Value
Value, sometimes referred to as ‘tone’ relates to the relative lightness or darkness of a colour. The lightest value is white, with the darkest being black. The difference between the two is referred to as the contrast.
From our earliest experiences with art, we have all played with the concept of value. Mixing whites and blacks to adjust our colour to create exactly what we have desired. As our understanding of value increases, we realize it involves so much more than simply altering colour. Value is one of the most important elements when it comes to expressing emotion.
Artists will use value to create a particular mood within their artwork, create a contrast of light and dark, provide the illusion of form, create a sense of depth, and enhance or create a rhythm or pattern .
Artist: Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan was born in Melborne, Australia in 1917. He grew up in a very conservative colonial society during a savage depression. His family had to supplement their income with illegal bookmaking. Although we can’t be certain as he passed away in 1992, it has been speculated that Nolan turned to art as an escape from the intellectual and physical structure of his upbringing.
To Nolan, expression of emotion and the emotional punch of his work was everything. His paintings are all in series that can be viewed as visual poems. They are lovely on their own, but have the most profound impact when viewed together. Nolan’s work offers a different interpretation of life allowing the viewer to engage with the subject on an emotional level.
To learn more about Sidney Nolan and his impact on art in Australia, click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNsYCITPBDk
Nolan’s Style and Technique
Using specific avenues of light and dark within each panel, Nolan strategically alters his base pattern to create his final product. Nolan based his initial images off of local aboriginal art, as well as the snake dances of the New Guineans. Nolan repeated a few images thousands of times with the only changes being that of how colour was used to create background or “snake” panels.
Snake
Nolan created ‘Snake’ between 1970 and 1972. It is currently on display at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania. In fact, as it is 5.6 meters tall, and more than 44 metres wide, the original design of the MONA had to be altered in order to accommodate Nolan’s masterpiece.
‘Snake’ is composed of 1 620 panels that were created using ink, dye, and cards. They are hung in a specific order to create the illusion of a large snake.
Click through the slide show to see more art by Nolan.
Now it’s your turn to be inspired!
As you can see from Sidney Nolan’s ‘Snake’. Sometimes it takes more than just playing with colour to incorporate value into our art. Watch the videos provided to give you some helpful tips on how to effectively use value to create light and the illusion of depth.
Individual Art Task: use one of Nelson’s original designs and create one of your own. Think about where you would put it within his mural. Would your piece be part of the snake, or part of the background around the snake?
Group Challenge task: With your class (or a group of friends), plan out what shape you would like to create. It could be a snake, a tree, a circle, anything…
- Sketch out your image on a piece of paper (it is okay for this part to be smaller than the final product.
- Divide the image into sections making note of where your lighter values will need to be
- Assign a section to each person in the class or group
- Using Nolan’s methods, create a simple design that each person can replicate
- Decide if you will be using pain, crayons, pencil crayons, or pastels.
- Begin your individual creations
- Assemble your individual creations into a larger mural
- Be amazed at what you were able to accomplish.
Museum of Old and New Art
655 Main Rd, Berriedale TAS 7011, Australia
Exhibit your Nelson-Inspired Art!
Can you imagine seeing your work displayed in an actual museum? Well here is your chance! Virtually hang your artwork, alongside Nelson’s Snake at the MONA in Hobart, Tasmania!
Follow the directions below to add your masterpiece to the map:
- Click on the ‘Seven Elements of Art Form’ link below.
- Select one of the seven categories
- Upload a picture of your art as the “featured image”.
- Under Post Title: put your First Name and Grade (Louise, Grade 5).
- Copy and paste the gallery address above to the Location field.
- For the Post Content section, answer any questions that were asked within the lesson, or tell us a bit about what inspired you to create your art and how you created it!
- Click Submit to drop your pin in the map so that others can view your art at the gallery.