Elements of Art

- The elements of art are the basic building blocks or “vocabulary” of art.

- They are organized according to the principles of design.

- You cannot create a work of art without using at least a few of them.

Elements of Art

The elements are… Line Shape Form Value Color Space Texture

Elements of Art

When we talk about how the elements are arranged in a particular work of art, we are talking about its composition.

Usually when we are talking about composition, we are not too concerned with the subject or story behind the work of art. We are thinking only about how it is arranged.

Composition

Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa, 1818-1819. Oil on canvas.

Shape

A shape is a contained area. They can be separated from the rest of the composition by a line, color, texture, or value.

Shapes

Geometric shapes have straight or curved lines and tend to progress regularly according to mathematical laws. Basically, geometric shapes are the shapes that have names.

Shapes

Organic shapes are those that are derived from natural forms. They are usually irregular shapes that don’t have names other than the form they copy (cloud, for example).

Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2003. Styrofoam cups and hot glue.

Shapes

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930. Oil on canvas.

Shapes

Henri Matisse, The Flowing Hair (La Chevelure), 1952. Gouache on cut and pasted paper.

Shapes

Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao , Spain, 1997.

Shapes

David Smith,Cubi XVIII, 1964. Polished stainless steel.

Shapes

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Apparition, 1959. Oil on masonite.

Shapes

Wasily Kandinsky, Composition VIII, 1923.Oil on canvas.

Shapes

Henri Matisse, Piano Lesson, 1916. Oil on canvas.

Shapes

Dale Chihuly, Desert Wildflower Towers, Glass. Phoenix, Arizona.

Shapes

Victor Vasarely, Blue / Red, 1983, silkscreen.

Shapes

Ida Kohlmeyer, Circus Series 83-9,1983. Mixed media on canvas.

Shape versus Form

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930. Oil on canvas.

Gerrit Rietveldt, Schroeder House, Utrecht, 1924.

Shape versus Form

We can represent three-dimensional forms as two-dimensional shapes.

Ellsworth Kelly, Apples, 1949. Watercolor and pencil on paper.

Shape

A contour drawing defines the shape of an object using line.

Ellsworth Kelly,Briar, 1961. Pencil on paper.

Positive Shape/Negative Space

A positive shape is usually a solid or clearly defined shape, usually in the foreground. Negative space or shape refers to the open or void surrounding positive shapes (background).

Positive Shape/Negative Space

A positive shape is usually a solid or clearly defined shape, usually in the foreground. Negative space or shape refers to the open or void surrounding positive shapes (background).

Positive Shape/Negative Space

Positive/Negative Shape

Positive Shape/Negative Space

Compositions are usually most interesting when positive shape and negative space are integrated together.

Shapes

Sometimes the relationship positive shapes and negative space can be blurred.

Shape

M.C. Escher, Day and Night, 1938. Woodcut print.

Shape

Salvador Dali,Slave Market with Disappearing Bust of Voltaire,1940. Oil on canvas.

Shape

When we are drawing, objects can be broken down into simple shapes.

Pablo Picasso often broken down complex forms into simple shapes and lines.

When drawing, we can think about an “alphabet” of shape. Any shape you try to draw can be broken down into these simple shapes and lines.