Art Savvy

by Tj Aitken

Art Savvy is a field guide to artwork providing for a systematic approach to understanding art. It gives methods to assess a design and really see what the artist was doing. Unlike chaotic art writings, terms are clearly defined, categorized, organized and illustrated.

It is designed to answer questions like: What things will allow me to understand art? What are the basic elements? What is concept art? Can you "read" a work of abstract art? Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in art work. Art Savvy gives you this.

Defining Terms: Often art terms are not clearly defined, are used interchangeably or get mixed up with other types of analysis. For a thorough exploration of all aspects of art, photos of great works are referenced with color keyed notations to illustrate the 5 easy pieces:

Design Elements - Visual grammar, line, shape, form, mass etc. - definitions & how to see them.
Organization Principles - How elements are arranged and how this effects the concept.
Style - Relation to other groups of work and formulas for design.
Technique - How methods and materials are used to impact the concept.
Concept - What this piece about.