Elements of

Art & DesignAdapted from Project ARTiculate’s Elements & Principles of Art

http://www.projectarticulate.org

Line

The path of a point moving through space is a line. Lines may be explicit (right, Matisse) or implied (left, Hopper)

Shape & Form

Shape implies form and is perceived as 2-dimensional (below, Twombly), while form

implies depth, length, and width and is perceived as 3-dimensional (right,

Michelangelo)

Color All of the colors are derived from the three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and black and white. Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity (right, Ojibwe beadwork)

ValueValue refers to the relative level or darkness or lightness of a color in terms of contrast (left, Raphael)

TextureThe tactile (touchable) qualities of an object, actual or implied (right, Bernini and left, Rauschenberg)

Space & Perspective

Space is the area in which art is organized. Perspective is representative of volume of space or a 3-D object on a flat surface (above, Escher, right, Da Vinci)

Principles of Art & Design

Adapted from Project ARTiculate’s Elements & Principles of Arthttp://www.projectarticulate.org

Pattern

Pattern is the repetition or reoccurrence of a design element, exact or varied, that establishes a visual beat (left, Warhol and above, Klimt)

Rhythm & Movement

Rhythm or movement is the suggestion of motion through the use of various elements (above, Pollock, and right, an unknown artist, India)

Proportion & Scale

Proportion is the size relationship of parts to a whole and to one another. Scale is to relate size to a constant,

such as a human body (left, Serra, below, a woman adds tiny details to a

Pueblo plate).

Balance

Balance is the impression of equilibrium in a pictorial or sculptural composition. Balance is often referred to as symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial (above, a photo of a flower, and to the right, Copley)

Unity

Unity is achieved when the components of a work of art are perceived as harmonious, giving the work a sense of completion (left, Hokusai, below, Manet)

Emphasis

Emphasis is the created center of interest, the place in an artwork where your eye first lands (left, Toulouse-Lautrec, above, O’Keeffe)