Download - Elements of Art (pages 32-36)
Elements of Art (pages 32-36)
By:ShaDe’ Phoenix
The basic visual components of an art piece include line, shape, form, space, color, and texture.
Line-the path of a point moving through space
Lines vary in length, width and direction: -sometimes they are not solid continuous lines but, dashed or
dotted
Artists use lines to express ideas and feelings
-vertical lines make the eyes raise -horizontal lines suggest peace and tranquility -jagged lines suggest activity
All artists use lines
Shape-two-dimensional area of an object (ex: triangle)
Form-objects that are three-dimensional (ex: pyramid)
Shapes and forms can be geometric and give off an orderly and stable feel
- example of geometric shapes: circles and squares- example of geometric forms: spheres and cubes
Shapes and forms can also be organic (lively) which conveys movement or rhythm
Space and Sculptures-(Shapes and Forms continued)
Pertaining to art, space is an organizational tool The objects, shapes, or forms (referred to as figures) make up
positive space The area around the figures make up the negative space
The black figure is positive space and the white background
is negative space Sculptures are a type of 3-dimensional art, the primary being
freestanding (relief) sculptures which project from its background-high relief= projecting boldly for the background
-low relief= projecting slightly from the background
Perspective Artists can manipulate the size and
placement of objects to make them appear to be 3D
-shading and highlighting the borders of figures makes it seem like light is shining on them
-placing objects lower or higher on a picture plane creates depth (placing them lower makes them appear closer while placing them higher makes them appear farther away)
-larger objects appear closer than smaller objects-more detailed objects appear closer than less detailed
objects
Aerial (atmospheric) perspective takes into account how the elements or a change in weather affects impact the view of images from a distance
-cause figures to then look lighter Linear perspective says that as lines get
farther and farther away they appear to be vanishing
-drawn to depict two scenes an interior and exterior scene (refer to page 34)
Color (hue- the name of the color)
There are 3 primary colors that make up all other colors
-red, blue, and yellow Secondary colors are made from 2 primary
colors-ex: red and blue makes violet
Tertiary colors are made from a primary color and an adjacent secondary color
-blue + green (blue and green) = blue-green
Color wheel- used to organize hues in a visual scheme (system)
-great at predicting the results of mixing hues-dates back to the 18th century
Value- how light or dark a color is -to make a color lighter you would add white, to make it darker you
would add black (black and white are neutrals not hues) Intensity- how bright/pure a color is
-since the primary colors are pure (not mixed with anything) they are the most intense colors
-mixing colors reduces the product’s intensity
Artists use color schemes to create visual and emotional effects Artists use warm and cool colors to create space and movement
in their artwork -Red, orange, and yellow are warm colors because they are associated
with the heat of the sun or fire (advances towards the viewe’rs eyes)-Green, blue, and violet are cool colors because they are associated with
forests, lakes, and snow (recedes into the background) Local color-the true color (does not take into account all the
manipulation the artist does) Optical color-the color after it has been affected by the lighting Arbitrary color-colors that create an emotional response (used
more commonly as of the 20th century)
Texture-how things feel or appear to feel
Actual texture-made frommaterials to actually duplicate what something feels like (you can feel it with your hand) Visual texture- “an illusion of a textured
surface” (page 35) depicted by using patterns or shapes to suggest what something might feel like
Composition-organization or arrangement of element of art
Rhythm is associated with movement and created by a repetition of elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures).
-ex: motif-a single element of a pattern -ex2: pattern-repetition of certain elements
“Balance refers to an equal distribution of visual weight” (page 35)
-ex: symmetrical balance (like a reflection)- a pattern is repeated on both sides of the central of the piece of art
-ex2: approximate symmetry- images slightly differ on either side of the center of the artwork
-ex3: asymmetrical balance- achieved by placing the larger object in the center on the art piece and smaller objects farther from the center
Focal point- where the eye focuses “created by an “element that contrasts with the rest of the composition” (page 36))
Proportion-the relationship (in size) between the parts of a composition
-Artists sometimes exaggerate proportions in an effort to express themselves Scales-the ratio of the an object in an art piece to
the entire piece of art