INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and

Principles of the Different Arts and

Applications
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson the learners are expected to…
1. Determine the 7 elements of art.
2. Make a poster using the elements of art.

7 ELEMENTS OF ART
Elements of art are the core traits of an artwork, visually detectable and separately identifiable.
There are six basic elements of visual art, which when juxtaposed in a particular manner create
a work of art. They are line, shape, color, value form, and texture.

Space can be added as one of the artistic elements as well. The key to understanding principles
of art and art analysis is learning about these elements. Not all of them need to be a part of each
painting, sometimes the deliberate absence of some of them is a distinguished characteristic of
an art style. However, one rule goes for all of them – learning how to paint is necessary, besides
and despite natural talent, knowledge is the elementary steppingstone for artistic achievement.

https://www.google.com/search?q=elements+of+art&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi07e
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 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications
Line
Line is the simplest visual expressive means. It connects a certain distance between two points,
and it can be straight, curvy, angular or free. Width, direction and length of the line often define
stroke of an individual artist.

It is the crucial element in design and the necessary constituent of marks and signs. Thick or thin, line
helps form shape and form, create a drawing and consequently it’s the most basic component of figural
and many abstract artistic styles. Some of techniques, such as printmaking, are based on line, and some
of drawing types are defined by simple lines alone, such as croquis.

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Shape
Shape refers to area defined by edges – lines, which is two dimensional. It is often related to
simple geometric figures such as triangle, square, rectangle, circle or various polygons. At the
same time, it can emulate any of the outlines found in nature, depicting silhouettes of different
animals, objects, people or plants. Shape cannot exist without other basic elements of art. They
are also in charge of creating the subject matter, whether it is figurative or abstract art.
 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications

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Color
Without color, there would be no art. Color sets the atmosphere in a painting, it describes
emotions best, while styles such as Impressionism are based almost solely on color. Note the light
nuances of Monet’s piece and the vibrant colors of Van Gogh’s landscape.

Color is the direct consequence of reflection of light and one of the most important elements of
art. Color hues come in a scale, but there are three basic colors – blue, red and yellow. When
mixed, these three colors produce all other nuances of the spectrum. First characteristic of color
is therefore nuance or hue, defining the color, in terms we define as red, green, yellow, orange
and so on. Intensity is the next trait of this pictorial element, describing the clarity of the hue, in
the range from bright, deep and vivid to dull or pastel. Intensity often refers to saturation or its
 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications
purity. Value is the third characteristic of color, defining its lightness or darkness. Each hue comes
in a span of shades, tinted with white to become lighter or shaded with black to turn darker.

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Value
Value is the element of art responsible for the dramatic and emotional impression of an artwork,
right next to color. It refers to the lightness and darkness of a piece, regardless of its hue.
Sometimes named “tone”, value can be achieved by adding gray to the base – pure color. It’s
irreversibly connected to light, just like color, but its purpose is to depict an illusion of light.
Therefore, surfaces in a painting must be rendered in different values, even if the subject is all
the same nuance. Shading and tinting allow for the limitless transitions in surface rendering, and
when executed skillfully, they evoke the natural appearance of things. If you look at the
 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications
Vermeer’s masterpiece “Woman with a balance”, you will see how her skin and close appear
lighter or darker, depending of the way the ray of light falls on them. Corot’s landscape depicts a
green scenery, but as the light falls under various angles on the forest, grass and leaves appear
darker or lighter.

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Form
Form is referring to the three-dimensional figure depicted in a painting. It is defined by illusion
of volume achieved using shadows and perspective. Form as such is expected to have width,
height and depth, and as in painting it is only an optical illusion, in sculpture it is the most
important constituent. Forms, just as shapes, derive from geometry and can be cones, cubes,
balls and similar, or from the natural world. Organic forms define all figures found in nature, from
people, animals and plants, to other inorganic natural and irregular objects.
 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications

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Texture
Texture describes the tactile quality of the painted area, or the illusion of that quality. Therefore,
it can be tangible or painted – simulated, emulating what a real texture of a fabric, stone, wood,
skin may look like. In classical arts, simulated texture was used to depict fabrics, objects and
porcelain tan, but as the modernity progressed and new techniques were emerging, real, tactile
texture became more and more common. Texture provides richness, natural characteristic to the
artwork, and its absence can be a deliberate statement as well. It’s achieved by combining other
basic elements of art.
 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications

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Space
Space is the area surrounding or filling the artwork and the painted subject. Classical art has long
been devoted to creating an illusion of space, while modern art has managed to negate it in many
ways. Modernity brought about the idea of a positive and negative space. Positive space is the
space occupied by the subject, while negative space surrounds it.

In Renaissance, perspective was the key tool to achieving the illusion of profundity and space.
Note how Raffaello builds his interior with architectural plans along with the square tiled floor,
following the balanced rules of perspective. Manet’s masterpiece “A Bar at Folies-Bergere” is an
early modern, impressionist piece, which creates space through a mirror reflection, in juxtaposed
planes rather than in academic perspective.
 INTEG-2121 Integrating Elements and
Principles of the Different Arts and
Applications

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REFERENCES:
1. https://www.cuded.com/2014/06/7-elements-of-art/
2. https://learn.g2.com/elements-of-art - related readings