Elements of Art
What makes up an art work?
The Elements of art
Elements of Art
The composition of an art work is made up
of the arrangement of the elements.
These are known as the Elements of Art
Elements of Art
COLOR
LINE
SHAPE
SPACE
VALUE
FORM
COLOR
COLOR
• Primary colors- yellow, red and blue.
(colors that can not be made by mixing
other colors.
• Secondary colors- purple, green and
orange (colors mixed from a combination
of any two primary colors)
Primary colours
Roy Lichtenstein
Color Schemes
• Complementary Colors – colors directly
across from each other on the color wheel
• Monochromatic color scheme - uses only
one color and tints and shades
• Analagous colors- colors that have
something in common. They are next to
each other on the color wheel. One color
will be in harmony with another.
Complementary colours
Gauguin
Complementary colours scheme
Monochromatic color scheme
M.C. Escher
Colour schemes
Communicating with colour
• Cool colors
recede - go away
from you
Van Gogh
Warm colors come toward the viewer
(advance); Cool colors recede
Mark Rothko
Rothko
VALUE
Value
Pencil Value Scale
Value
Stippling Value Scale
Line –
The Obvious
STRAIGHT
HORIZONTAL
VERTICAL
DIAGONAL
LINE
Simple to Complex
in terms of line . . .
Lines can be implied . . .
IMPLIED LINES
Not really there but guide the
eye or organize the image
Implied Line
Giotto,
Pieta
(Lamentation)
fresco
SHAPE
Late Gothic/ Early Renaissance
from 1305
Caravaggio
The Calling
of St.
Matthew,
1599-1600
Gentileschi,
Judith Slaying
Holofernes,
1620
Note lines
implied by
directional
gazes
Diego Rivera, The Flower Carrier, 1935, 48x48 in.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Le déjeuner des canotiers, 1880–1881
Oil on canvas, 129.5 × 172.7 cm
Morandi, Giorgio
Still Life
(The Blue Vase)
1920
Oil on canvas
The blue
lines point
out . . .
IMPLIED
LINES
Morandi, Giorgio
Still Life
(The Blue Vase)
1920
Oil on canvas
implied
Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus, c.1601
Kenneth Noland, Thrust, 1963
45 x 45 in.
A VENETIAN WOMAN
John Singer Sargent (American,
b.1856, d.1925)
1882
oil on canvas
93 3/4 x 52 1/2 in. (238.1 x
133.4 cm)
Barnett Newman, Dionysius, 1944, 67x49in.
Barnett Newman, Yellow Painting, 1949
Barnett Newman, Untitled (The Cry), 36x24in., ink on
paper
Giotto,
Pieta
(Lamentation)
fresco
Late Gothic/ Early Renaissance
from 1305
Caravaggio
The Calling
of St.
Matthew,
1599-1600
Gentileschi,
Judith Slaying
Holofernes,
1620
IMPLIED LINES
Not really there but guide the
eye or organize the image
Note lines
implied by
directional
gazes
Diego Rivera, The Flower Carrier, 1935, 48x48 in.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Le déjeuner des canotiers, 1880–1881
Oil on canvas, 129.5 × 172.7 cm
Morandi, Giorgio
Still Life
(The Blue Vase)
1920
Oil on canvas
The blue
lines point
out . . .
IMPLIED
LINES
Morandi, Giorgio
Still Life
(The Blue Vase)
1920
Oil on canvas
implied
Schiele, Egon
Seated Girl
1911
Watercolor and
pencil
48 x 31.5 cm
Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus, c.1601
Kenneth Noland, Thrust, 1963
45 x 45 in.
A VENETIAN WOMAN
John Singer Sargent (American,
b.1856, d.1925)
1882
oil on canvas
93 3/4 x 52 1/2 in. (238.1 x
133.4 cm)
Lines used to create
emphasis
A VENETIAN WOMAN
John Singer Sargent (American,
b.1856, d.1925)
1882
oil on canvas
93 3/4 x 52 1/2 in. (238.1 x
133.4 cm)
Lines can curve . . .
