Elements and

principles of art
LEARNING OUTCOMES
LESSON 6
 Elements of art; Visual

Elements of art are Akin to the atoms that are defined

as the units “building blocks” of matter, together in a
variety of combinations and formations,they have the
ability to create molecules such as water ,or the more
complex sucrose.thes formalations are almost the same
with elements of art when they are joined together, in a
variey ways . In the same line of reasoning the
elements of art are the aspects of an artwork that ca be
isolated from each other.
To enumarate the elements of art design are the
following
:line,shape,and form,space,color, and texture.

 Line
its refers to a point moving at an identifiable path-it has
length and direction,has a one dimensional substantial
component of the composition,line is “simple ”it has a
variations in view of orientation/direction,shape and
thickness that contour figures of his work ,Keith haring first
executed the public mural “todos, juntos podemos parar el
sida ” (together we can stop aides)in barcelona.
Images of line
 Horizontal and vertical lines- horizontal lines are normally
associated with rest or calm,vertical lines canote elevation or hieght
,which is usually taken taken to mean exaltation or aspiration for
action.
 Diagonal and crooked lines- diagonal lines convey movement and
estability,crooked or jagged lines are reminiscent of violence,conflict,or
struggle.
 Curved lines-these are lines that bend or coil.they allude to
softness,grsce,flexibility,or even sensuality.
Figure 52. francisco de goya, (porque esconderlos)
Figure53.theodore gericault, “the raft of medusa”
2-3 Shape and form
shape refers to two dimensions height and width.while form refers
to three height and width,Depth.

Two categories
a. Geometric these shape find origin in mathematical propositions.
b. Organic- organic shape s are those readily occuring in nature
often irregular and asymmetrical.
Raphael`s famuos painting “The madonna of the meadows”
4. Space
related to shape and form is space. It is usually inferred from a
sense of depth,whether it is real stimulated.

AT&T plaza at the millennium park in the loop community area in

chicago,the iconic “cloud Gate”
Two dimensional artwork
 Positive and negative space
 Three dimensional space
5. Color – elements that enhances the appeal of an
artwork.allowing viewer to make responses based on
memory,emotion and instinct etc.colors begins with the notion of a
color theory that was first unraveled by experiments undertaken
by isaac newton in 1666.

A.Hue-this dimension to the first color gives its name

 Primary colors-red,yellow,and blue
 Secondary colors-green,orange,and violet
 Tertiary color-six in total, these hues are achieved when primary and
secondary colors are mixed
b. Value – this refers to the brightness or darkness of color.
Light colors- taken as source of the light in the composition.
Dark colors –the lack or even absence of light.

Color has a range of values based on the addition and diminishing

quantity and quality of light
 Tint
 Shade
C. Intensity- this is the color’s brightness or dullness.
 Bright or warm colors –positive energy
 Dull or cool colors- sedate/soothing,seriousness or calm
Art forms

Monochromatic Complementary
harmonies harmonies Analogous harmonies
The fiery and passionate reds of the clouds and the sky in edvard
,munch’s
“The scream”
6. Texture
can be either real or implied .this element in an artwork is
experienced through the sense of launch (and sights)

Portrait rendered by court painter frans pourbus the younger,princess margherita’s

garb
a. Textures in the two dimensional plane-can be implied using one technique or a
combination of other elements of art.
b. Surface texture- is an art object
Figure 64. school of ogata korin(japanese, (1658 – 1716).
“Common language”
Planes and perspective

With actual spaces ,such as sculptor,architects,and stages designers.that

hence perspective requires the emplementation of principles and
techniques in creating illusion that will fool the eye .
Picture plane is the actual surface of the painting or drawing ,where no
illusion of a third dimension exists during the renaissance ,specially in the
15th century, chiaroscuro was develop.aside rom this technique linear
perspective changed the way pictorial presentation credited to
renaissance artist, its early proponents include Leon Battista Alberti, Paolo
Uccello,and architect filippo Brunelleschi in the early fifteenth century that
published in alberti’s on painting in 1435.
An example often used to illustrate linear perspective is the railroad
where tracks disapper off at a distance.
There are three types of perspective, grounded on the number of
vanishing points used by the artist

a) One point perspective-often depicting roads.this type of perspective

shows parallel lines that to converge at specific and lone vanishing
point along the horizontal line
b) Two point perspective- pertains to a painting or drawing that make use
of two vanishing points.

Gustav caillebotte,”rue de paris,temps de pluie

 Three –point perspective- the viewer is looking at a scene from
above or below
 Elements of Art; auditory
Together with literature,music as an art form is classified as
auditory art.that is under the broad category of performance art .

