Art Appreciation - Elements and Principles of Art Composition

Line

It gives structure and shape to artwork, guides the viewer's eye, and conveys emotion or movement.

Shape

It provides the basic forms that make up a composition, organizes elements, and creates patterns.

Color

It evokes mood, expresses emotions, and creates visual interest. Colors can also convey symbolism and highlight focal points.

Space

It determines the relationships between objects in composition and creates depth, perspective, and a sense of openness or confinement.

Texture

It enhances the tactile quality of artwork and makes it visually and physically interesting by indicating how surfaces would feel.

Value

It contrasts between light and dark areas, creates depth, emphasizes shapes, and gives objects a sense of solidity.

Form

It adds depth and realism to artwork by representing three-dimensional objects to give volume.

Transcreation

Involves reinterpreting or adapting creative works to fit new cultural contexts, preserving their essence and purpose.

Distortion

It refers to changing the characteristics of the original piece, such as its shape, color, or form.

Transformation

It refers to changing the medium or context of the original work.

Appropriation

It refers to using elements from the existing work to create something new.

Principles of Art

Fundamental guidelines for organizing the elements of art within the creations.

Unity

It ensures all elements in the composition work together harmoniously to create a cohesive whole.

Balance

It refers to the distribution of visual weight in a composition, whether symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial to achieve harmony.

Emphasis

It refers to the focal point or area that stands out and attracts the viewer's attention, often created through contrast, size, or placement.

Contrast

It refers to the noticeable difference between elements, enhancing their strengths and creating visual interest.

Proportion

It refers to the size relationships between different elements in a composition, maintaining harmony and scale.

Pattern

It refers to the arrangement of alternated or repeated elements such as shapes, lines, colors, or motifs.

Variety

It refers to the 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.

Rule of Thirds

An image is divided into thirds horizontally and vertically.