Principles and Elements of Art

Principles of Art
1. Balance- concerned with arranging elements
thus no one part of an artwork overpowers,
outweighs any other part. Balance is either
seen or felt by the viewer or audience.
 a. Formal
balance:
(symmetrical) It
balances the two
halves which are
mirror image.
 b. Informal
balance:
(asymmetrical)
balances two unlike
elements which
seem to carry equal
weight.
 c. Radial
balance:
when elements or
objects in an
artwork are
positioned around a
central or focal
point.
 2. Variety
concerned with
combining one or
more elements to
create interest or
enthusiasm by
adding some
dramatic changes.
3. Harmony
art of blending
elements to create a
calm, soothing and
restful appearance.
In music, harmony is
the arrangement of
2 or more melodies
sounding together at
the same time.
4. Emphasis
- the art of
making an
element in a
work stands
out.
 5.
Proportion
- concerned with the
relationship of one
part to another in
creating the whole.
Elements such as
color can be used in
differing proportions
to create emphasis.
 6.
Movement
used to create the
appearance and
feeling of action and
to guide a viewer’s
eye through the work
of art
 7. Rhythm
concerned with
repeating elements to
make an artwork
seem active and elicit
a sort of vibration.
 Unity in Art

Unity is the arrangement of elements

and principles with medium to create a
feeling of completeness or wholeness or
totality.
 Medium of Art
The word “medium” refers to the means by
which an artist communicates his idea.
It answer the question: What is it made of? In
architect, e.g., uses wood, stone, brick and
steel in erecting a building. We call those
material as medium.
 Classifications of Medium

a.Space arts(visual)-painting, sculpture, tapestry,

architecture, ceramics and glassware. They are
seen.
b.Time arts(auditory)-music and literature, they
are heard.
c. Combined arts- both auditory and visual like
theater and opera.
 The Elements of Art
A. Color-color relies on light. It is what the eyes see
when the light is reflected off an object.
Attribute of Color
1. Hue-by which one color is distinguished from another.
2. Value-which makes them see light or dark. (Tint and
shade)
3. Intensity-brightness or dullness of a hue.
 Color Scheme
1. Monochromatic: uses different values of a single
hue.
2. Analogous: uses colors that are side by side with
the color wheel and share a hue.
3. Warm or cool color scheme:
-red and orange colors are used to desun and its
warmth.
-blue and green such that of green grass.
 Ways of Using Color
1. Representational Use: The artist paints object based from reality
in hues approximating the colors that are present in ordinary
illumination and in the process manifesting color constancy in the
natural color of objects.
2. Impressionist Use: Rejects the use of painting or colors in the
traditional/local order, instead seeks to render nature or the
environment with a more sensitive perception of the effects of
changing conditions of lights on objects.
3. Decorative or Ornamental Use: relates to pattern and design
(e.g. carpets, textiles, wallpaper) in which colors appear as part and
parcel of the design components to further enhance rhythm and
sensuous appeal.
4. Personal Use: Artists use hues to express their
personal feelings and emotions together with their
spontaneous impulses, whims, and caprices. (e.g. a red
face projects a strong emotions)
5. Scientific Use: Using a standard and consistent
format of a colored square of a different hue.
6. Symbolic Use: the meanings of colors varies from one
culture to another and may also change from one period
to another.
 Characteristics of Color
1. Colors are either warm or cool.
2. Colors differ in intensity and vividness.
3. A color can be altered with the introduction of other colors.
4. Colors have definite psychological, emotional and symbolic
meanings.

Black: death, crisis, evil

White: peace, innocence, purity, righteousness
Blue: heaven, truth, masculinity, despair
Red: blood, love, hate, rebellion, passion, violence
Yellow: holiness, degradation, treason, deceit, compromise
Brown: spiritual death, social withdrawal
 B. Line
Line is found in all the arts. It is defined
as the path of a moving point through
space.
“Line is the simplest, the most primitive
and most universal means for creating
visual arts.” Dudley
 Kinds of Straight Lines
1. Horizontal Lines: associated with rest and quiet,
thus it also expresses repose, stability, tranquility
and contemplation. (landscape)
2. Vertical Lines: suggests strength, exaltation and
uplift.
3. Diagonal Lines: signifies energy, impulse, will
power, passion as well as emotion.
4. Curved Lines: suggests grace and movement,
life and energy; they are “never harsh or stern.”
 C. Shape
An element of art that refers to an area clearly set
off by one or more of the other elements of art.
Shapes are limited to two dimensions - length and
width.
Geometric shapes: made with a ruler or drawing
tool.
Organic shapes: alse called free form which are
not regular or even.
D. Form
Like shapes, forms have length and width. And has
a third dimension- depth.
E. Space
The distance between, around, above, below nd
within things or objects.
F. Texture
The tactile element or the use of the sense of touch
or the way things are perceived. It has something to
do with character of surfaces.