ART140 Visual Elements of Art

Line

the path made by a moving point: the side-by-side placement of an infinite number of points.

Actual line

lines that are physically present in a work of art. They are concrete and have describable characteristics including measure and type.

The Measure of Line

its length and its width.

The Type of Line

its characteristics: straight, curved, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, zigzag, arc, spiral, etc.

Implied line

refers to the sense of line created by the perceptual tendency to connect a series of points; a discontinuous line that the viewer perceives as being continuous.

Psychological line

suggests a conceptual connection - an invisible linear path - between or among elements or characters in a composition.

Outline

a concrete mark that defines the boundary or outer edge of an object or a figure. Outlines are actual lines.

Contour line

an edge that is perceived where a three-dimensional form curves away from the viewer. Edges are perceived because the object differs from the background in value (lighter vs. darker). A contour line is not an actual line.

Crosshatching

dense patterns of crisscrossed lines.

Stippling

a more-or-less dense pattern of dots

Hatching

closely space parallel lines all achieve similar effects.

Shape

an area within a composition that has boundaries that separate it from its surroundings.

Form

a shape defined in three dimensions.

Volume

the amount of space in an enclosed three-dimensional area or in an empty three-dimensional object.

Mass - bulk

the amount of force required to move an object. Three dimensional forms that occupy three-dimensional space have actual mass that is measurable. Objects depicted on a two-dimensional surface may convey a sense of mass even though they do not possess it, we say such objects have implied mass.

Geometric shapes

shapes derived from mathematical formulas that are rendered with great precision. Shapes with straight edges and angular corners are described as rectilinear; shapes with curving edges are described as curvilinear.

Organic shapes

shapes derived from nature.

Positive and Negative shapes, Figure and Ground

in a two-dimensional composition, a shape is referred to as figure and the empty area surrounding it is referred to as ground. The figure is regarded as positive shape in a composition and the ground is regarded as negative shape.

Figure-ground reversal

the tendency of the eye and brain to shift focus when figure and ground are ambiguous.

Value

the lightness or darkness of a color.

Value Contrast

the degrees of difference between shades of gray. High value contrast results in clarity and sharpness. Low value contrast results in lack of clarity.

Value Range

a low key palette moves towards the black end of the spectrum. A high key palette moves towards the white end of the spectrum.

Value pattern

describes the variation of light and dark within a work of art and the ways in which they are arranged within a composition.

Chiaroscuro

is a value pattern defined by a gradual progression from light to dark through a successive gradation of tones across a curved surface.

Tenebrism

is a value pattern characterized by abrupt and dramatic juxtapositions of light and dark.

Highlighting

the placement of patches of white light.

Color

the optical effect caused when reflected white light of the spectrum is divided into separate wavelengths. The wavelength of light determines its color or hue. Red has the longest wavelength. Violet has the shortest wavelength. The properties of color are hue, value and intensity.

Value

the lightness or darkness of a color. Yellow is the lightest color on the color wheel and violet is the darkest. Green-blue-violet colors are considered cool and yellow-orange-red are considered warm. Warm colors seem to advance toward the picture plane and cool colors seem to recede.

Intensity/Saturation

the degree of purity of a color/hue measured by its brightness. Saturation decreases when another hue or black, white or gray are added.

Tint

the lightness of a color as determined by the extent of its mixture with white.

Shade

the darkness of a color as determined by the extent of its mixture with black.

Color Schemes

planned combinations of color

Analogous colors

colors that lie next to one another on the color wheel and share characteristics of hue as a result of the mixture of adjacent hues. When analogous colors are placed next to one another, the effect is often calming.

Complementary colors

colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel. Because the complements do not share characteristics of hue and are as unlike as possible, the eye readily tells them apart. When complementary colors are placed next to one another, the effect is often jarring.

Local color

the hue of an object created by the color its surface reflects under normal lighting conditions. Color that is natural rather than symbolic for the depicted objects.

Optical color

the perception of the color of an object, which may vary markedly according to atmospheric conditions.

Actual texture

the surface character of materials as experienced by the sense of touch. Actual texture is tactile. We typically discuss the surface texture of painting only when it is palpable or unusual, as when a thick impasto is used or when an unusual material is added to the surface.

Visual Texture

simulated texture in a work of art; the use of line, color or other visual elements to create the illusion of various textures in flat drawings and paintings.

Subversive texture

the texture that is chosen or created by artists to foil or undermine our ideas about the objects they depict. Subversive texture compels the viewer to look again at the object and to think about it more deeply.

Overlapping

when nearby objects overlap more distant ones to create the perceptual illusion that one is in front of another.

Relative Size

the size of a figure or object in relation to other figures or objects or the setting.

Atmospheric Perspective

the illusion of depth created by techniques such as texture gradients, brightness gradients, and the manipulation of warm and cool colors. A gradient is a progressive change.

Texture Gradient

the relative degree of roughness in the rendering of nearby and distant objects used to create an illusion of depth in two-dimensional works. Nearby objects are usually rendered with more retailed and rougher surfaces than distant ones.

Brightness Gradient

the relative degree of intensity in the rendering of nearby and distant objects used to create an illusion of depth in two-dimensional works.

Linear Perspective

a system of organizing space in two-dimensional works of art in which lines that are, (in reality) parallel and horizontal are represented as converging diagonals. The method is based on foreshortening, in which the space between the lines grows smaller with distance, just as objects appear to grow smaller with distance.

Actual Motion

the passage of a figure or object from one place to another. Can be captured through kinetic art (mobiles for example) or photography that captures motion through the use of stopped time.

Implied Motion

the impression that motion has occurred/time has passed created through the use of visual elements, composition or content.

Illusion of Motion

the impression that motion is in the process of occurring created through the use of repetition, overlap and blurring