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Point as an Element of Design

Aboriginal Dot Art, Pointillism, Pop Art Presented in Design Theory

May 30, 2007

The best way to teach about the Elements of Design is to show examples of methods and the theory behind them. Three examples of the use of Point in Visual Art.

When teachers introduce the topic of Point as an Element of Design it is useful to show how it can be used in context. There are Seven Elements of Design. Point is the first.

Here are three examples of the use of point in specific art movements. A simple search will yield many examples from which to choose.

Pointillism: Artists and their Works

Pointillism was a movement in France where painters mixed colours on the canvas by placing dots side by side so that when viewed from a distance they were blended by the eye. This is really called an optical illusion. The idea was that placing colours next to each other caused the eye to mix them in a process called, "optical mixing.”

It was thought at the time that this technique kept colours rich and that the movement of the dobs of paint mixing made the image fresh and alive. It was also a by product of the fascination at that time for discovering scientific facts about the world through experimentation.

This means that the topic is of interest to teachers who would like to teach the science of colour through an artistic practical approach.

You could refer to Seurat as an example of a wonderful Pointillist painter. Whilst the technique is alive, vibrant and exciting it can be a slow and painstaking process. Some painters still use the process today but it is not usual. Other techniques are quicker and render equally pleasurable results. "A Sunday in the Park on the Island of La Grande Jatte" measuring 81 inches by 120 inches took him two years to complete.

Aboriginal Art is often adorned by dots. Australians often call it Australian Aboriginal Dot Art. A simple Google search will throw up lots of examples for you to show the class. It too is vibrant, colourful and the designs have significant symbolic meaning.
Drowning Girl (serigraph) by Roy Lichtenstein is an example of how Pop Art often exhibited dots. The symbolism was about mechanistic printing methods - a comment about the printing methods of the day. Printmaking and Pop Art will soon be the subject of an entire article so check back later for this.

The best way to teach about these methods and the theory behind them is to have the students paint a painting using the technique. This link will show you how DLTK’s Growing Together has put together a simple lesson.

Be sure to explain why the artists used the techniques and ask for feedback from the students about what they liked or disliked when using the methods

The copyright of the article Point as an Element of Design in Visual Arts Education is owned by Jo Murphy. Permission to republish Point as an Element of Design in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.