line love

Whether they were visibile, invisible, or even gestural, I learned in my high school art class that lines were the end-all-be-all of any work of art. The first project I ever worked on was a still life where we were only allowed to used straight, vertical lines to create the image. At first, it sounded like a piece of cake, but then I soon realized the importance of outlines and shadows, and how difficult it was to create them with only straight lines. At our critique, we all complained about how long it took us to complete, and our teacher explained that we needed to understand how to manipulate the most basic (yet essential) form of line to create any thing we desired. That project has really stuck with me. Reading "On Form and Content" only reinforced how varied lines can become and how they can dramatically affect both the visual and sensual qualities of the work. For my 20 Lines project, I tried to create every line as an emotion, happy, sad, angry, depressed, and to help me I used the rhythm from various songs. It was an interesting emotional release. I appreciated seeing everyone else's lines more, however. You see certain people on a day to day basis, and have no idea what they are like. In a way, to me at least, these lines give a sneak peak into their minds and a better understanding of their selves.