Chapter 4 Elements and Principles of Art - Positive, it indicates movement or

action. Negative, may indicate stress,

frustration, or defeat.
VISUAL ELEMENTS
The Element of Line
We see lines everywhere: along the streets,
inside our homes, in all of nature, and in many
infrastructures that make our cities.

- They add to the quality of all visual

stimuli.
- Lines make objects stand out against a
background. 4. Zigzag lines
- Mixture of diagonal lines
- Indicate chaos, conflict, and confusion.
Different Lines

1. Horizontal lines
- Geometric, hard, and impersonal
- Usually indicate calmness and rest
-

5. Curved lines
- Curvilinear; organic and natural, adjust
direction regularly.
- When they move continuously in
2. Vertical Lines opposite directions, they form wavy lines
- Show strength, balance, and stability. that show graceful movements.

3. Diagonal lines
- Between vertical and horizontal lines
- Look as if they are rising or falling. ➢ Actual lines – the artist intentionally
shows the lines in an artwork; the lines
add to the quality of the whole work.

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 - Pure hues pertain to the
➢ Implied lines – these lines seem to fade, absence of white, black, or gray.
stop, and/or disappear and then - High saturation colors tend to be
reappear as a continuation or extension bright
of an edge. - Low saturation colors tend to be
dull
- Intensity distinguishes between
a brighter appearance of the hue
from a duller one of the same
hue

Additive and Subtractive Colors

Colors of light are additive in the sense that

when you combine the colors the result will be
white.
Actual lines (Left) Implied Lines (Right)
Colors of pigments (paints) are subtractive;
when you combine these colors, the result will be
black, cancelling out each other’s brightness.

The Element of Color

Color is the most expressive element of art;
shares a powerful connection with emotion.

- Colors are a property of light.

- Colors play a vital role in art.

Physical Properties of Color

1. Hue. The name for which the color is

known, it is determined by the
wavelength of light physically given by
the color: red, orange, yellow, green,
violet, indigo, and blue. These are colors
of the visible spectrum. The Color Wheel
2. Value. Refers to the lightness or
A circle divided equally into twelve parts
darkness of a color. Hues can exist in representing the twelve colors and how they
different degrees of values. relate to one another.
- When white is added to a hue,
the result is a tint; more white
added = lighter value of hue.
- When black is mixed with a hue,
the result is a shade; more black
= darker value of hue
3. Intensity or saturation. Refers to how
pure the color is.
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Types of Colors Red, orange, yellow are colors associated with
the sun and are considered warm colors. These
Primary Colors. These colors cannot be
colors advance when placed in a composition.
produced by the mixtures of any other colors.
Red-Blue-Yellow. Any color containing blue, like green, violet, and
blue green, are associated with the sky, air, and
Primary colors of light are Red-Green-Blue.
earth, and water, and are considered cool colors.
Secondary Colors. Colors that result from the These colors recede when placed in a
combination of two primary colors in equal composition.
amounts.
Colors and Emotion
Red + Yellow = Orange
Colors appeal to the emotion and can help
Yellow + Blue = Green
enhance the mood of an individual.
Red + Blue = Violet
Red + Blue light = Magenta Warm, bright colors make us happy and excite us.
Blue + Green light = Cyan Cool colors relax us and encourage us to take it
Red + Green Light = Yellow slow. Reds, pinks, and yellows stimulate us,
making us feel warm and passionate. Greens and
Intermediate Colors. Can result from the
blues suggest calmness and peace.
combination of a primary and a secondary color.
The meaning attached to a color is culture
Red Orange [R + (R + Y)] specific.
Yellow Orange [Y + (R + Y)]
Blue Green [B + (Y + B)]
Blue Violet [B + (R + B)]
Red Violet [R + (R + B)] The Element of Shape
Shapes result from the coming together of lines
Tertiary Colors. Created by combining any two
enclosing an area and separating it from its
secondary colors or by neutralizing one color by
adding its complement or opposite color in the surroundings. Texture can also bring the
color wheel. (Browns and olive greens, etc.) impression of shape.

