1. *TODAY’S OBJECTIVES*
TODAY’S GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF NOTAN.
1. First we will learn about the artistic elements involved in the creation of Notan.
These elements are:
-Positive and Negative space
-Geometric and Organic shapes
-Symmetry and Asymmetry
2. Next, we will look at the architecture of Frank Gehry; and how his work relates to the concept
of Notan.
3. Last, we will look at student examples of Notan Squares and make some of our own!

2. http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/explore.cfm

3. Positive and Negative Space
The POSITIVE space The NEGATIVE space
What is positive space in this
Is black Is black
picture?

4. You can draw the stool simply by drawing the negative
space that surrounds the stool.

5. The positive space is white and the
negative is black

6. Geometric and Organic Shapes
SHAPE is an ELEMENT of art
Geometric Shapes Organic Shapes

7. Symmetrical Balance
BALANCE is a PRINCIPLE of Art
SYMMETRY Asymmetry
Symmetry means a mirror image -- one side is the mirror image of Asymmetry means without symmetry. There is no
the other. (Same on all sides) mirror image. (Sides are different)

8. Frank Gehry. Architect & Artist.
Here are some things to think about when you view the work of
Frank Gehry:
1.Why do you think Gehry used the artistic elements that we just learned about?
2.Is Gehry’s architecture geometric, organic, or both?
3.Is Gehry’s architecture symmetrical or asymmetrical?
4.Do you think Gehry thought about negative and positive space when he designed a building and why?

9. The Experience Music Project (EMP)
is a museum of music history,
located on the campus of Seattle,
Washington's Seattle Center. The
structure itself was designed by
Frank Gehry,
Is this Organic or Geometric?

10. Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles. Designed by Frank Gehry

11. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain. Designed by Frank Gehry.

12. Do you think the negative space created by these structures is just as important
as the positive space? Why?
Do you think Frank Gehry thought about
negative space when he created this structure?

13. Now that we have learned about all the elements involved in Notan, WHAT IS
NOTAN!?!
Let’s take a look at some examples of Notan….

14. Notan
• Notan is the Japanese word for the relationship between dark and light

15. Notan: Expansion of the Square

18. Notan is a Japanese word which means "dark-light". The word, however, means more than that. The principle of Notan as it relates to design is
defined as the interaction between positive and negative space.
Western culture tends to emphasize the positive aspect of design, with less emphasis on the negative (background) space. The Eastern culture from which Notan arose, seeks
a more balanced view of the world, and of design as it relates to the world. The classic yin/yang symbol is a reflection of this desire for balance.

19. •Notan, the interaction of positive and negative, or field and ground, is the basis of all good design and exists all around us. The
"Expansion of the Square" exercise is one Notan exercise designed to study the interaction of positive and negative space.

20. Lao Tse
We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that
the utility of the wheel depends.
We turn clay to make a vessel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that
the utility of the vessel depends.
We pierce doors and windows to make a house; and it is on these spaces where there is nothing that
the utility of the house depends.
Therefore, just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the utility of what is not.
--Lao Tse (Translated by Arthur Waley in The Way and its Power.
(Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston 1935)

21. “This poem, attributed to Lao Tse, was written two thousand years ago in China. It is a poem about
Notan the basis of all design. Before Notan or the meaning of this poem can be understood, it must
be experienced.”
Excerpt from: Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design by Dorr Bothwell and Marlys Mayfield

22. “What is dark is not light and what is light is not dark. This is the basis of all design and
an important guiding principle of art. It seems so simple but an artist can spend a lifetime
exploring the possibilities of light and dark.”

27. Is this example mostly a
Geometric or Organic shape
Notan?

28. Is this organic or geometric ?

29. Is this Notan Design Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?

30. Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?

31. In this Notan Design what is POSTIVE space and what is
NEGATIVE space?

32. Here are some good examples:

36. So what now?
You are going to create your own Notan Design
• Take your black paper square, and begin to cut shapes into the sides. DO NOT cut into the corners of the square. You want to maintain the shape of
the square.
• You may choose to cut geometric, organic shapes, or both to create your design.
• Every time you cut out a shape from the square, it must be glued down as the mirror image from where it was originally cut.
• No pieces can be discarded. Every piece you cut away from the square needs to be glued down in its opposing position on the paper.
•Cutting through the center makes it hard. You will have to figure out which side to put the piece on. Beginners should avoid cutting through the center.
Students who are advanced may challenge themselves by cutting through the center.

39. This use of light and dark translates shape and form into flat shapes on a two-
dimensional surface