Objective:
Define Composition
and
The Elements of
Design
In order to talk about an art composition, ah hem,
intelligently, we need to learn a little art vocabulary. Of
course, most of these words you already know…but be
absolutely sure you can use them correctly when you talk
about art.

What is a composition?

The Elements of design…

The INGREDIENTS that make your art…well…art!
First, let’s talk about COMPOSITION.
A composition is the artwork!
When we talk about the composition, we generally talk about what
makes up the work of art.
But how do you begin to talk about it?…Break it down into parts!
In a composition is divided into three parts….the foreground,
middleground, and background.
foreground -appears closest to the viewer
background- is perceived furthest from the viewer.
middleground -located between both the foreground and background.
How would you talk about
composition in writing?
In this sketch, the tree or bush on the right side of the composition is in the
foreground. The potted plant is located in the middle ground of the composition and
the house structure is in the background.
The “real” definition of ….
-The Elements of
Design –
The basic ingredients used by the artist
when producing works of art. Those
elements are shape, form, value, line,
color, texture, and space.
Ingredients? Like the things used to make your dinner?
Yes, kind of!!!!
Let’s say you will make a burger (or a beautiful piece of art) for dinner.
I will need certain parts ingredients (or the Elements of Design) on hand
to make it.
What are the burger’s
ingredients?……
The Ingredients
(The Elements of Design)
The Burger
(The Composition)
The Ingredients
(The Elements of Design)
Line
The Burger
(The Composition)
Shape
Value
Form
Space
Color
The Elements of Design
You will learn the ingredients of a work of art.
You will learn how to describe the Elements of Design in an artwork
S
H
A
P
E
Shape
An enclosed space defined and determined by other art elements such as
. line, color, value, and texture. Shapes can be categorized into two
different types, Geometric, and Organic
Organic
An irregular shape, or one that
might be found in nature, rather
than a regular mechanical
shape.
Geometric
Shapes that are created through use
of mathematics. These shapes
include Circle, Oval, Triangle,
Square, Rectangle, Hexagon,
Octagon and Pentagon.
This painting by Frank Stella contains
interlocking geometric shapes.
This painting by James Roper
shows an explosion of organic and
cloudlike shapes.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
form
Form
An element of art that is three dimensional (height, width, and
depth) and encloses volume. For example a triangle, which is
two dimensional, is a shape, and a pyramid, which is three
dimensional is a form.
Examples of forms include; Cubes, Spheres, Ovoids,
Pyramids, Cones, and Cylinders.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Vs.
V
A L U E
Value
An element of art that refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
Value is an especially important element in works of art when color is
absent. This is particularly likely with drawings, lithographs,
photographs, and sculpture.
When you describe value in
a critique, talk about the
shades (darks, shades of
color) and tints (lightness,
highlights).
Value Scale
A gray scale, a series of spaces filled with the tints and shades of one
color starting with white or the lightest tint on one end, and gradually
changing into the darkest shade or black on the other.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Line
A mark made by a moving point that has length and direction. Often is
defines a space, and may create an outline or contour, define a
silhouette; create patterns, or movement, and the illusion of mass or
volume. It may be two-dimensional (as with pencil and paper), threedimensional (as with wire) or implied (the edge of a shape or form)
Words that DESCRIBE Line include; vertical, horizontal, diagonal, straight
or ruled, curved, bent, points, angular, thin, thick, or wide, interrupted
(dotted, dashed, broken) blurred or fuzzy, controlled, freehand, parallel,
hatching, cross-hatching, meandering, and spiraling.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Color
Produced by light of various wavelengths, and when light strikes an object and
reflects back to the eyes.
An
(1)
(2)
(3)
element of art with three properties:
hue or tint, the color name, e.g. red, yellow, blue, etc.:
intensity, the purity and strength of a color, e.g., bright red or dull red; and
value, the lightness or darkness of a color.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Texture
An element of art, texture is the surface quality or "feel" of an object,, its
smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be Actual or Implied.
Actual textures can be
felt* with the fingers
While simulated textures are suggested by*
an artist in the painting of different areas of
a picture — often in representing* drapery,
metals, rocks, hair, etc.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
SPACE
Space
An element of art that refers to the distance or area between, around, above,
below, or within things.
It can be described as two-dimensional or
three-dimensional; as flat, shallow, or
deep; as positive or negative; and as actual,
or illusory.
Element of Design– white bold Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
The artwork
The Elements
The Principles of Design
These are words we use to ANALYLZE a work of art.
Specifically, how the artist uses line, shape, form, color, value,
space, texture (or the Elements of Design).
If we use the Burger example…We have the ingredients to make our burger… how do we
prepare the ingredients???
…Grill the hamburger, sauté the onions, shred the lettuce, melt the cheese…etc.
Final Exam Tip: When analyzing a work you are studying how the artists used the
Element of Design…so try to include that word. On each slide I included a
model and additional describing words. The ELEMENT will be in black, the
PRINCIPLE will be in in red and the additional describing words will be in green.
Words you need to know!

