Chapter 4- Lines

In chapter 4, the primary focus is the importance of lines in art. Lines refer to more than what the typical person thinks of when they hear "line". The linear perspective of a piece is how an artist creates depth on an otherwise flat surface. Every artist uses this, no matter if they are painting on a canvas or sculpting with clay. Both local and international art share this. Two of my favorite museums I have ever visited are the Boston Museum of  Fine Art in Boston and Musee D'Orsay in Paris. I've chosen two pieces from these museums to discuss in this


Mary Cassett is a famous American Artist. Many of her pieces are showcased in The Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Mary Cassatt The Tea Oil on Canvas

Mary Cassatt demonstrates a more loose and free use of lines than most artists of her time. She uses line more expressively rather than just an outline of her piece.

One piece of international art I've chosen is by one of my personal favorite artists, Edgar Degas. Tis sculpture, one he has made many times, is located at Musee D'Orsay in Paris. It is a prime example of implied lines. The little girl is looking off into the distance, at nothing in particular, giving the artwork a certain depth it would lack without this implied line.

Edgar Degas Small Dancer Aged 14 Bronze

In many of his works, Degas uses implied lines to give movement to still objects.

These pieces are very different, but have some similarities in their use of lines. Both us the linear perspective to give a three dimensional effect. The lines in both pieces are essential to the proportional aspect of the piece. Both artists use lines to make the proportions realistic. The positive and negative space in the art also give it the appearance of depth. Even sculptures, which are frequently already 3D pieces, use the positive space to create the image and the negative space for depth. The use of lines and positive and negative space is more important when creating 3-D images on canvas. Positive and negative space work together to cause a depth in the painting. These works of art both demonstrate how important the use of lines are in a piece.

 I found for this particular example, the local vs. international does not make a huge difference. Boston’s art museum has art from some of the most prestigious artists in the world and therefore has pieces from artists who are also featured on an international scale. Although Mary Cassatt is an American artist, her works are featured all over the world.