Art Standard 2: Elements and Principles

Students will understand and apply elements and organizational principles of art.

K-12 Performance Standards

Educational experiences in Grades K-4 will ensure that students:

identify the different ways visual characteristics are used to convey ideas;
describe how different expressive features, and ways of organizing them, cause different responses; and
use the elements of art and principles of design to communicate ideas.

Educational experiences in Grades 5-8 will ensure that students:

use ways of arranging visual characteristics and reflect upon what makes them effective in conveying ideas;
recognize and reflect on the effects of arranging visual characteristics in their own and others’ work; and
select and use the elements of art and principles of design to improve communication of their ideas.

Educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students:

judge the effectiveness of different ways of using visual characteristics in conveying ideas; and
apply comprehension and skill in incorporating the elements of art and priciples of design to generate multiple solutions to and effectively solve a variety of visual art problems.

Using the On-Line Learning Sites to Teach About the Elements and Principles of Art

The Museum’s on-line learning sites can be used to expose your students to the types of choices regarding the elements and principles of art that faced the artists who came to Old Lyme, Connecticut, during the summers to paint.

The Lyme Art Colony included artists who championed two distinct styles of painting, namely Tonalism and American Impressionism. Athough both styles addressed similar subject matter such as the landscape and landmarks in and around Old Lyme, Connecticut, their motivation, techniques, and finished canvases were decidedly different. An examination of the paintings created by these two groups of artists (with several artists belonging to both groups) will enable students to identify the various elements and organizational principles they employed to accomplish their artistic goals. S

Using the On-Line Learning Sites to Learn About the Elements and Principles of Art

There are several sections of The Fox Chase site where students can specifically investigate the elements and principles of art:

Go to Henry Ward Ranger for information regarding the founder of the Lyme Art Colony and his interest in Tonalism.
Go to Tonalism for information regarding the style of painting most popular during the early years of the Lyme Art Colony.
Go to Childe Hassam for information regarding the artist who is credited with bringing American Impressionism to Old Lyme.
Go to American Impressionism for information regarding the style of painting most popular during the later years (after 1903) of the Lyme Art Colony.
Go to Characteristics of American Impressionism for more specific information regarding this popular style of painting.
Go to Varnish for information regarding the question of varnishing a painting or not, a debate that often separated the Tonalists from the American Impressionists.

There are several sections of the In Situ: The Painted Panel site where students can specifically investigate the Elements and Principles of Art:

Go to Landscape with Oxen by Jules Turcas for a great example of a panel painted in a Tonalist style.
Go to Country Road in Summer by William Chadwick for a great example of a panel painted in an American Impressionist style.
Go to Hound Dog Baying at the Moon/Bow Bridge by Moonlight by Henry Rankin Poore and Henry Ward Ranger for a great example of two panels painted by different artists who matched in subject, style, and color.

There are several selections from the menu of Scholar Essays that specifically address the Elements and Principles of Art:

Go to Lyme Art Colony for information regarding the development of the Lyme Art Colony and the change of dominant artistic style from Tonalism to American Impressionism.
Go to CT Impressionism for specific information regarding the development of this style of painting in America and specifically in Connecticut.

Activities Relating to the Elements and Principles of Art:

Go to What Style Is It? for a lesson plan that prompts a comparison between an example of Tonalism and American Impressionism.