LES 6.1: Elements & Principles of Art (Elements of Art: Visual)

Shape, Form, Space

Sculptures automatically have these 3 following elements with or without the decision of the artist to include them.

Line, Shape & Form, Space, Color, Texture

5 Elements of Art & Design

Line

One of the elements of art

Point moving at an identifiable path—it has length and direction, as well as width

One-dimensional, however, it has the capacity to either define the perimeters of the artwork (edges) and/or become a substantial component of the composition.

"Simple," but has variations in view of its orientation/direction, shape, and thickness. These variations import not only the visual elements into the artwork, but suggest meaning or message being conveyed by the artist.

Keith Haring’s “Todos juntos podemos parar el sida (Together We Can Stop AIDs")”

Example of an artist and art work known for using lines to outline or countour the figures of their work

Horizontal Lines

Refers to the orientation of the line

Normally associated with rest or calm

Landscapes often contain these elements as works like these often connote a visual sense of being parallel to the ground.

It also alludes to position of the reclined body at rest.

Vertical Lines

Refers to the orientation of the line

Connote elevation or height, which is usually taken to mean exaltation or aspiration for action.

Stability & Firmness

What do horizontal and vertical lines communicate?

Diagonal Lines

Type of line

Convey movement and instability, although the progression can be seen

Crooked/Jagged Lines

Type of Line

Reminiscent of violence, conflict, or struggle

Curved Lines

Type of Line

Bend or coil

Allude to softness, grace, flexibility, or even sensuality

Francisco de Goya

One of the most important Spanish artists is known for his prints, he is a master of etched works and use of aquatint.

He made use of this medium to articulate his political views about the ills of society, war scenes, and even the dreamlike and grotesque while still engaging with what was happening around him.

“The Raft of Medusa”

Example of how lines may not necessarily be explicit or literally shown; implied lines may be just as powerful, if not more.

Position and orientation of the bodies that are aboard the raft are predominantly diagonal in direction.

This creates not only movement but also tension in the scene. Based on an actual event, the painting depicts the 1816 wreckage of the French government ship called Medusa.

Shape & Form

2 related elements of art due to defining the space occupied by the object of art

Shape

One of the elements of art

Refers to two dimensions: height and width

Form

One of the elements of art

Refers to three dimensions: height, width, and depth

Geometric & Organic

2 Categories of Shapes

Geometric

One of the categories of shapes

Finds origin in mathematical propositions. As such, its translation and use are often man-made.

These include shapes such as squares, triangles, cubes, circles, spheres, and cones, among others

Organic

One of the categories of shapes

Readily occurring in nature, often irregular and asymmetrical

Raphael’s “The Madonna of the Meadows”

Example of how shapes may be implied

Space

One of the elements of art

Related to shape & form

Usually inferred from a sense of depth, whether it is real or simulated.

In reality this is three-dimensional (ex. sculptures)

Can only be manifested in two-dimensional artworks through the use of different techniques, or the use (or non-use) of area around a drawing or picture.

“Cloud Gate”

Example of a sculpture occupying real space

Positive Space, Negative Space, & 3-D Space

3 ways space is implied in 2D artworks

Positive Space

One of the ways space is implied in 2D artworks

Space where shadow is heavily used

Negative Space

One of the ways space is implied in 2D artworks

Usually identified with the white space

3-D Space

One of the ways space is implied in 2D artworks

Can be simulated through a variety of techniques such as shading

Color

One of the elements of art

Enhances the appeal of an artwork

Its effect has range, allowing the viewer to make responses based on memory, emotion, and instinct, among others.

This element is a property of light, as it is reflected of the object.

Not intrinsic of an object and without light, one cannot perceive this.

Isaac Newton’s Color Theory

Much of what we know about colors begins with the notion of this, which was first unraveled by experiments, in which a ray of sunlight passing through a prism revealed an array of colors akin to that of a rainbow.