Hokusai, Katsushika
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa
From "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji"
1823-29
Color woodcut
10 x 15 in.
Jean Honore Fragonard, The Bathers, 1761
Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1970
This “artless” scribble
• Defines an area
• Creates an illusion of depth (volume)
Look
again …
Brice Marden
American, born Bronxville, New York, 1938
Cold Mountain 2, 1989-1991
Oil on linen, 108 1/8 x 144 1/4 in.
What lines
lurk in
this texture?
Jackson Pollock, Lavendar Mist No. 1, 1950
Consider the expressive
quality of the jagged lines
in this work . . .
Clyfford Still, 1957, No.1
Georgia O’Keeffe, Red, White and Blue, 1931
The Obvious Again
STRAIGHT
CURVED – SMOOTH,
JAGGED
Curved,
smooth
Jagged
Jagged, zig-zag
straight
Johann Koerbecke
German, c. 1420 - 1491
The Ascension, 1456/1457
tempera on panel, 92.7 x 64.8 cm
(36 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.)
Clyfford Still
American,
1904 - 1980
1948-C, (1948)
Oil on canvas
80 7/8 x 68 3/4 in.
complex
contour lines
formed by these
complex shapes
Lines create or imply shapes
Shapes can be open or closed
Lines around a shape are CONTOUR lines
SHAPE
open/closed
geometric/
biomorphic or organic
an open shape, a biomorphic form
Picasso, Femme
Frank Stella,
Wolfeboro II, 1966
closed, geometric
Lines create
planes; planes
suggest volume
THE UPSTAIRS
Charles Sheeler (American,
b.1883, d.1965)
1938
oil on canvas
19 1/2 x 12 3/4 in. (49.5 x
32.4 cm)
VOLUME
LINE  SHAPE  VOLUME
Implied in
painting; actual
in sculpture
Kenneth Snelson
Rador, 1975
brass & stainless
steel
21 x 17 x 6 inches
Kenneth Snelson
American, born
Pendleton,
Oregon, 1927
Needle Tower, 1968
Aluminum and stainless
steel
720 x 243-1/2 x 213-3/8
in.
Rodin
Balzac
Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, 1936-7
Volumes
C
A
N
CREATE
LINES
Frank Lloyd Wright,
Fallingwater, 1936-37
Frank Gehry, Disney Concert Hall
Frank Gehry, Disney Concert Hall
Frank Gehry, Disney Concert Hall
Giusti Garden, Verona, Italy
Henry Moore
Knife Edge Mirror Two
Piece
1976-1978, bronze
534.5 x 721.1 x 363.1 cm (210 1/2 x 284
x 143 in.)
Bird in Space, 1923
Constantin Brancusi
(French, born Romania,
1876–1957)
Marble; (with base) H.
56-3/4, Diam. 6-1/2 in.
Bird,
1940
Brancusi
Adam and Eve
1921
BOTTOM LINE
The concept of line plays a role in
compositions of music and art, ranging
from the simple to the complex.
LINE
ON HANDOUT
What is a line in Art?
Line – a series of points; an area whose length is
considerably greater than its width; an indication of
direction, an apparent movement. A line is a point moved
or moving through space. This applies to drawing,
painting, printmaking, sculpture, clay/pottery, and
architecture.
Characteristics of lines: lines can be actual or implied; a
line which denotes or describes an outside edge of an
object is a contour line. A contour line divides the plane or
delineates an edge of a volume.
A directional line points or moves the eye in a particular
direction. Horizontal – often read as across, quiet, stable.
Vertical: reaching up, spiritual, uplifting, rising. Diagonal:
dynamic, moving.
Lines can be interpreted as having expressive qualities;
particular qualities – thick or thin, weighty or straight,
hard-edged or soft – can indicate moods or feelings.
