Urban Animals - Art Gallery of Alberta

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program
Elements and Principles of Design Tour
LINE: An element of art that is used to define shape, contours and outlines. It is also
used to suggest mass and volume.
See: Mother Bear and her cub in the back alleys of Alberta, 2012 by Jason Carter
What types of lines are there? How can you describe a line? What are some of the
characteristics of a line?
Width: thick, thin, tapering, uneven Length: long, short, continuous, broken
Feeling: sharp, jagged, graceful, smooth Focus: sharp, blurry, fuzzy, choppy
Direction: horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curving, perpendicular, oblique, parallel, radial, zigzag
Now, descibe the lines you see in this image. Follow the lines in the air with your finger.
What quality do the lines have? How do the lines operate in the image?
Most of the lines in this image are diagonal, horizontal, or vertical in nature. Diagonal lines are
seen on the roadway and on the bear cub. The diagonal lines of the road lead the viewer’s eye
back to the house at the ‘top’ of the picture. The diagonal lines of the bear cub create a sense of
movement and give the appearance that the cub is walking. The vertical lines of the tree trunks
and the brown buildings on the right of the picture lead the eye from the bottom of the picture
plane to the top and, as the trees receed in the distance these lines move closer together,
adding to the idea of distance in the work. The horizontal lines (Mother bear’s body; roadway;
roof tops) lead the eye across the image and help tie one part of the painting to the other.
Line can also be a word used in the composition meaning the direction the viewer’s eye
travels when looking at a picture. How does line in this image help your eye travel within
the composition?
The lines created in the composition allow our eyes to travel around the work in a very dynamic
way. The number of lines and variety of lines create a sense of energy in the work which may
reflect the actual movement of the bears through this urban space.
AFA Travelling Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479
youraga.ca