Elements of art are akin to the atoms

that are defined as the units or

“building blocks” of matter.
 Elements of art and design
Line
Shape
Form
Space
Color
Texture
1. LINE
• Point moving at an identifiable path.
• It has length and direction.
• It has also width.
• It is one-dimensional, however, it has the
capacity to either define the perimeters of
the artwork (edges) and become a
substantial component of the composition.
 Keith Haring
• He is known for using lines to provide the
outline or contour of the figures that he
portrays in his work.
• Keith Haring first executed the public
mural “Todos juntos podemos parar el
sida” (Together We Can Stop AIDS) in
Barcelone in 1989.
• In 2014, it was recreated at the foyer of
the Museu d’Art Contemporani de
Barcelona (Barcelona of Contemporary
Art) to commemorate it.
• Haring battled with HIV/AIDS to which he
succumbed to in 1990.
Keith Haring “Todos juntos podemos parar el sida” (Together We Can Stop AIDS).
 A quality that is ascribed to lines is its ability to direct
the eyes to follow movement or provide hints as to a
work’s focal point.
a. Horizontal and vertical lines
• Horizontal lines - are normally associated with rest and calm.

• Vertical lines - connote elevation or height.

b. Diagonal and crooked lines

• Diagonal lines - convey movement and instability.
• Crooked or Jagged lines - are reminiscent of violence, conflict,
or struggle.

c. Curved Lines
• Curved Lines – bend or coil. They allude to softness, grace
flexibility, or even sensuality.
 Francisco de Goya

• One of the most important Spanish artists, known for his prints.
• He is a master of etched works and use of aquatint.
Print of Francisco de Goya

“Porque Esconderlos?’’
(Why Hide Them?)
1797-1799
Theodore gericault

• a dandy and an avid

horseman whose dramatic
paintings reflect his flamboyant
and passionate personality.

• best known for his paintings,

prints, and drawings
 Print of Theodore Gericault

“The Raft of Medusa”

1816
2-3. Shape and Form
These two are related to each other in a sense that they define
the space occupied by the object of art.

Shape (2D) - refers to two dimensions: height and width.

Form (3D) - refers to three dimensions: height, width, and depth.
 Two categories can be used as a broad distinction:
a. Geometric Shape - these shapes find origin in mathematical
prepositions. As such, its translation and
use are often man-made. These include
shapes such as squares, triangles, cubes,
circles, spheres and cones among
others.
geometric

Piet Mondrian, “Composition with Color Planes and Gray Lines 1” (1918).
Organic
shape

Louis Comfort Tiffany (designer), Tiffany Furnaces (maker), Gift of Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, 1951.
Raphael, “The Madonna of the Meadows” (1505)

• Shapes may also be implied. For

instance, Raphael's famous painting
"The Madonna of the Meadows"
depicts three figures: Mary, the
young Jesus (right) and the young
John the Baptist (left).
4. SPACE
• It is usually inferred from a sense of depth, whether it is
real or stimulated.
• Real space is three-dimensional.
• Sculptures are a perfect example of artworks that bear
this element.
• This can only be manifested in two-dimensional artworks
through the use of different techniques, or the use (or
non-use) of area around drawing or picture.
 “Cloud Gate” occupies a considerable
space in Chicago. Shaped like a bean,
hence its other referent, the public
sculpture was unveiled in 2004. the
dent in the middle offers a gap in
which people can pass through and
gaze at the sculpture in a different
perspective.
Anish Kapoot, “Cloud Gate” (2004)
a. Positive and negative space- usually identified with the white
space is the negative space. The positive space, on the other, is the
space where the shadow is heavily used.
b. Three-dimensional space- can be stimulated
through a variety of techniques such as shading. An
illusion of three-dimensionality can be achieved in a
two-dimensional work.
5. COLOR
• One of the elements that enhances the appeal
of an artist.
• Its effect has range, allowing the viewer to
make responses based on memory, emotion,
and instinct, among others.
• This element is a property of light, as it is
reflected off the object and without light one
cannot perceive color.
Color Wheel courtesy of Jaime Costiglio
The color wheel corresponds to the first property of color,
hue.

a. Hue - this dimension of color gives its name. It can be

subdivided into:

* Primary colors - red, yellow, and blue.