Hue, Value, Intensity

3 Properties of Color

Hue

One of the properties of color

Dimension of color that gives it name

Can be subdivided into Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Colors

Red, Yellow, Blue

Primary Colors

Green, Orange, Violet

Secondary Colors

Tertiary Colors

6 in total, hues that are achieved when primary & secondary colors are mixed

Value

One of the properties of color

Brightness or darkness of color

Often, this is used by artists to create the illusion of depth and solidity, a particular mood, communicate a feeling, or in establishing a scene (e.g., day and night).

Light Colors

Part of Value

Taken as the source of light in the composition

Dark Colors

Part of Value

Lack or even absence of light

Tint

Part of Value

Lighter color than the normal value (ex. pink for red)

Shade

Part of Value

Darker color than the normal value (ex. maroon for red)

Intensity

One of the properties of color

Color's brightness or dullness

Identified as the strength of color, whether it is vivid or muted.

To achieve this, one may add either gray or its complementary color.

Bright or Warm Colors & Dull or Cool Colors

2 types of intensity

Bright or Warm Colors

One of the types of intensity

Positive energy

Dull or Cool Colors

One of the types of intensity

Sedate/soothing, seriousness or calm

Monochromatic Harmonies, Complementary Harmonies, Analogous Harmonies, Triadic Harmonies

4 types of color harmonies

Monochromatic Harmonies

One of the types of color harmonies

Uses the variations of a hue

Claude Monet’s “Houses of Parliament”

Example of a monochromatic harmony

Complementary Harmonies

One of the types of color harmonies

Involve two colors opposite each other in the color wheel

Since they are at contrary positions, the reaction is most intense

“Three Saints: Roch, Anthony Abbot, and Lucy”

Example of complementary harmony

Analogous Harmonies

One of the types of color harmonies

Makes use of two colors beside each other in the color wheel

Edgar Degas’ “Before the Race”

Example of analogous harmony

Triadic Harmonies

One of the types of color harmonies

Makes use of three colors from equidistant sites within the color wheel

Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”

Example of how color presents a multitude of possibilities that affects how works of art are taken in by the viewer

Texture

One of the elements of art

Can be either real or implied

Experienced through the sense of touch (and sight)

Renders the art object tactile

Textures in 2-D plane

Can be implied using one technique or a combination of other elements of art.

By creating this visual quality in the artwork, one can imagine how the surface will feel if it was to be touched.

Some of the words used to describe texture are the following: rough or smooth, hard or soft, hairy, leathery, sharp or dull, etc.

Surface Texture

Refers to the texture of the three-dimensional art object

Picture Plane

Actual surface of the painting or drawing, where no illusion of a third dimension exists.

Here, the elements lay flat, as if one was looking through a window into what lies on the other side of the glass.

Chiaroscuro

During the Renaissance, specifically in the fifteenth century, this was developed

Made use of light and dark contrasts and tones in which paintings not only looked three-dimensional, but also more dramatic

Linear Perspective

Changed the way pictorial representation was done.

Credited to Renaissance artists, its early proponents include Leon Battista Alberti, Paolo Uccello, and architect Filippo Brunelleschi in the early fifteenth century, who were published in Alberti's On Painting in 1435.

smaller

One of the observations linear perspective is based on

As forms and objects recede, the ___ they become

Vanishing Point

One of the observations linear perspective is based on

Point of disappearance

Parallel lines never meet. However, when they, too, seem to converge when they recede into a distance, at a point, they both disappear

One-Point Perspective, Two-Point Perspective, Three-Point Perspective

3 Types of Perspectives

One-Point Perspective

One of the types of perspectives

Often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways, or rows of trees

Shows parallel lines that seem to converge at a specific and lone vanishing point, along the horizon line.

Two-Point Perspective

One of the types of perspectives

Pertains to a painting or drawing that makes use of two vanishing points, which can be placed anywhere along the horizon line.

It is often used in depicting structures such as houses or buildings in the landscape that are viewed from a specific corner.

Three-Point Perspective

One of the types of perspectives

Viewer is looking at a scene from above or below

Makes use of the three vanishing points, each corresponding to each axis of the scene.