Art is a form a visual communication. The artist speaks to the viewer, and the viewer is obliged to listen. The artist speaks with his training, skills, intellect, and emotion. To see and understand, the viewer must listen with his eyes, heart, mind and spirit. In seeking to enlarge our vision and understanding, it is helpful to learn a little art language. The alphabet of art might include the following terms. Looking for the answers to some of these questions may also help expand your vision of an artistic work.

* What is the focal point, the center of interest, in the painting?

Where do your eyes want to rest?

How does the artist suggest that this is the most important part of the message? This can be done with any variety of color, line, value, or composition.

* Mood. What emotions are revealed?

What character traits do the figures and faces suggest?

How does the art make me feel?

*What is the artist's purpose with this art?

Is he trying to illustrate a story, a feeling, a principle?

Is he trying to say something? Show? Teach? Imagine?

* Color. What colors are used?

Are they warm (red, yellow, orange)? or cool (blues or greens)? Why?

Are they complimentary (opposite on a color wheel like red and green,

blue and orange)?

Or are they all variations on the same color (monochromatic)?

Are the colors strong, vibrant? Or pale and muted? Why?

*Hint: Minerva Teichert believed that no painting was complete without a touch of red. Where is the red? Why?

* Composition. How is the space divided? (Learn about the golden mean.)

Is the art balanced? Or asymmetric? Why?

Do you see repetition and rhythm in the colors and lines? How does that

effect the whole?

What shapes can you see? Triangles? Circles?

How does your eye move around the painting?

How are the foreground and background related? How do they differ?

How does the composition reinforce the focal point or main idea?

* Line. Where are the strongest lines?

Are they vertical (for strength)?

Horizontal (calming)?

Or organic curves?

Diagonals suggest energy and motion. Where do they point?

* Value. Where is the light coming from in the picture?

What is the light doing?

Does it bounce or flow?

Does the light balance the dark? Or push it away? Why?

Do the darks dominate? Why?

Light often carries additional meaning in religious art. How is light

used to illustrate doctrine or enlighten the artist's message?

*Hint. The part of the picture where the lightest light meets the darkest dark is often the focal point. Why is this contrast so interesting to us?

* Texture. How did the artist apply his medium?

How much of the surface texture is style?

And how much is message?

What textures are implied in the picture? Why?

All of these elements come together in various degrees and intensities to create a work of art. As Henri Matisse explained,."Then a moment comes when every part has found its definite relationship and from then on it would be impossible for me to add a stroke to my picture without having to paint it all over again."

*Hint. Please refrain from turning these thought questions into lecture notes, or short answer worksheets, or (perish the thought!) writing assignments. These are intended to help the reader in thinking about art. If you wish to teach your children these terms, do so in an informal, observational discussion, one principle at a time. Understand that each of these principles have volumes of scholarly research to peruse if one has the interest. These questions are merely a jumping off point for the novice. They are intended to stimulate thought and attention to detail. They are not intended to teach anyone what to think. There are no wrong answers. After all, one's own thoughts and reactions to a piece of art are the second part, perhaps the most important part, of visual communication.