What Are The 7 Elements Of Art?
Did you know that when you look at a painting, you are really looking at several art elements composing it? Like an orchestra, each instrument has a part to play, culminating in a beautiful visual symphony. But what are the elements of art and how do they compose a painting?
*** The ELEMENTS of art are the building blocks of an artwork: color, line, shape, form, value, texture, and space. They are the tools artists use when creating an artwork.
*** The PRINCIPLES of design are how those building blocks are arranged: contrast, rhythm, proportion, balance, unity, emphasis, movement, and variety.
For example:
A sculptor, by default, has to have both form and space in a sculpture, because these elements are three-dimensional. They can also be made to appear in two-dimensional works through the use of perspective and shading.
Art would be sunk without line, sometimes known as "a moving point." While line isn't something found in nature, it is absolutely essential as a concept to depicting objects and symbols, and defining shapes.
Texture is another element, like form or space, that can be real (run your fingers over an Oriental rug, or hold an unglazed pot), created (think of van Gogh's lumpy, impasto-ed canvases) or implied (through clever use of shading).
Color is often the whole point for people who are visual learners and thinkers.
Artists can apply the seven elements of art in numerous different ways – and they do not have to utilize them in conjunction or simultaneously – to create artworks that are visually appealing and/or expressive.
Art elements can apply to almost all types of artworks, including painting, drawing, graphic design, or any other form of visual composition. It is important to understand the elements of art if you are an art student, or even if you are an art enthusiast because they act as guidelines or tools to not only compose an artwork but also analyze it. Once the art elements are understood, the possibilities are seemingly endless as to how they can be applied
The elements of art are important for several reasons. First, and most importantly, a person can't create art without utilizing at least a few of them. No elements, no art—end of story. And we wouldn't even be talking about any of this, would we?
Secondly, knowing what the elements of art are enables us to:
Describe what an artist has done
Analyze what is going on in a particular piece
Communicate our thoughts and findings using a common language
Here Are The 7 Elements Of Art:
COLOR
Some of the main aspects of color include the color wheel, different color schemes, primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, complementary and analogous colors, hues, tones, tints, shades, saturation/intensity, value, and color temperature.
VALUE
This refers to the light and dark aspects of color and it comes in low-key, high-key, or middle-key variations.
LINE
There are different types of lines – horizontal, vertical, diagonal, short, long, curved, or zig-zag, which all can be applied to form a fundamental structure of an artwork and provides different effects like movement, rhythm, or emphasis.
SHAPE
Shape ranges from square, circular, triangular, or rectangular and is more two-dimensional, geometric, or organic.
FORM
These range from cubic, spherical, pyramidal, or conical, among many others, and it is three-dimensional, and can be geometric or organic.
TEXTURE
This refers to the “surface quality” of artworks, which can be real or implied.
SPACE
This refers to the three-dimensionality or depth created in a composition, and it consists of positive and negative space, which can be utilized to create different effects.
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