Common elements of music are the following;

1. Rhythm- often associated to the terms beat,meter and tempo rhythm is
the element of music that situates it in time, it is the pulse of the music
classical terms are used to refer to the variations in tempo, some of which are;
 Largo-slowly and broadly
 Andante –walking pace
 Moderato-at moderate speed
 Allegro-fast
 Vivace-lively
 Accelerando-gradually speeding up
 Rallentado-gradually slowing down
 Allargando-getting slower broadening
 Rubato – literally “robbed time”, rhythm is played freely for expressive
effect
2. Dynamics
the element of music that refers to the loudness or quietness of
music is dynamics.classical terms are used to refer to the different
levels pertaining to this;

• Pianissimo [pp]- very quiet

• Piano [p]- quiet
• Mezzo –piano [mp]-moderately quiet
• Mezzo – forte [mf]- moderately loud
• Forte [f] –loud
• Fortissimo [ff]- very loud
3.Melody- refers to the linear presentation (horizontal) of
pitch.pitch is the highness or lowness of musical sound .

4. Harmony –if melody is horizontal ,harmony is vertical. It arises when

pitches are combined to form chords.
5. Timbre – timbre is often likened to the color of music . It is a quality
that distinguishes a voice or an instrument from another.
6. Texture
The number of melodies , the type of layers ,and their relatedness in a
composition is the texture of music; it may be:
o Monophonic – single melodic line
o Polyphonic-two or more melodic lines
o Homophonic – main melody accompanied by chords.
Principles of art
To reiterate, the appreciation and engagement of art relies
substantilly on being equipped with the appropiate language that
allows it to be more comprehensible.
These are principe art;
Balance,Scale,Proportion,Emphases,Contrast ,Unity,Variety,Harmony
,movement,rhythm,and repetition and pattern.
1. Balance-This principle refers to the distribution of the visual elements
in view of their placement in relation to each other.
There are three forms of balance:
a.symmetrical-the elements used on one side are reflected to the
other this offers the most stable visual sense to any artwork.

b.Asymmetrical – the elements are not the same (or of the same weight)
on each side, putting the heaviness on one side.
c.Radial – there is a central point in the composition, around which
elements and objects are distributed.
2. Scale and proportion
Scale pertains to the size in relation to what is normal for the
figure or objects in question.
Sculptures of exaggerate scale are common all over the world as
many artists are taken by the whimsical quality of these objects
.one cannot help but smile upon seeing them in public spaces . In
the philippines, arturo luz has created enormous sculptural
versions of paper clip,prominent spot at the entrance of the ayala
museum
 Leonardo da Vinci’s “vitruvian man” is an exploration on the ideas
of the roman architect Vitruvius,

Proportion can be:

A. Natural –relates to the realistic size of the visual elements in the artwork, especially for
figurative artworks.when it is to accuracy in relation to the real world that the artist is after
,this is now referred to as the principle of scale.

B. Exaggerated –refers to the unusual size relations of visual elements, deliberately

exaggerating the immensity or minuteness of an object.

C. Idealized- most common to those that follow canons of perfection, the size –relations of
elements or objects, which achieve the most ideal size- relations.
3-4 Emphasis and contrast
emphasis allows the attention of the attention of the viewer to a
local points(s),contrast is the disparity between the elements that
figure into the composition

5-6. Unity and Variety

Unless intended to be otherwise, compositions are intended to imbue a
sense of accord or completeness from the artwork,this is untiy
7.Harmony – like what is hinted above,unity and variety is related to the principle of harmony,in
which the elements or objects achieve a sense of flow and interconnectedness.
8. movement- this refers to the direction of the viewing eye as it goes through the artwork
these emphasized focal points can be lines, edges ,shape,and color within the work of art
9. Rhythm- this is created when an elements is repeated ,creating implied movement variety
repetition helps invigorate rhythm as depicted in the artwork.
10-11. Repetition and pattern
Lines,shapes,colors and other elements may appear in an artwork in a recurring manner in
addition,the image created out of repetition is called pattern.
Combine or Hybrid art

The elements and principles of art previously discussed, it is apparent that

art may be defined under strict lines that separate one art form or style to
another in a broad sense it is a easy to decipher visual arts from auditory
arts.
These combine arts forms are interesting specimens that can be studied to
understand what arts forms styles have been combined. And furthermore
what skills ,techniques ,or creative processes can be put together to
produce interesting and innovative compositions.in combined
,improvisation is often tapped in addition to practical and logical
considerations of creating an artwork such as art is theatrical performance
that taps into many art forms such as music , 2d and 3d art , literature
,lighting and set design
Lets7s wrap it up

In any art appreciation course ,the module or lesson on the elements and
principles of art are considered one of the most rudimentary stages in
easing the students into a meaningful experience with art, regardless of its
form .a familiarity with these building blocks of composition and formal
analysis will aid the viewer in his or her attempt to come into terms with
the intention of the artist.
Thank you listening