THE ELEMENTS OF ART The Elements are the “WHAT” in a work of art;

THE ELEMENTS OF ART The Elements are the “WHAT” in a work of art; the Principles are “HOW” they’re used LINE SHAPE FORM SPACE COLOR VALUE TEXTURE

LINE Line is used to define space, contours, and outlines.

Line may be • descriptive • outline • contour • single • hatching • implied • edges • closure • lines of sight • expressive • abstract • line personalities • shape • movement • direction

LINE may… DESCRIBE Hair or Body contours IMPLY Line of sight Line between shadow and light

LINE may Express emotion or mood, movement or direction

THE ELEMENTS OF ART The Elements are the “WHAT” in a work of art; the Principles are “HOW” they’re used LINE SHAPE FORM SPACE COLOR VALUE TEXURE

SHAPE Shape is an enclosed space defined by other art elements such as line, color, and texture.

Shape is 2-D (two-dimensional); shape has height and width Shape is FLAT

Shape Brains can ‘see’ shape through a “suggestion”. For example, four dots arranged like this suggest a square. This is called closure. . . . .

Shape can be geometric or organic(freeform).

Shape can also be positive or negative. [postive = figure and negative = ground]. If you see a vase below, then the vase is positive and the faces are negative. Conversely, if you see two faces, the faces are positive and the vase is negative.

FORM Form has three-dimensions (height, width, and depth) Form is actually three dimensional or creates an illusion of 3-D(on a flat surface, but LOOKS 3-D)

The Treachery of Images (“This is Not a Pipe”), 1928-9 Rene Magritte This might LOOK like a pipe—something three dimensional—but it’s really paint on a flat surface: the pipe is an illusion of form!

Form corresponds with shape, with the additonal dimension of depth: Shape Circle Square Triangle Rectangle Form Sphere Cube Cone Cylinder

SPACE Space is the area between, around, above, below, or within objects. Shapes and forms—positivespace—are defined by the areas—negativespace—around and within them.

In sculpture,positive spaceis the object andnegative spaceis everything else! In painting,positive spaceis the object andnegative spaceis everything else!

Space Use space effectively: Balance positive and negative space! Think about the EFFECT of leaving ‘empty’ space, crowded space, or objects that point ‘out of the picture’.

COLOR Color is a property of light:when white light strikes a red apple, for example, the apple looks red because it absorbs every color of light except red! When light is totally absorbed by the object, it looks black. When light reflects off of an object, we see its form.

The color system that you are probably familiar with depends on the seven colors of the rainbow, or spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. This is a TRADITIONAL color system used for painting, etc.

On this TRADITIONAL color wheel, the primary colors that all other colors are made from are red, yellow, and blue.

Colors in other color systems use different primary colors. Monitors (computers,TVs, LCD projectors, etc.) use an RGB color system, where the primary colors are red, green, and blue. Printing uses the CMYK color system where the primary colors are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity (or saturation).

HUE is the name of the color, for example, BLUE

VALUEis the amount of light or the range of lightness or darkness of the color. • Lighter color values are called tints; darker color values are called tones or shades.

INTENSITY refers to the brightness or dullness of a color. Intensity is also called SATURATION. • If you add a color’s complement to it, the color’s intensity is reduced, making it duller.

Color also has EXPRESSIVEQUALITIES. Color can create mood and communicate feelings. What do you feel when you look at an artwork that uses only cool colors, like Picasso’s The Old Guitarist . . .

. . . or van Gogh’s Sunflowers, which uses warm colors?

Do you get a different feeling or idea from these two mixed media artworks by Peter Max? How do the color choices affect you?

VALUE Value is the amount of light. It is the range of lights and darks, from black to white and every gray in between.

A value scale can be shown as • steps of dark to light • or • gradation, a gradual change from dark to light.

The amount of light (or value) allows us to see. ?

Using lighter or darker values to make something look three-dimensional is called shading, or chiaroscuro. Photograph by Edward Weston

Value contrast is created by light against dark.

TEXTURE Texture is the surface quality of something, either actual (felt) or implied (visual). *Another term for an implied texture is simulated : something that is made to look like it would actually feel.

Surfaces can BE rough, smooth, sharp, bumpy, etc. or they can LOOK like they are rough, smooth, sharp, bumpy, etc.

Can you name each of the ELEMENTS OF ART? LINE SHAPE FORM SPACE COLOR VALUE TEXTURE

ELEMENTS OF ART summary • Line is varied & descriptive, expressive, or implied • Shape is flat & positive, negative, organic, or geometric • Form is 3-D (height, width & depth) or has the illusion of depth • Space is positive or negative – an illusion of space can be created using perspective • Color is caused by light – all colors are mixed from primary colors RYB (traditional), RGB (monitors), CMYK (printers); Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity. • Value is the amount of light – the lightness or darkness of a color or neutral • Texture is the surface quality of something – the way it feels or looks like it feels

THE ELEMENTS OF ART The Elements are the “WHAT” in a work of art;