SPACE
Space
Linear Perspective
Positive and Negative Space
SPACE
Brett Whiteley
• Larger lines in the
foreground
• Smaller lines in the
back ground give an
illusion of distances,
space and
perspective.
FORM
Form
Form
Form
Texture
Texture
COLOR
• Color is very expressive and an exciting
element of art. It appeals strongly to the
senses and emotions.
• Art works can communicate by color
alone. It can cause emotional reactions.
Lines
Line in art may mean a single thin stroke
It may signify the meeting edge of two areas
It may refer to the contours, or edges
Line can suggest movement
Line can produce a sense of tranquility
Line
Clement Meadmore
Line can create volume
M.C. Escher
Lines can create movement
M.C. Escher
Lines can create movement
Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley
• Larger lines in the
foreground
• Smaller lines in the
back ground give an
illusion of distances,
space and
perspective.
Lines create pattern and shape
John Olsen
Value or Tone
• Tone can be flat or graduated
• Value Can be created by using shading,
line or dots.
• Lines can be used to create tone in
hatching or cross-hatching
• Dots can be used to create different tones
or values.
Rick Amor
Tone
Rick Amor
Tone can be:
– subtle
– strong
– contrasting
Value
Hatching and cross-hatching
Rembrandt
Value
Mattia Preti
How does value attract our attention to the focal point
of the painting? (EMPHASIS)
Texture
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grained
Rough
Corrugated
Smooth
Furry
Shiny
prickly
Texture
Van Gogh
Texture
When we actually touch and feel a surface we experience
real texture
• Real texture; the feel of a surface - cactus, feathers,
scales, fur, sharp stones
When we look at a photograph or a painting of the texture
of a surface such as glass or velvet leather, we see
patterns of light and dark that create the effect of texture
• Simulated or Implied texture; a two dimensional
surface that imitates real texture, simulated textures
copy or imitate real textures.
Implied / Simulated texture
imitates real texture
Max Ernst
Real texture - the feel of a surface
Claus Oldenburg
Shape / Form
• A shape is an area that is defined in some way
by a line, an edge, a colour or a texture. If we
traced around its outline we would have a
shape; silhouette
• Shapes are flat they have only two dimensions –
height and width
• Geometric shapes– look as if they were made
with a ruler.
• Organic shapes – look irregular like the uneven
shapes of nature.
Shape
Henri Matisse
Shape / Form
• Forms are similar to shapes. Both have
height and width, but form also has the
third dimension of DEPTH.
• Forms have volume and occupy 3-D space.
• Two dimensional = painting (height and width)
• Three dimension = sculpture (height, width
and depth)
Elements of Art
• Every artwork can be described by one or
more of these five elements of visual
perception.
• For example, a work will have the
presence of strong lines or absence of
line. A work may be full of tone or a
complete lack of tone.
Principles of Design
These are the nine main principles of design
Space
Balance
Proportion
Emphasis
Unity
Contrast
Repetition
Movement
Rhythm
Direction
Principles of Art
• The artists use the principles to combine
the elements in a satisfying way.
Ways to create space
• Divide the picture into the fore-ground, middle
ground and background
• Strong details is used in the foreground, with
gradual loss of detail as the image fades into the
back ground
• Large objects in the fore ground graduating to
smaller objects in the back ground
• Overlapping of objects give the appearance of
objects being in front of each other
• Warm colours in the foreground and cool colours
in the back ground
Degas
Space
Balance
• Refers to the distribution of weight in an
art work so that no one part overpowers
another or seems heavier that another.
• Artists may choose to create imbalance of
a particular purpose. Sydney Long
Proportion
• The relationship between the size of the
objects within an artwork.
• Eugene von Guerard
Emphasis
• An artist can create a centre of interest by
allowing one area of an art work to
dominate.
Picasso
Contrast Picasso “Girl Mirror”
Repetition
• John Brack - “Collins St 5pm”
Rhythm
• Richard Mock