The%20Elements%20of%20Art

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The Elements of Art
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The Elements of ArtLesson Objectives1.
Students will identify the seven elements of
art.2. Students will describe a piece of artwork
using the elements of art.State Content
Standard1.0 Students perceive and respond to
works of art, objects in nature, events, and the
environment. They also use the vocabulary of the
visual arts to express their observations.
(9th-12th)2.1 Solve a visual arts problem that
involves the effective use of the elements of art
and the principles of design (9th-12th)
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Line
The Elements of ArtThe Elements of Art are the
visual building blocks that the artist puts
together to create a work of art. All works of
art will contain some or all of these elements.
Texture
Value
Color
Shape
Form
S p a c e
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LineLine is an element of art that is the path
of a moving point through space. Artists use
line to lead your eyes through a work of art.
Lines lead your eyes into, around, and out of
visual images.
Line
Horizontal
Vertical
Diagonal
Zig Zag
Cross-hatched
Curved
Thin
Thick
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Line
Lines that are horizontal (straight across) and
vertical (straight up and down) suggest strength
and balance. Piet Mondrian was an artist who
created strong designs with vertical and
horizontal lines. His works seem simple but
careful consideration and effort was put into
putting each line in exactly the right space.
Piet Mondrian. Rhythm of Black Lines. 1935/42Oil
on canvas72.2 x 69.5
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TextureTexture is the surface quality of
materials. There are two types of texture real
and implied. Real textures are those that we
actually see and touch in our environment.
Implied textures are simulated or invented.

Texture
Wood
Paper Bag
Grain
Rough
Brick
Diamond
Marble
Pebbly
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Texture
Vincent Van Gogh is a great example of an artist
who used texture in his artwork. In this picture
of Sunflowers the dying flowers are built up
with thick brushstrokes. This evokes the texture
of the seed-heads. He has implied texture through
the use of lines his brush strokes created. He
also has real texture because the use of thick
brush strokes gave his paintings a rough texture.
You can actually feel the brushstrokes in his
painting.
Vincent Van Gogh. Fifteen Sunflowers in a Vase.
Oil on canvas 93 x 73 cm National Gallery, London.
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ColorColor is the visual sensation dependent on
the reflection or absorption of light from a
given surface. The three characteristics of
color are hue, value, and intensity.
Color
Hue - The undiluted color in its purest
intensity. Refers to the name of a color. Value
- the lightness and darkness of the
hue. Intensity - the brightness or dullness of a
color. Intensity can be changed by adding black,
white, gray, or an opposite color on the color
wheel. Primary Colors- refers to the colors
red, yellow, and blue. From these all other
colors are created. Secondary Colors- colors
created by mixing two primary colors together.
Intermediate Colors- colors
created by mixing a primary color and a secondary
color together. Primary is first ex.
Yellow-green
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Color
Monet was an Impressionist artist who took paints
and canvases outdoors. He realized that the
colors of the scene changed as the time of the
day changed, so he carried several canvases. As
the light changed, he moved to another painting.
Claude Monet. Wheatstacks (End of Summer).
1890-91Oil on canvas, 60 X 100 cm, 23.625 X
39.375. Art Institute of Chicago.
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ValueValue is the lightness or darkness of
color. Artwork utilizes color to lend emphasis,
contrast, or balance to the composition. Value
can be shown through blending, cross-hatching,
hatching, gradation, stippling and shading.
Value
Gradation
Stippling
Crosshatching
Hatching
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Value
Pablo Picasso. Guernica. 1937. Prado, Madrid
Guernica is a monumental painting by Pablo
Picasso, depicting the Nazi German bombing of
Guernica. The attack killed between 250 and
1,600 people, and many more were injured. The
Guernica bombing inspired Picasso. Within 15 days
of the attack, Pablo Picasso began painting this
mural. Picasso uses dark values in Guernica to
epitomize the tragedies of war and the suffering
war inflicts upon individuals.
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ShapeA shape is a two-dimensional area that is
defined in some way. All shapes can be classified
as either geometric or free form.
Shape
Geometric Shape are precise shapes that can be
described using mathematical formulas. Free
Form Shapes are irregular and uneven shapes.
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Shape
Biggers uses the women in this work to represent
the African civilizations of Egypt, Benin, and
Dogon. The crowns are symbols of these
civilizations. The cloth on their laps
represents the geometry that has brought order to
each culture.
John Biggers. Starry Crown. 1924-1987, Acrylic on
canvas, 59 1/2 x 47 1/2. Dallas Museum of Art,
Museum League Purchase Fund
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FormForms are objects having three dimensions.
Like shapes they have both length and width, but
forms also have depth. All forms can be
classified as either geometric or free form.
Form
Geometric forms are precise shapes that can be
described using mathematical formulas. Free
Forms are irregular and uneven shapes.
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Form
As a sculptor of constructive geometric forms,
Harts work deals with patterns and relationships
derived from classical ideals of balance and
symmetry.  Mathematical yet organic, these
abstract forms invite the viewer to partake of
the geometric aesthetic.  He uses a variety of
media, including paper, wood, plastic, metal, and
assemblages of common household objects.
George W. Hart. Bathysphere.
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SpaceThe emptiness or area between, around,
above, below, or contained within objects.
Shapes and forms are defined by the space around
and within them, just as spaces are defined by
the shapes and forms around and within them.
S p a c e

• The Illusion of space is done in art by
• Aerial Perspective - objects in the distance
  become lighter
• Linear Perspective - vanishing point(s) show
  accurate size changes
• Size Changes - objects in the distance become
  smaller
• Detail - objects in the distance have less detail
• Overlapping - Objects that overlap other objects
  are closer to you.
• Vertical Location - objects higher in a painting
  are farther away
• Value Differences - sky and ground (or water)
  nearer the horizon line are lighter

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S p a c e
Botticelli. The Adoration of the Maji. Early
1480s, Sandro
Botticelli carefully paced everything with the
frame of this scene. Botticelli uses aerial
perspective, linear perspective, size changes,
overlapping, vertical location and value
differences to achieve the illusion of space in
this piece.