Elements and Principles of Art

***The Elements of Art - The building blocks

or ingredients of art. ***

A. LINE - an element of art which refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. It may be two dimensional, like a pencil mark on a paper or it may be three dimensional (wire) or implied( the edge of a shape or form) often it is an outline, contour or silhouette.

B.

COLOR - an element of art with three properties: 1) Hue, the name of the color, e.g. red, yellow, etc.; 2) Intensity or the purity and strength of the color such as bright ness or dullness; and 3) value, or the lightness or darkness of the color.

C. VALUE - describes the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is needed to express Volume.

D. SHAPE - an enclosed space defined by other elements of art. Shapes may take on the appearance of 2-D or 3-D objects.

E. FORM - an element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume. Cubes, spheres, and cylinders are examples of various forms. A 3D object; or something in a 2-dimensional artwork that appears to be 3-dimensional. For example, a triangle, which is 2-dimensional, is a shape, but a pyramid, which is 3-dimensional, is a form.

F. SPACE - refers to the distance or area between, around, above or within things. It can be a description for both 2 and 3 dimensional portrayals.

G. TEXTURE - refers to the surface quality or feel of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness. Actual texture can be felt while simulated textures are implied by the way the artist renders areas of the picture.

***The Principles of Art - What we use to organize the Elements

of Art,or the tools to make art.***

A. BALANCE - The way the elements are arranged to create a feeling of stability in a work.

1. Symmetrical Balance - The parts of an image are organized so that one side mirrors the other.

2. Asymmetrical Balance - When one side of a composition does not reflect the design of the other. B. EMPHASIS - The focal point of an image, or when one area or thing stand out the most.

C. CONTRAST - A large difference between two things to create interest and tension.

D. RHYTHM - A regular repetition of elements to produce the look and feel of movement.

E. PATTERN - Repetition of a design.

F. UNITY - When all the elements and principles work together to create a pleasing image.

G. VARIETY - The use of differences and change to increase the visual interest of the work.

H. PROPORTION - The comparative relationship of one part to another with respect to size, quantity, or degree; SCALE.

Why are the elements of art important? Right. 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 (1) describe what an artist has done, (2) analyze what is going on in a particular piece and (3) communicate our thoughts and findings using a common language. Musicians can talk about the key of "A," and they all know it means "a pitch relating to 440 oscillations per second of vibration." Mathematicians may use the very basic word "algorithm" and feel confident that most people know they mean "a step-by-step procedure for carrying out computation." Botanists world-wide will employ the name "rosa rugosa," rather than the much longer "that old-fashioned shrub rose - you know, the one that leaves hips in the fall - with the five-petaled flowers that can be yellow, white, red or pink." These are all specific examples of a common language coming in handy for intelligent (and shortened) discourse. So it is with the elements of art. Once you know what the elements are, you can trot them out, time after time, and never put a wrong foot forward in the Art World. Does your instructor want you to write a few words and/or pages on a painting of your choice? Choose wisely, and then wax euphoric on form, lines and color. Have you found an unidentified work in your great-aunt's attic/toolshed/outhouse? It is helpful, when describing the piece to someone who may be able to supply you with further information, to throw in some of the piece's elements of art along with: "It's an etching. It's on paper." Stumped for conversation at a gallery show? Try "The artist's use of _________(insert element here) is interesting." This is a much safer course than attempting to psychoanalyze the artist (after all, you may be standing in a clump of people that includes his or her mother) or using words which leave you a bit uncertain of exact meanings and/or pronunciations. See? The elements of art are both fun and useful. Remember: line, shape, form, space, texture, value and color. Knowing these elements will allow you to analyze, appreciate, write and chat about art, as well as being of help should you create art yourself.
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/reference/f/elements.htm ****************************

Art Appreciation Humanities from the Latin word HUMANUS which means human, cultured, and refined.

Art Tree ART IS COMPOSED OF TWO SECTIONS: THE VISUAL ART WHICH IS COMPRISED OF PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURE. THE PERFORMING ART WHICH IS COMPRISED OF MUSIC, THEATER, LITERATURE AND DANCE Art as a Language Is charged with feelings and significance, the desire to create a universal language. Concerns itself with communication of certain ideas and feelings by means of a SENSOUS MEDIUM like color, sound, marble, words and film. These sensuous medium are fashioned into symbolic language marked by beauty of design and coherence in form. These symbols appeals to our mind, arouse our emotions, kindle our imagination and enchant our senses. WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF ART? Composed of an ARTIST who exhibits exceptional talents or skills in music, design, drawing or writing; and The PERFORMER who interprets the art. THE METHODS OF PRESENTING THE VISUAL ART 1- REALISM the attempt to portray the subject as it is. Realists try to be as objective as possible. 2- ABSTRACTION the attempt of the artist to show only his idea or his feeling; not as objective as the realist. THE DIFFERENT ABSTRACT PRESENTATION 1- DISTORTION clearly manifested when the subject is in distorted condition or twisted out. 2- ELONGATION is when the art subject is lengthen, protracted or extended. 3- MANGLING is rarely used by artist today. Here, the subject is either cut, or mutilated. 4- CUBISM stresses abstract form through the use of a cone, cylinder or sphere at the expense of other pictorial elements. The use of geometrical shapes is common in Pablo Picazzo & Paul Cezanne art works. 5- ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM is a style that is characterized by the use of large canvasses and a deliberate lack of refinement in the application of the paint, strong color, uneven brush strokes and rough texture. OTHER WAYS OF PRESENTING THE VISUAL ART 1- SYMBOLISM the use of a visible sign of an idea to convey to the viewers, readers or audiences the message of his work. 2- FAUVISM the artist use of bright colors which shows pictures of comfort, joy and pleasure. This is the method used by Henry Matisse, Raoul Drify and George Ronault. 3- DADAISM is a protest movement in the art that is playful and experimental. Dada means a hobby horse. Dadaism is most often nonsensical. Marcel Duchamp is the famous painter using this method.

4- FUTURISM developed in Italy about the same time as cubism appeared in France. Futurist painters wanted their works to capture the mechanical energy of modern life. 5- SURREALISM this method mirrors the evils of the present society. Surrealism means super realism, influenced by Freudian psychology which emphasizes the activities of the subconscious state of the mind. 6- IMPRESSIONISM this method presented the artists impression on the art subject, not as detailed as a realist painting. 7- EXPRESSIONISM are art works describing pathos, morbidity chaos or even

defeat. Introduced in Germany from 1900 1910.