7 Elements of Art

The Elements Of Art are the building blocks of art creation. They can be analyzed, organized, and manipulated by artists. They are the VISUAL LANGUAGE of art. Each of the Elements is important. When looking at a work of art, see if you can identify which Elements of Art the artist stressed, organized or used to express a message or to create a mood.

                                       

                                                  

Ben Shahn “Supermarket”

Kathe Kollwitz “Self-Portrait”

Songya People “kifwebe mask”

Kenneth Snelson “ Needle Tower”

Line

How many types of lines can you make? How important are lines to our environment? The artist recognizes the power of the "Line" when he or she creates a work of art.

A line is a basic element of art, referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point.

What element catches your eye?

“MerryGoRound”Piet Mondrian “Broadway Boogie-Woogie”

Color

Many people would argue that the Element of "Color" has the most effect on a work of art. Consider what our world would look like if everything was black, white and shades of gray? The effects of "Color" on humans has been studied many times. Artists have known that "Color" has a powerful effect on their works and on the impressions of the viewers.

Color wheel

Primary colors Secondary colors Tertiary colors Complimentary colors

Hue:

purest form of a color

                                                  

                                                                                         

                                                                                 

                                                                               Shanon Fitzpatrick “Coral Study”

Gustav Klimt “Emilie Floge”

Paul Klee “Ad Parnassem”

Texture

An element of art which refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness,

roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be actual or simulated. Actual textures can be

felt with the fingers (tactile), while simulated textures (visual) are suggested by the way

the artist has painted certain areas of a picture.

Cut Paper Collage

Louise Nevelson “Sky Cathedral”

Joan Miro “The Policeman”

Korean Nok masks

Henri Matisse

Shapes

Shapes are everywhere. More common ones are given names such as circle or square. There are an infinite amount of shape possibilities and combinations.

Two Types: (2-D)

Organic

Geometric

Specifically, it is an enclosed space, the boundaries of which are defined by other elements of art (i.e.: lines, colors, values, textures, etc.).

Shapes are limited to two dimensions: length and width. Geometric shapes - circles, rectangles, squares, triangles and so on - have the clear edges one achieves when using tools to create such shapes. Organic shapes have natural, less well-defined edges (think: an amoeba, or a cloud).

Michelangelo Buonoratti “David”

Sandy Skoglund “Radioactive Cats”

Alexander Calder “Mobile”Frank Gehry

Form

Forms are often called the "three-dimensional shapes". Unlike flat, two-dimensional areas, Forms are represented as "three-dimensional". The great illustrators and sculptors of the world of art have mastered the Element Form.

Henry Moore “Reclining Figure”

Andrew Wyeth “Christina’s World”

Paul Cezanne “The basket of Apples”

Salvador Dali “The Deterioration of The Persistence Of Memory”

Space

Often we do not consider Space when we create a work of art. It often just seems to happen. Space creates interest in an artwork.

Two Types:

Positive (+)

Negative (-)

Ferdinand Leger

Marc Chagall

Value

Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It also refers to how artists use other Elements Of Art to create a sense of light or dark. 

Different Values: Tint Tone Shade

Review:

Line Shape Space Form Texture Color Value