The Language

of Art
Elements and Principles
Objectives
Af ter the lesson, the learners will be able
to:

1. Defi ne and recognize the elements of

ar t.

2. Make an abstract design, experimenting

with the elements of ar t.
Words You Will Learn

Balance

Color

Emphasis

Form

Harmony

Line

Movement
ARTISTS YOU WILL MEET

Marc Chagall

Charles Demuth

William Harnett
The elements of
art
Introduction

Art is a powerful language. Through it, artists communicate

thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Like most languages, the language
of art has its own special vocabulary. Unlike other vocabularies,
however, the vocabulary of art is not made up of words. Rather,
it is made up of visual elements. The visual elements include
color, shape, form, space, and texture.
A. COLOR

 Have you ever noticed it is harder to see colors

when the light is dim?

 Color relies on light.

 In fact, color is what the eyes see when light is

refl ected off an object.
Color has three
properties, or traits.
These are:

1. Hue – is the name of a color, such

as red, blue, or yellow. Hues are
arranged in a circular format on a
color wheel. Red, yellow, and blue
are the primary hues. They are
equally spaced on the color wheel.
Figure 1-1 Color Wheel
(See Figure 1-1.)
 Color has three
properties, or
traits. These are:

2 . Va l ue – i s th e l ig h tn ess or
d ar k nes s of a h ue . The val ue
of a h ue c an be c ha ng e d b y
a dd ing whi te or bla c k. C an
you poi nt out di ff e re nt val ue s
of a ny on e col or i n the pi ct ur e
i n Fig ure 1 - 2
Figure 1-2

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

Color has three
properties, or traits.
These are:

3. Intensity – is the brightness or

dullness of a hue. Pure hues are high
intensity colors. Dull hues are low
intensity colors. Which objects in
Figure 1-2 would you describe as low
in intensity?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Colors can be combined to
produce many interesting and
striking results. Artists make
use of diff erent types of color
schemes to create diff erent
eff ects.

Figure 1-1 Color Wheel

Following are some of the color schemes that
trained artists use:

1. Mo nochromatic (m ahn -u h-kr oh- mat-ik) color s cheme. Th is sc heme

u ses diff erent values of a single h ue. For exam ple, dark green ,
m edi um green , a nd ligh t green ma ke a monoch rom atic sch eme.

2. Analo go us (uh -nal-uh -gu s) colo r scheme . This sch eme uses colors
t hat a re side by s ide on the color wheel in Figur e 1-1. Wha t colors
s ha re the hue red?

3. Warm or c ool color sc heme. Warm c olor sc hemes – with red, yellow,
a nd orang e colors – remin d us of the sun an d warmt h. Ar tists u se
b lu e, green, a nd violet – c ool color s chemes – to make u s thin k of
c ool i tems suc h a s ice or grass .
B. LINE

 An element of art that can be used to send diff erent messages

to viewers is a line.

 Line is defi ned as the path of moving point through space.

 You can draw lines on paper or scratch a line in wet clay with
a tool.

 Lines can be seen in your environment, such as the web of

spider or the railing on a stair.
There are five main kinds of lines:

1. Horizontal Lines, which run parallel to the ground, appear to be

at rest.

2. Vertical Lines, lines that run up and down – seem to show

dignity, formality, and strength.

3. Diagonal, or slanting, lines signal action and excitement.

4. Zigzag Lines, which are made from combined diagonal lines, can
create a feeling of confusion or suggest action.

5. Curved Lines express movement in a graceful, fl owing way.

 Figure 1-3.
color, line, and shape are
successfully combined to create the
appearance of a three-dimensional
form.

Why do you think Chagall has shown

the violinist fl oating?

Marc Chagall. Green Violinist . 1923-1924. Oil on canvas.

198 x 108.6 cm (78 x 42Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum, New York, New York. Gif t of Solomon R.
Guggenheim.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
Figure 1-2.
Notice how Harnett has
captured a realistic scene
using the elements of space,
form, and texture.

Would he have been as

successful in showing depth
if he had painted a lighter
background?

Wi l li am Mi chael Harnett. Munich S till

life. 1882. Oi l on canvas.
62.5x76.8cm( 2430n). Dal l as Museum
of Ar t, Dal las, Tex as.
Look again at Figure 1-2.

1. How many different lines

can you find?
2. In what directions do
these lines go?
In art, line quality and line
variation influence the viewer’s
reaction to a work of art.
 SHAPE AND FORM

Every object – a cloud, a house, a pebble –

has a shape.
C. SHAPE

 Is 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.

 All shapes belong to one of two classes:

1. Geometric
2. Organic
2 Classes of Shapes

1. Geometric ( jee-uh- meh-trik).

Look as though they were made with a ruler or drawing tool.

0
(5 basic geometric shapes)
2 Classes of Shapes

2. Organic.

a. also called free-form

b. Not regular or even

c. Their outlines maybe cur ved or angular, or

d. They may be a combination of both, to make free-form shapes.

e. Organic shapes, such as cloud and pebbles, are usually found in

nature.
 Figure 1-3.
color, line, and shape are
successfully combined to create the
appearance of a three-dimensional
form.

Can you fi nd any organic shapes in

Figure 1-3?

Marc Chagall. Green Violinist . 1923-1924. Oil on canvas.

198 x 108.6 cm (78 x 42Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum, New York, New York. Gif t of Solomon R.
Guggenheim.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
D. FORM

 Like shapes, forms have length and width.

 Forms also have a third dimension, depth.

 Form is an element of art that refers to an object with three

dimensions.

 With the forms found in works of art, such as sculpture and

architecture, you can actually experience the three dimensions
by walking around or into the works.
E. SPACE

 All objects take up space.

 Space is an element of art that refers to the distance

between , around, above, below, and within things.

 In both two-and three-dimensional works of art, the shapes or

forms are called the positive area.

 The empty spaces between the shapes are called negative

spaces.
E. SPACE

The relationship between the positive

and negative space will affect how
the artwork is interpreted.
Space

Which objects in Figure 1-3 appear

closest to you?
Which seem to be farther back in
space?
F. Texture

Run your fi nger over the top of your desk or

worktable. You are feeling the surface’s texture.

 Texture is an element of art that refers to the

way things feel, or look as though they might
feel, if touched.
 Figure 1-2.
Notice how Harnett has
captured a realistic scene
using the elements of
space, form, and texture.

Imagine you could touch

the objects in the picture.
Which of them do you
think would feel smooth?
Do any look rough or
uneven?
W i l l i a m M i c h a e l H a r n e t t . M u n i c h S t i l l l i f e . 1 8 8 2 . O i l o n c a n v a s . 6 2 . 5 x 7 6 . 8 c m ( 2 4 3 0 n ) . D a l l a s M u s e u m o f A r t , D a l l a s , Te x a s .
Let’s check your understanding