Symmetrical balance: where the art
elements in a composition are balanced in a
mirror-like fashion (it does not have to be
exact but close).

Asymmetrical balance: the opposite of
symmetrical
Element of Design– WHITE Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Oriental Poppies,
by Georgia O’Keefe
Arrangement in Grey and Black:
Portrait of the Painter's Mother
(commonly known as Whistler’s
Mother), by James Whistler
Rose Window
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word, BALANCE
The artist, Frangelico,
balanced the small group of
people in the foreground with
the larger, simpler building and
wall shapes in the background.
Symmetrical balance is
achieved because of the way
the subjects are arranged on
either side.
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
RHYTHM and PATTERN
Repeating the Elements of Design (line,
color, shape, form, texture, space) to
create movement or texture
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word, RHYTHM
This work by Pablo Picasso uses diagonal lines, patches of colors, and varying spaces
between shapes, a “dynamic” rhythm is set by the artist, creating a sense of activity.
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Here is an example of a cut paper tessellation design.
What is used to create the appearance of rhythm in this
work?
Unity and Harmony Unity and Harmony occurs when all
the elements you put in your artwork
work well together and look like they
belong there. All parts of the design
must agree in a feeling or mood.
What do you think Cezanne used to keep this painting, Mt. Victoria, unified
or working together?
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word UNITY:
Cézanne used blues, yellows and greens. By using
related colors (remember blue and yellow make
green), the piece appears to be unified.
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
M O V E M E N T
Movement is the art principle that
uses some of the elements of art to
produce the look of action or to cause
the viewer’s eye to sweep over the
art work in a certain manner.
In Starry Night, famed artist Vincent Van Gogh creates movement in his sky.
How does he show us this?
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word MOVEMENT:
The swirling lines created by brushstrokes of
colors in the sky shows the movement of wind.
Look at the painting and
concentrate on how your eyes
bounce from one star to another.
This is an example of how an
artist can create movement in a
work of art.
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Contrast and Variety
using different types and sizes of lines,
shapes, spaces, textures values and colors to
bring interest to your design.
Some of the most common ways of creating Contrast are by
creating differences in:
Sizes – large vs. small
Shapes – geometric vs. organic/free
Form- real vs. abstract
Values – light vs. dark
and
Colors – warm vs. cool, complementary, intense
vs. dull
Textures – smooth vs. rough
Line Direction – horizontal vs.
vertical/diagonal/curved
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art using the word VARIETY:
Kandinsky used a variety of overlapping lines, shapes
and colors to give this painting interest.
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
The contrast in the illustration to the
left is quite obvious. Notice the
contrast of the light background (wall)
with dark foreground (table cloth) and
the contrast of the dark shadows on
the tea pot and cup against the wall
and with the lights of the same
objects against a dark window.
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Emphasis
creates a disruption to the eye’s
movement in an artwork and develops a center of
interest, or focal point.
Where is the focal point in Wassily
Kandinsky’s, Composition VII ?
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Kandinsky emphasized the large black circle
(which is a shape) in the upper left corner of his
work. The object is different from everything
else in the painting and therefore it "stands out".
Element of Design– white Principle of Design – red Describing Words – green
Study Study Study
good luck on your Final Exam or SLO