Neutrals. They show no color quality. Neutrals

are concerned with the quantity of light that is Kinds of Shape
reflected, whereas colors are more of the quality
Geometric shapes. These are regular and
of light that is reflected.
precise; they present an industrial feel to the
White is described as the presence of colors since viewer. May be rectilinear or curvilinear.
it occurs when a surface reflects all the color
wavelength equally.

Black is usually described as the absence of color

as it results when the surface absorbs all the
colors and reflects none of them.

Gray is described as an impure white; created by

a partial reflection of all wavelengths of color.

Warm colors and Cool colors. Colors have

temperature that may be used as another way to
organize a composition.
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Organic shapes. Shapes that have natural Squares convey stability, symmetry,
appearance and are usually curvilinear and independence, and monotony.
irregular.
Circles suggest confinement and self-reliance.

Ovals suggest creativity.

Stars mean reaching out.

These meanings depend on their character,

complexity, and how they are used as part of the
whole composition and the perceptive sensitivity
of the viewer.

The Element of Space

Biomorphic shapes. Manifest some qualities of
biological organisms. Space is a tricky element of the visual arts. It
includes the physiological capability of the visual
system and the physical manipulation of the two-
dimensional surface to give the viewer an illusion
of depth or distance.

Physiological Perception of Space

Stereoscopic Vision gives the viewer a

perception of depth because of the distance
between the two eyes. This distance allows the
Amorphous shapes. These shapes exist without
viewer to see two presentations of the object,
any basis from nature or geometry.
one from each eye. Retinal disparity gives the
viewer two images of the object then
physiologically merges them into one image,
giving the viewer a perception of depth or
distance.

Shape and the Content of the Composition

Artists use shapes to convey initially what they Kinesthetic Vision involves the movement of the
think, imagine, or feel. The shapes chosen are eyes when looking at or viewing the object.
reflection of the personality of the artist rather
than the objective reality.

Shapes suggest certain meanings.

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The Illusion of Space

Overlapping. When objects are grouped, not all

parts of some objects will be seen. This gives the
impression of near and distant objects allowing
the viewer to perceive space in a composition.

The Element of Value (Light and Shadow)

The visual arts is known particularly because of
the element of light. Light makes viewing any
artwork possible.

Value is the gradual change from light to dark

Relative Size and Linear Perspective. Objects and vice versa. Achromatic value are the
that are big will be seen as near compared with changes in the amount of reflected light from
objects that are far. The farther the object from white to gray to black and from black to gray to
the viewer, the smaller is the size of the object. white. Cast shadows may have different degrees
Relative size is supported by the concept of linear of values ranging from gray to black.
perspective.

Atmospheric Perspective. Also known as Aerial

Perspective. The illusion of depth is created by
techniques known as gradient (gradual change).
This may be a gradient in texture, brightness,
color intensity, and combination of warm and
cool colors. Chiaroscuro is the technique of using light and
shadow in painting. Leonardo da Vinci used the
effects of chiaroscuro in his masterpieces. The
term translates to “light-dark”; chiaro meaning
bright or clear and scuro meaning dark or
obscure.

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 The Element of Texture
Texture taps into two sensory systems – the
sense of touch and sense of sight. Texture is how
the surface of a material feels and looks like. It is
not only felt but also seen. Seeing texture
without touching is knows as visual texture.

Textures can be smooth, rough, soft, hard, cold,

and warm.
Da Vinci also introduced the technique called Rough surface – some light rays are blocked,
sfumato in which the gradual blending of light resulting in light and dark patterns.
and shadow gave the figures a more realistic
form and depth. Shiny surfaces – cause light rays to bounce more
evenly giving the viewer a smoother appearance.

Types of Texture

Actual Texture. The real feel and look of the

surface of the object. Usually a characteristic of
three-dimensional artworks.

