IB lit art and elements summative terms

line

he most basic building block of formal analysis.  can be used to create more complex shapes or to lead your eye from one area in the composition to another.

value

he degree of light and dark in a design. It is the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between. can be used with color as well as black and white. Contrast is the extreme changes between values.

shapes

created when lines are combined to form a square, triangle, or circle. can be organic (irregular shapes found in nature) or geometric (shapes with strong lines and angles such as circles, triangles, and squares).

form

are three-dimensional shapes with length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders, boxes and pyramids are forms.

space

the area between and around objects. Increasing or decreasing the amount of space around an object affects the way we view that object.

color

differentiates and defines lines, shapes, forms, and space. Even black and white images have a huge number of different shades of gray.

texture

s the surface quality that can be seen and felt.can be rough or smooth, soft, or hard. are often implied. For instance, a drawing of rock might appear to have a rough and hard surface, but in reality, is as smooth as the paper on which it is drawn.

Balance

 distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale elements should be —— to make a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar. 

contrast

use of several elements of design to hold the viewer's attention and to guide the viewer's eye through the artwork. 

movement

 way a viewer's eye is directed to move through a composition, often to areas of emphasis.  can be directed by lines, contrasting shapes, or colors within the artwork. 

emphasis

created in a work of art when the artist contrasts colors, textures, or shapes to direct your viewing towards a particular part of the image. 

pattern

the repetition of a shape, form, or texture across a work of art.

proportion

created when the sizes of elements in a work of art are combined harmoniously. 

variety

use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the viewer’s eye through and around the work of art.

unity

created when the principles of analysis are present in a composition and in harmony. Some images have a complete sense of unity, while some artists deliberately avoid formal unity to create feelings of tension and anxiety.