we supply the missing connections a demonstration of an artist s use of actual line and implied line.

8 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions Look again at the preacher s arm. Try to visualize beneath his robe the proportions of his shoulder, his upper arm, and then his elbow and forearm, Which rest on the arm of the chair. The shape of the arm is roughly drawn and would be unnatural if considered by itself. Here, then is an example of how an artist may distort reality to emphasize a pose or to suit the design of the work. Seen in the context of the drawing, the arm is perfectly acceptable.

9 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions In Study of Saskia Lying in Bed, Rembrandt shows us how an artist can capture a moment s vision and the essence of his subject in quickly drawn lines. Flowing lines sketch the softness of bedding and clothing, and the expressive details of his wife s relaxed face and hand preserve Rembrandt s sudden recognition and enjoyment of her graceful repose the essence of the scene.

10 Ingredients Used by the Artist Line and Its Functions The Annunciation to Joachim by Wolfgang Huber was more carefully drawn because Huber wanted to describe all the elements of his study.

11 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions As viewers, if we insist on looking only for pictorial detail or realism, we may miss the aesthetic message of the individual artist.

12 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions The beauty of spontaneity in a Rembrandt sketch is in its selected essences and its inspired perception, immediately and skillfully expressed. A Study of a Female Nude Seen from the Back c

13 Ingredients Used by the ArtistLine and Its Functions Rembrandt van Rijn His production of drawings was as prolific as it was brilliant. About 1,400 attributed to him survive, and probably at least an equal number have been lost. Standing Beggar Turned to the Right c

14 Ingredients Used by the Artist Line and Its Functions Studio Challenge: Figure Drawing Concept: Contour lines follow the edges of shapes and clearly define the various volumes and parts of the whole form. Catalysts: Describe, Record Studio: -Develop an understanding based on touch. -Keeping your eye on the figure, start with any edge, and follow the contours of the figure with a continuous, contour line. -Try not to lift your pencil off the paper. -Try to feel that you are not just looking at but are also touching the figure with your moving pencil. Egon SchieleDr. Ernst Wagner, 1918

15 Ingredients Used by the Artist Line and Its Functions Figure Drawing Continued: -Slowly move your eyes along the edges of the figure, observing every minute variation and undulation of the edge. -As your eyes move, also move your pencil point at the same pace on the paper, recording each slight change or variation in the edge that you observe with your eyes. -Become convinced in your mind that the information originating in the observed object is minutely and precisely perceived by your eyes and is simultaneously recorded by the pencil, which registers everything you are seeing at the moment of seeing. *Focus on the use of contour lines that respond to the constantly varying edges of the three-dimensional forms. Gustav Klimt female contour sketch study

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18 Self Portrait, Andy Warhol 1986, Rolling Stones - Love You Live (Mick Jagger), Andy Warhol 1975

19 David HockneyCelia Reclining 1979 Henri Matisse Fleur

20 Ingredients Used by the Artist Line and Its Functions Studio Challenge: Varying Tone Figure Drawing Concept: Making effective use of varying linear tones to describe 3-dimensional form. Catalysts: Describe, Record, Depth Studio: -The task this time is to describe the figure with contour lines that vary in tonal weight. As you follow the edge of the figure, vary the pressure you exert on you pencil in response to the 3-dimensionality of the forms. -As they come toward you, increase the pressure to create sharp, dark lines. -As they move away, make the line lighter to signal this spatial change. Leonardo da Vinciself portrait

21 Ingredients Used by the Artist Line and Its Functions Varying Tone Figure Drawing

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