Space

An element of art and design

 Space is an area or distance between,
around or within an item.

Positive space is the space filled

by the main item in a work of
art. The apple in this image
shows positive space.

Negative space is made up of

the spaces around the positive
space. The white area around the
apple shows negative space.
 Artists use a lot of tricks
to create the “illusion” of
space on an artwork.
Color, overlapping, size
and perspective together
give dimension to an
artwork.

-Artists use SIZE to create space

and dimension. By using size and
proportion artists can create the
illusion of depth.

-Proportion is the relationship of

size from one object to another.
Andrew Wyeth (American, 1917-2009). Christina's World, 1948.
Alonsa Guevara, Moon behind the river,
oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches, 2019.
Defining & Identifying
Layers of Depth
 WHAT ARE
LAYERS OF
DEPTH?

What are they used for?

Artists show
space and
depth in
many ways.
One way to show
space is to overlap
parts of an artwork to
create foreground,
middle ground &
background.
 The background
shows items that are
in the back of an
artwork

-In a painting, objects

appear closer or further
away depending on size,
those objects that are
smaller seem to be farther
away.

The objects that appear in

the background are also
duller in color.
The middle ground
shows items that are
in the middle of an
artwork.
 The foreground
shows items that are
in front of an
artwork

The objects that are larger

seem to be closer and
contain more detail.
FOREGROUND

MIDDLEGROU
ND

BACKGROUN
D
Identify
middleground

-Select a shape
Identify background

-Select a shape