The Elements & Principles of Art(information taken from www.artlex.com, photos from www.artchive.com)

The Elements:The basic components used by the artist when producing works of ART. Those elements are COLOUR, VALUE, LINE, SHAPE, FORM, TEXTURE, and SPACE. (Hint: remember CFL and TVS)

COLOUR: An Element of art with three properties: (1) Hue or Tint (2) Intensity (3) Value

Hue - The name of any colour as found in its pure state in the spectrum or rainbow Chagall, MarcI and The Village 1911 Oil on canvas

Intensity: the purity and strength of a color, e.g., Bright red or dull red

Cezanne, PaulMont Sainte-Victoire 1885-1887 Oil on canvas

Value in colour: the lightness or darkness of a colour.Harris, Lawren Lighthouse, Father Point 1930 Oil on canvas

Value: An element of art that refers to luminance or luminosity the lightness or darkness of a colour. A value scale employing a smoothly nuanced gradation of values. Hiroshige, Ando Plum Estate, Kameido From "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" 1857 Woodblock print

Line - A mark with length and direction:An element of art which refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. Types of line include: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, straight or ruled, curved, bent, angular, thin, thick or wide, interrupted (dotted, dashed, broken, etc.), blurred or fuzzy, controlled, freehand, parallel, hatching, meandering, and spiraling. It may be two-dimensional (as with pencil on paper) three-dimensional (as with wire) or implied (the edge of a shape or form).

Van Gogh, VincentVillage Street and Stairs with Figures 1890 Oil on canvas How many types of line can you see in this painting?

Shape - is an enclosed space defined and determined by other art elements such as line, colour, value, and texture. In painting and drawing, shapes may take on the appearance of solid 3-D object even though they are limited to two dimensions length and width. This 2-D character of shape distinguishes it from form which has depth as well as length and width.

Mondrian, Piet Composition with Large Blue Plane,Red, Black, Yellow, and Gray 1921 Oil on canvas Klee, Paul Dream City 1921 Watercolor and oil

Form also refers to an element of art that is 3-D (height, width, and depth) and encloses volume. For example, a triangle, which is 2-D, is a shape, but a pyramid, which is three-dimensional, is a form. Cubes, spheres, ovoids, pyramids, cones, and cylinders are examples of various forms.

Greek Column with Ionic capital King Menkaure and a Queen Fourth Dynasty, reign of Menkaure Graywacke with faint remains of paint Height: 139 cm (54 3/4 in) Width: 57 cm (22 1/2 in) Depth: 54 cm (21 1/4 in)

Texture - An element of art, texture is the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be actual or simulated. Actual textures can be felt with the fingers, while simulated textures are suggested by an artist in the painting of different areas of a picture often in representing drapery, metals, rocks, hair, etc.

Oppenheim, MeretObject (Swiss, 1913-1985)http://www.moma.org/

Thomson, Tom The West Wind 1917 Oil on canvas

Space - refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things. It can be described as 2-D or 3-D; as flat, shallow, or deep; as open or closed; as positive or negative

Violet shapes occupy positive spaces, but a negative space between them forms a square. 3-D space represented on a 2-D surfaceGreen Stripe (Madame Matisse) 1905 Oil and tempera on canvas Piero della Francesca Montefeltro Altarpiece 1465 Oil on panel

Principles of art - Certain qualities inherent in the choice and arrangement of elements of art in the production of a work of art. Artists design" their works to varying degrees by controlling and ordering the elements of art.

In other words, the Principles are the blueprint artist uses to put the elements (building blocks) together

There are varying lists of what the principles are, but these are common:UnityVarietyRhythmEmphasis (Dominance)MovementBalanceProportion

(ok, to help remember I made up this ridiculous sentence:U V Rays Damage Mostly Blondes)

UnityThe quality of wholeness or oneness that is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of design. A totality that combines all of its parts into one complete, cohesive whole.

How has the artist created a sense of unity in this painting?Seurat, Georges A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte 1884-86 Oil on canvas

VarietyA principle of design that refers to a way of combining elements in involved ways to achieve intricate and complex relationships. Variety is often obtained through the use of diversity and change by artists who wish to increase the visual interest of their work. An artwork which makes use of many different hues, values, lines, textures, and shapes would reflect the artist's desire for variety.

In what ways does this painting represent variety?Matisse, HenriInterior with an Egyptian Curtain 1948 Oil on canvas

RhythmA visual tempo or beat. The principle of design that refers to a regular repetition of elements of art to produce the look and feel of movement. It is often achieved through the careful placement of repeated components which invite the viewer's eye to jump rapidly or glide smoothly from one to the next.

What elements contribute to a sense of rhythm in this sculpture?

Gaudi, AntonioPark GellAlchemic salamander1900-1914

Emphasis (Dominance)Any forcefulness that gives importance or weight to some feature or features of an artworkoften, emphasized elements are used to direct and focus attention on the most important parts of a composition its focal point.

What is the focal point of this piece? How is your eye drawn there?Kahlo, Frida Self-Portrait 1926 Oil on canvas

MovementThe arrangement of the parts of an image to create a sense of motion by using lines, shapes, forms, and textures that cause the eye to move over the work.

What elements create a sense of movement in this piece?Degas, Edgar Ecole de danse 1873 Oil on canvas

BalanceThe way the elements of art are arranged to create a feeling of stability in a work; a pleasing or harmonious arrangement or proportion of parts or areas in a design or composition.

Balance can be symmetrical, or formal; or it can be asymmetrical, or informal. It can also be radial.Can you tell which is which?Leonardo da Vinci The Last Supper after cleaning 1498 Tempera on plasterRose WindowNotre Dame Cathedral1345www.artlex.comJames Abbott McNeill WhistlerArrangement in Grey and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artists Mother1871, oil on canvaswww.artlex.com