Some two-dimensional artists can present

texture in the paintings by putting a thick layer of
pigment on the surface. These are known as
impasto paintings, a characteristic of Van Gogh’s
work.

16th century renowned artist named Caravaggio

exaggerated the use of shadows in his paintings
known as the “dark manner”. It is essentially the
exaggeration of chiaroscuro known as tenebrism.
Artist Rembrandt van Rijn perfected tenebrism in
his paintings.

Vincent van Gogh, Irises, 1889. Oil on canvas, Getty Center, Los
Angelos.

Other artists add interesting textures to their

paintings by pasting real objects such as paper,
strings, leaves, and other objects – now known
as collage. This was first introduced by Picasso
and Braque in their abstract compositions.

Simulated Texture. Refers to a surface character

that looks real, but it is not. Interior designers use
this technique to imitate the surface and

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appearance, for example, of real marble. Its The Element of Time and Motion
purpose is to “fool the eye”.
Motion occurs through time. It can show direct
actions in which movement is perceived
immediately or show an intended path for the
viewer to follow to achieve the effect of motion
across the visual field.

Actual movement. The artist incorporates actual

movement in art known as kinetic art. These can
be seen in modern sculptures.

Actual movement can be achieved through:

A. The aid of nature such as air and water

currents
Abstract Texture. The artist would focus on one B. Mechanically driven by the
aspect of the real texture and emphasize it, characteristics of the medium or some
modifying the texture of the whole composition. energy source.

Alexander Calder employed changes in air

currents to make his sculpture move. He called
his artwork mobiles.

Invented Texture. A product of the artist’s

imagination. Usually seen in abstract artwork. It Implied Movement. Implied movement can be
may still represent something that is real. shown by using a variety of lines together that
can create the perception of movement or
passing time in a two-dimensional piece of static
art.

An example of this is Marcel Duchamp’s “Nude

Descending a Staircase”. This work implies
motion and passing of time giving the viewer the
illusion of movement.

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 THE RULE OF THIRDS
The rule of thirds suggests that you should
imagine a tic-tac-toe board on the frame of the
picture. You then position the important
elements in your scene at the points where they
meet along two horizontal lines and two vertical
lines.

Op Art is the technique of creating optical

sensations through repetition and manipulation
of color, shape, and line.

PRINCIPLES OF ART
Principles of Design are the visual strategies used
by artists with the visual elements of arts for
expressive purposes.

1. Balance
a. Symmetrical – formal balance. Two
equal parts of the pictorial plane of an
artwork placed like mirror images of
ARTWORK ANALYSIS each other.
Semiotic Analysis. Like a credit line which lists b. Asymmetrical – informal balance.
Elements on either side of a composition
important facts about a work of art.
do not reflect one another.
Name of the artist, title of the work, year the c. Radial symmetry - Balance where all
work was created, dimension or size, medium or elements radiate out from a center point
technique, location of the work, whose collection in a circular fashion to all four quadrants
or gallery. of the shape’s constraining plane.
Iconic Analysis. Subject-type, kind, source, and
how the artist describes the subject.

Contextual Analysis. Meaning of the work,

symbols, ideas, concepts. The work of art may
contain references and allusions, direct or
indirect, to historical figures and events, as well
as to religious, literary, and philosophical ideas
and values, which are part of the meaning of the
work.

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 5. Variety. A way of combining visual elements
to achieve intricate and complex
relationships.

2. Harmony. Sameness, the belonging of one

thing with another.

6. Movement. The result of using the elements

of art such that they move the viewer’s eye
around and within the image. Can be created
by a diagonal or curvy lines.
7. Rhythm. A continuance, a flow, or a feeling of
movement achieved by the repetition of
3. Proportion. The size relationship of forms and
regulated visual information.
shapes. Good proportion = unity & harmony.

4. Dominance/Emphasis. Happens when an

artist creates an area of the composition that
is visually dominant and commands the
viewer’s attention. Often achieved by
contrast.