Elements and Principles of Art The Building Blocks
Elements and Principles of Art The Building Blocks of Art and How They Are Organized
Elements of art The basic visual symbols in the language of art.
Line The path of a moving point through space. Elizabeth Catlett, In Sojourner Truth I fought for the rights of Women as well as Negroes, 1947 Alexander Calder, Mobile, circa 1948 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Divan Japonais. 1893.
Shape A two dimensional area that is defined in some way. Joan Miro Piet Mondrian, Composition with Gray and Light Brown, 1918
Form Objects having three dimensions. Henry Moore, Reclining Figure (1951) Barbara Hepworth, Squares with Two Circles (Monolith), 1963
Space The element that refers to the area between, around, above, below or within objects. Henry Moore, Reclining Figure (1951) M. C. Escher
Color Derived from reflected light Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitar Player, 1903 Mary Cassatt, Little Girl in a Blue Armchair 1878
Value The darkness or lightness of an object. M. C. Escher, Drawing Hands Albrecht Durer, Melancholia 1514 Value is often used to create the illusion of depth on a flat surface.
Texture How things feel or look as if they might feel. Janet Fish, Two Jars Hot Pepper Pickles Deborah Butterfield, Wickiup, 1995
Principles of Art The way elements are organized to create different visual effects.
Rhythm Indicates movement by the repetition of elements or objects. Ford Smith, Autumn Rhythm Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie Woogie 1942 -1943
Movement Creates the look and feeling of action and guides the viewer’s eyes throughout the artwork. Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912) Katsushika Hosukai, Great Wave off Kanagawa
Pattern A visual repetition of line, shape, or color. Moorish floor tile
Balance Equalizing visual elements in a work of art. Georgia O’Keefe, Red Diego Rivera, Flower Day, 1925
Proportion Size relationships between one part of an artwork to another. Ancient Egyptian
Variety Different or contrasting elements in an artwork. Wassily Kandinsky, Composition VII, 1913
Emphasis The part of an artwork that is dominant over other parts. Francesco Goya, The Shootings of May Third 1808, 1814 Walt Kuhn, , Two Clowns, 1940
Harmony Stressing the similarities of separate but related parts. Arthur Dove, Nature Symbolized No. 2, 1911
VISUAL DEFINITIONS IN YOUR SKETCHBOOK
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