A Level Fine Art OCR

This subject is broken down into 9 topics in 1 modules:

  1. Fine Art 9 topics
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This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Fine Art

Fine Art

Drawing and Painting

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Drawing and Painting

Section: The Elements of Drawing and Painting

  • Line: fundamental to drawing; links our ideas, thoughts, and observations.

  • Shape: created when a line encloses an area; crucial to the organisation of a drawing.

  • Form: a 3D object or the representation of 3D object on a two-dimensional surface.

  • Colour: can create mood, evoke emotions, depict light and space. Understanding colour theory — primary, secondary, complementary, analogous, and tertiary colours — is essential.

  • Texture: can make a two-dimensional drawing feel like it has three dimensions.

Section: Techniques of Drawing

  • Observational Drawing: based on real-life observation, fostering critical thinking and awareness.

  • Perspective Drawing: used to represent three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.

  • Conceptual Drawing: expresses the ideas and emotions of the artist, rather than physical reality.

  • Contour Drawing: involves building up the image using only lines, enables an artist to focus on the mass and volume of the subject, rather than its detail.

Section: Painting Styles and Techniques

  • Impasto: thickly applying paint to canvas creating texture; typically with a palette knife or brush.

  • Glazing: applying thin layers of transparent paint, allowing colours underneath to shine through.

  • Graining: a faux finish imitating wood grain; useful for understanding texture and depth in painting.

  • Sgraffito: scratching into wet paint to reveal lower layers; a technique for creating texture and detail.

Section: Major Art Movements and Influences

  • Renaissance: marked by an emphasis on humanism, science, exploration and a renewed focus on representation of the natural world.

  • Impressionism: captures the fleeting effects of nature, centred on capturing light and colour.

  • Expressionism: prioritises the artist's inner feelings or ideas over replication of external visual reality.

  • Cubism: abandons perspective and instead presents objects from multiple viewpoints at once.

  • Pop Art: derived from popular and commercial culture such as advertising, comic books, and everyday objects.

  • Abstract Expressionism: abstract art intended to evoke emotion through colour, shape and mark making.

Section: Analysing Artworks

  • Contextual Analysis: Understanding the culture, history, and personal background that inform a work of art.

  • Visual Analysis: Determining what formal elements (line, shape, colour, space, etc.) the artist used and how.

  • Interpretive Analysis: Identifying the artist's intentions and the work's significance or impact.

Section: Presenting and Evaluating Your Own Work

  • Critique and Revision: Engage in a process of critique and revision to refine your work; learn to accept and use constructive criticism.

  • Contextualising Your Work: Understand how your work fits in the broader context of art history and contemporary art practice.

  • Presentation and Exhibition: Learn how to professionally display your work; consider the impact of presentation choices on how your work is received.

  • Reflection and Evaluation: Reflect on your learning and creative process; evaluate the success of your final work in relation to your initial objectives.

Course material for Fine Art, module Fine Art, topic Drawing and Painting

Fine Art

Fine Art

Printmaking (Relief, Intaglio, Screen Processes and Lithography)

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Printmaking (Relief, Intaglio, Screen Processes and Lithography)

Section: Types of Printmaking

  • Relief Printmaking: Involves removing (carving) portions of a block to form a design; the remaining surfaces are inked and pressed onto paper, creating a print. Examples include woodcut and linocut.
  • Intaglio Printmaking: The opposite of relief printmaking, the image is cut, scratched, or etched into a surface (usually metal), inked, and then pressed onto paper. Techniques include engraving, etching, drypoint, and aquatint.
  • Screen Processes: Also known as screen printing or silkscreen, this method utilises a mesh screen to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas blocked by a stencil. The process allows for vibrant, multiple colour prints on a variety of materials.
  • Lithography: Based on the principle that water and oil do not mix, the image area is treated to accept ink and repel water; the non-image area absorbs water and rejects ink. It’s commonly used in both fine art and commercial printing.

Section: Techniques Used in Printmaking

  • Carving: Used in relief printing, artists carve their design into traditional wood blocks or easier-to-work-with linoleum.
  • Inking: Involves using a roller to apply the ink evenly onto the surface of the printmaking substrate.
  • Pressing: The process of transferring ink from the plate to the paper, done by hand or using a press.
  • Registration: A method of aligning multiple layers of a print to ensure precision and consistency, especially in multi-colour works.

Section: Major Movements and Artists in Printmaking

  • Ukiyo-e: A Japanese woodblock printing art form popular during the Edo period, famous artists include Hokusai and Hiroshige.
  • German Expressionism: Characterised by simplified shapes, bright colours, and gestural marks, artists like Käthe Kollwitz are known for their relief prints.
  • Pop Art: Artists like Andy Warhol popularised screen printing in the 1960s, using the process to mass-produce and commodify artwork.

Section: Analysing Print Artworks

  • Technique and Process Analysis: Identifies the particular method and techniques used in the artwork – detectable by examining the lines, marks and textures.
  • Comparative Analysis: Offers insight into the artist's choices by comparing one print with another, noticing similarities and differences.
  • Interpretive Analysis: Speaks to the artist's intention, symbolism, themes and ideas, and the impact on viewers.

Section: Creating Your Own Print Works

  • Planning and Sketching: Outline your design concept, sketch and refine your image in preparation for carving or etching.
  • Experimentation and Proofing: Practice, refine, and improve your carving or etching skills on a practice block or plate. Create proofs to test your image and make changes as needed.
  • Presentation and Display: Showcase your finished print professionally; consider the impact of framing and lighting on how your print is perceived.
  • Reflection and Self-Evaluation: Reflect on your creative process, what you learnt, and the success of your end work, considering its effectiveness in communicating your intended message.

Course material for Fine Art, module Fine Art, topic Printmaking (Relief, Intaglio, Screen Processes and Lithography)

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