Elements of ArtLittle things that make the difference

The Elements of Art :

Line

Shape

Form/shape

Space

Value

Texture

Color

Time and Motion (unofficially)

Line

Line is mathematically defined as a moving point or a series of points.As you can see there is a “gestural” type of line as seen in the gesture drawing on the left ( so named for capturing the gesture of the pose with a few gestures of the hand on the paper. The drawing on the right is probably a designer’s drawing for seating for a plane or train. The line is clean and clear.

Implied Line

Implied line means that a number of shapes or forms are in close enough proximity to each other that our eye and our brain see the suggestion of a line. On the left the artist Andy Goldsworthy as created a meandering stone wall that ends in the water. The line of people is obvious- we even use the word line to describe what we are seeing.

Shape

Painter, Elizabeth Murray, made paintings out of separate shaped canvases. So a number of shapes come together to make a whole painting.

Painter Chuck Close, who has limited use of his hands, uses shapes of color ( see them in progress at the bottom) to develop photorealistic paintings.

Form – Three dimensional

shape

These are both examples of form. The Ancient Egyptian King and Queen are a sculpture made of stone. They exist in real space. Glass artist Dale Chihuly has made a wall of blown glass forms that occupy space with interesting forms.

Texture- the actual feel of

the surface of an artwork

Jeff Koons dog is covered with live flowering plants . This probably gives it a soft, bumpy, texture.

Anish Kapoor’s sculpture has a glass- like mirror smooth texture.-

Visual Texture appears to be bumpy or

smooth or soft, etc but is in fact smooth

when touched.

The photograph of cactus is in fact smooth when touched but the image has a prickly visual texture.

Vincent Van Goghs painting shows a very wavy textured surface but it is smoother than it appears to be.

Value - light and dark

aspects of color, shadows,

bright light, etc

Part of a drawing by artist Kehinde Wiley shows shades of gray. This is actually referred to as a black and white drawing.

This painting by French Impressionist painter , Claude Monet, shows different values of colors. Look at how many shades of green there are.

Color !!- unlimited palette

Color – limited palette

Space