* Secondary colors - green, orange, and violet.
* Tertiary colors - 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. This is
used by artist to create the illusion of depth and solidity,
a particular mood, communicate a feeling, or in
establishing a scene.

* Light colors- taken as the source of light in the composition

* Dark colors- the lack or even absence of light.
* Tint- this is a lighter color than a normal value.
* Shade- this is a darker than the normal value
C. Intensity - this is the color's brightness or dullness. It is
identified as the strength of color, whether it is vivid
or muted.

• Bright or warm colors- positive energy.

• Dull or cool colors- sedate/soothing, seriousness or calm.
• Monochromatic harmonies- use the variations of a hue.

Claude Monet, “Houses of Parliament”

(1900/1)
• Complementary harmonies- involve two colors opposite
each other in the color wheel. Since they are at contrary
positions, the reaction is most intense.
Cima da Conegliano (Giovanni Battista Cima)
“Three Saint: Roch Anthony Abbot, and Lucy”
• Analogous harmonies- make use of two colors
beside each other in color wheel.
Edgar Degas, “Before The Race” (1882-1884)
• All in all, color presents a multitude
of possibilities that affects how
works of art are taken in by the
viewer.
Edvard Munch, “The Scream” (1893)
6. TEXTURE
• Texture can be either real or implied. This element in an artwork
is experienced through sense of touch(and sight). This element
renders the art object tactile.
• The texture is commonly associated with
textiles.

Frans Pourbus the Younger,

“”Margherita Gonzaga
Princess of Mantua”
A. Textures in two-dimensional plane- texture can be implied
using one technique or a combination of other elements of art. This
words used to describe texture: rough or smooth, hard or soft,
hairy, leathery, sharp or dull. two-dimensional plan is one important
skill that an artist must be familiar with.

B. Surface texture- refers to the texture of the three-dimensional

art object.
School of Ogata Korin (Japanese 1658-1716), Inro with
Rinpa Style Kanzan and Jittoku (Edo Period). Pouch.
The elements of art make it possible to engage with the visual and
tactile qualities of the artwork through a "common language" that
may be widely understood. It offers a starting point or a baseline
from which analysis may take place. This kind of analysis is called
formal analysis of art.
 PLANES AND PERSPECTIVE
• Planes and Perspective

Some art forms work with actual spaces, such as sculptors,

architects and stage designer. However, with pictorial art that is
two-dimensional, notions of depth and hence perspective
requires the implementation of principles and techniques in
creating an illusion that will fool the eye to three-
dimensionality when in reality there is none.
• Picture plane
Is the actual surface of the painting or
drawing, where no illusion of a third
dimension exists.
• Linear perspective
Linear perspective changed the way pictorials
representation was done. Its early proponents
include Leon Battista Alberti, Paoli Uccello and
architect Filippo Brunelleschi, who were published
in Alberti's On Painting in 1435.
Its use was based on the following observations:

a. As forms and objects recede, the smaller they

become.

b. We were taught that parallel lines never meet.

However, when they, too, seem to converge when
they recede into a distance, at a point, they both
disappear. This point of disappearance is called
the vanishing point.
G. Herbert & Horace C. Bayley,
photographer, Partington- New Railway
Viaduct, Interior, negative May 1893.
• Viewpoint
- is the spot (point) from which you, the
artist, is looking at (viewing) the scene.

›A position or perspective from which something

is considered or evaluated.
Three Types of Perspective
a. One-point perspective

• Often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways of rows of

trees.
• This type of of perspective shows parallel lines that seem to
converge at a specific or lone vanishing point, along the
horizon line.
b. Two-point perspective
- Pertains to a painting or drawing that makes
use of two vanishing points, which can be placed
anywhere along the horizon line.
Gustav Cailebotte, “Rue de Paris,
temps de pluie”, 1877.
c. Three-point perspective

-The viewer is looking at a scene from above or below.

- It makes use of the three vanishing points, each
corresponding to each axis of the scene.
Berenice Abbott, “Chanon Building, New York,”
(about 1935)
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!