Elements of art

The elements of art are a commonly used group of aspects of a work of art used in teaching and analysis, in combination with the principles of art, objects placed at a distances are rendered with less details, clarity, and intensity than the closer ones. Three-dimensional space work is created with the help of shading, which gives it a feeling of depth. Space can also be created by overlapping objects

Texture

The texture is the quality of a surface or the way any work of art is represented. Lines and shading can be used to create different textures as well. For example, if one is portraying certain fabrics, one needs to give the feeling of the right texture so that it closely resembles what the artist is trying to convey.

Form

Form may be created by the forming of two or more shapes or as three-dimensional shape (cube, ballsack, sphere, etc.). It may be enhanced by tone, texture and colour. Form is considered three-dimensional showing height, width and depth. Examples of these are sculpture, theatre play and figurines

Space

Space is the area provided for a particular purpose. It may have two dimensions (length and width), such as a floor, or it may have three dimensions (length, width, and height). Space includes the background, foreground and middle ground. Space refers to the distances or areas around, between or within components of a piece. There are two types of space: positive and negative space. Positive space refers to the space of a shape representing the subject matter. Negative space refers to the space around and between the subject matter.

Line

Line is most easily defined as a mark that spans a distance between two points (or the path of a moving point), taking any form along the way. As an art element, line pertains to the use of various marks, outlines and implied lines in artwork and design, most often used to define shape in two-dimensional work. Implied line is the path that the viewer's eye takes as it follows shapes, colours, and form along a path, but may not be continuous or physically connected, such as the line created by a dancer's arms, torso, and legs when performing an arabesque.

Shape

Shape pertains to the use of areas in two dimensional space that can be defined by edges, setting one flat specific space apart from another. Shapes can be geometric (e.g.: square, circle, triangle, hexagon, etc.) or organic (such as the shape of a puddle, blob, leaf, boomerang, etc.) in nature. Shapes are defined by other elements of art: Space, Line, Texture, Value, Color, Form.

Color

Color pertains to the use of hue in artwork and design. Defined as primary colors (red, yellow, blue) which cannot be mixed in pigment from other hues, secondary colors (green, orange, purple) which are directly mixed from combinations of primary colors. Further combinations of primary and secondary colors create tertiary (and more) hues. Tint and Shade are references to adding variations in Value; other tertiary colors are derived by mixing either a primary or secondary color with a neutral color. e.g. Red + White = Pink.

Value

Value, or tone, refers to the use of light and dark, shade and highlight, in an artwork. Black-and-white photography depends entirely on value to define its subjects. Value is directly related to contrast.

References

• The elements of art