LESSON 6

ELEMENTS AND
PRINCIPLES OF ART
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

by the end of List and describe the Identify the elements Examine the impact
components and and principles of arts of the arts’
this lesson, we guiding principles of fundamental elements
should be able arts and principles
to:
 ELEMENTS OF ART

IT IS THE VISUAL STYLISTIC FEATURES A COMPONENTS OR

TOOLS THAT THE THAT ARE INCLUDED PARTS OF A WORK OF
ARTIST USES TO WITHIN AN ART PIECE ART THAT CAN BE
CREATE A TO HELP THE ARTIST ISOLATED AND
COMPOSITION. COMMUNICATE. DEFINED.
 7 ELEMENTS OF ART

LINE SHAPE SPACE VALUE FORM TEXTUR COLOR

E
 LINE
 An element of art defined by a
point moving in space.
 Primarily a dot or series of
dots.
 Can also be implied as in an
action of the hand pointing up,
the viewers eyes continues
upwards without even a real
line.
 LINE CAN BE: VERTICAL, HORIZONTAL,
CURVED AND DIAGONAL

Vertical lines - communicate a sense of height Horizontal lines suggest a feeling of rest or
response.
Horizontal Lines – suggest a feeling of rest or repose.

Curved Lines – are lines that bend and change direction gradually.

Diagonal Lines – convey a feeling of movement. Objects in a diagonal position are unstable
LINE
 Can have many meanings. The shape is
defined as having some sort of outline or
boundary, whether the shape is two or more
dimensional.

A flat area surrounded by edges or an

SHAPE outline.

Help to create complex drawings and

paintings, affect the composition, and
contribute to the balance within a work.
Two categories of shapes: SHAPES ARE
1. Geometric shapes AREAS OF
squares.
– are mathematical, like circles and ENCLOSED
2. Organic Shapes SPACE THAT ARE
– comes from nature like clouds, leaves, TWO-
and the like
DIMENSIONAL.
 SHAPE

FRANCIS CAMPBELL
BOILEAU CADELL (1883 -
1937)
The Blue fan, 1922(oil on canvas)
 Is the area around the focal point of the art
piece and might be positive or negative,
shallow or deep, open or closed.

An element of art by which positive and

negative areas are defined or a sense of depth
SPACE achieved in a work of art.

It is a work of art refers to a feeling of depth

or three dimensions.
SPACE
•The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo
•1508–1512
 VALUE
 Refers to how adding black or white to color
changes the shade of the original color.
 Defines how light or dark a given color or
hue can be.
 Values are best understood when visualized
as a scale or gradient, from dark to light.
VALUE
 Gives shape to a piece of art.

Can be two-dimensional, three-

dimensional restricted to height and
FORM weight, or it can be free-flowing.

The expressions of all the formal

elements of art in a piece of work.
FORM
 TEXTURE
 An element of art that refers
to the way things feel, or look
as if they might feel it
touched.
 Can be rough or smooth to the
touch, imitating a particular
feel or sensation.
TEXTURE
COLOR

 An element of art
derived from reflected
light. We see color
because light waves are
reflected from objects
to your eyes. It Is the
visual perception seen by
the human eye.

 It is an element of art
that made up of three
properties: hue, value,
and intensity.
COLOR
 Are essentially a set of criteria that are used to
explain how the visual elements are arranged
in a work of art.

Represent how the artist uses the elements of

PRINCIPLE OF art to create an effect and to help convey the
ARTS artist’s intent.

Allow us to place some kind of objective

reasoning behind why a great painting is
great.
 RHYTHM
BALANCE
EMPHASIS
8 PRINCIPLES PROPORTION
OF ART PATTERN
UNITY
VARIETY
MOVEMENT
Leonard Bernstein, LSO - Mahler_ Symphony
No. 2 in C Minor _Resurrection_, V. Finale (E
(Excerpt)
RHYTHM
• Indicates movement,
created by the Careful
placement of repeated
elements in a work of
art to cause a visual
tempo or beat.
• It refers to the
movement within a piece
of art that helps the eye
travel through the point
of focus.
RHYTHM
Georges Seurat, Sketch for
Cabaret, 1890
 BALANCE

• The balance in a piece of art refers to the

distribution of weight or the apparent weight of
the piece.

• A way of combining elements to add a feeling of

equilibrium or stability to a work of art.
 TYPES OF BALANCE
• SYMMETRICAL BALANCE
– when one image is mirrored on the other side to
repeat itself.
• ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE
– When different types of elements create a visual
balance.
• RADIAL BALANCE
– The distribution of elements around a central point in
all directions.
SYMMETRICAL
BALANCE
•The Last Supper (1495-1498)
•By Leonardo da Vinci
 ASYMMETRICAL
BALANCE
The Starry Night (1889) by
Vincent Van Gogh
RADIAL BALANCE
Charge of Charles II in the Boscobel Oak(c. 1685)
EMPHASIS
A way of combining
elements to stress the
differences between
those elements.
It is the part of the
design that catches
the viewer’s attention
to a particular area or
object.
EMPHASIS
 PROPORTION
 A principle of design that refers to the
relationship of certain elements to the
whole and to each other.
 Artist can also use scale and proportion to
exaggerate people or landscapes to their
advantage.
 One of the principle of art and design that
organizes and arranges their structural
elements, together with balance, unity,
rhythm, and emphasis.
PROPORTION
Michelangelo(1475-1564)- “The
Last Judgement” 1525-1541
 Is the way something is organized and
repeated in its shape or form and can flow
without much structure in some random
repetition.

PATTERN
The uniform repetition of any of the
elements of art or any combination.
 PATTERN
William Morris (1834-1896)
Pencil and Watercolor Sketch for
Acanthus Wallpaper Pattern, 1874-
1875
 Unity conveys a sense of completeness,
pleasure when viewing the art, and
cohesiveness to the art and how the patterns
work together brings unity to the picture or
object.

UNITY
In an artwork unity creates a sense of harmony
and wholeness by using similar elements and
placing them in a way that creates a feeling of
“oneness”.
 UNITY
A Sunday Afternoon on
the Island of La Grande
Jatte(1886) by Georges
Seurat
 A principle of art that adds interest to an
artwork. Variety works through
juxtaposition and contrast.

Variety should provoke changes and

awareness in the art piece.
VARIETY
Concerned with the diversity or contrast.
VARIETY
Tom Thomson, Opulent
October, winter, 1915
 A principle of art used to
create the look and
feeling of action and to
guide the viewer’s eye
throughout the work of
art.

MOVEMENT Artist use the

principle of
movement to lead the
viewer’s eyes
throughout the work.
MOVEMENT
•Edgar Degas, The Rehearsal Onstage, 1874
 ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ART
What are the differences between the two?
 The elements of design can be thought
of as the things that make up an
artwork(the ingredients).
 The principles of design are ways to
organize the elements of design.
 How we apply the principles of design
determines how successful we are in
creating a work of art.