Definition of the Elements of Artistic Expression in all the Arts

1. Space

– Refers to its visual/pictorial (illusionary/ plastic) depiction or physical

(sculptural/ architectural) use. Physical space includes relief and in the round work.
Visual space can refer to an amount within a composition (i.e. crowded or empty) or
the depiction of depth (i.e. shallow, endless). It can be decorative (flattened) through
to deep plastic. Space can be created visually by simple overlapping or chiaroscuro,
or through more complex techniques such as atmospheric or geometric perspective.
Terms such as foreground, middle ground, background, or interpenetration are
useful terms for discussing space. Techniques include foreshortening, multipoint
perspective or amplified perspective.
2. Line

Line is defined as a point moving in space where its length is greater than its
width, the path traced by a moving point. Lines can be two or three dimensional,
implied or abstract. Different types of lines include continuous, broken, jagged,
vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. In mathematics, a line has no width, but in art, lines
can be thin, thick, rough or smooth. Lines can convey tremendous emotion, from
aggressive zigzags or tranquil waves to nauseating spirals. Artists can convey
confidence in bold lines, or precision with straight lines. Lines are the foundation of
drawing.

3. Movement
Movement is used to create the look and feeling of action in an artwork. It
guides the viewer’s eye throughout a piece. A sense of movement can be varied
lines, repetition of elements, and gestural mark-making among many more. It can be
still, anticipated, kinetic, due to kinetic empathy, suggested by motion blur. Pattern,
the arrangement of recurring figures/motifs and modules (3D form), can create
movement.
4. Texture

Texture comes from the latin word texo, meaning 'to weave' and refers to the
qualities of a material surface. Texture may be seen and felt in dimensional objects,
such as canvas or a marble sculpture, and two-dimensional objects can create the
illusion of texture, like a photograph of a rough wooden surface. Texture can be
evocative — smooth objects can feel refined, and rough surfaces may create a gritty,
aggressive appearance.

5. Sound
Sound is an audible material in art that can be made electronically or
naturally and might be recorded and reproduced. Sound can be heard as noise,
words or music and is usually found in contemporary art, such as videos. It may be a
component of installations or multimedia or interactive works. Terms used to
describe the use of sound might include: loud, soft, harsh, discordant, melodic,
natural, artificial, vocalised, sonorous, high or low pitched,
6. Silence
It is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such
low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having
ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the cessation
or absence of any form of communication, whether through speech or other
medium. As an example, brief silences are used to mark the boundaries of prosodic
units, in turn-taking, or as reactive tokens, e.g., as a sign of displeasure,
disagreement, embarrassment, desire to think, confusion, and the like.
7. Rhythm
This principle of art describes the movement in or of an artwork. Rhythm is
created by the variety and repetition of elements in a work of art that come together
to create a visual tempo or beat. Rhythm in music is the organization of space-
time B a measured movement of sounds. Rhythm in painting, is a measured
organization of space. Also, one might see and feel, how interval manipulation can
mimic the allegro (fast), andante (moderate), and adagio (slow) rhythms of music.
 For example, closely spaced lines and shapes (crowding) might suggest a rapid pace
as those widely spaced would suggest the opposite.
8. Form
Form is the real or perceved dimensionality of a shape, expressing length,
width, and depth. Spheres, cubes, pyramids are three-dimensional forms, and some
of the fundamental building blocks for expression in art. Form can also describe the
structure of a work of art. The composition of a painting or the chapters of a book.
Form can be used to talk about the arrangement of formal elements that present the
whole. For painters and draftsmen, form is the element of art that renders a three-
dimensional form in two dimensions. In a lot of ways it is the heart of an art object
— the form itself. It can enclose a volume and includes height, width and depth. A
cube, a sphere, a cylinder and a pyramid are all different forms. Forms can also be
formless — abstracted and free-flowing.

Princess Rhianna P. Saenz

Painting and drawing

Sculpting

Needle work

Drama

Music

Dance

Creative writing

Photography