Element of Art:

-The building blocks of art.

-The actual physical pieces of an artwork.

-A piece can contain several elements, possibly all.

Principle of Art:

-The “rules” of art.

-A piece can demonstrate several principles, possibly all.

-The definitions often contain elements.

Elements of Art

Line- Continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point. Lines can also be made with wire or other thin material cutting through space.

Ex. Wavy, straight, curved, zig zag, etc.

Shape- Enclosed space defined by lines or other elements of art: circle, square or triangle. Shapes are flat (2D). Shapes can be geometric or organic.

Color- Made up of hue (the actual color), intensity (the brightness or dullness of a color), and value (the lightness or darkness of a color).

Value- Describes lightness or darkness of a color. Shadows are made in drawings, they are cast in sculptures.

Reimar Gaertner  bio      

                                                                     

                               

Form- A three-dimensional element that encloses volume: cubes, spheres, cones. Form is implied in drawings, but is actual in 3D work. You can have geometric or organic forms

Space- Distance around, above, between, or within things. Space is implied in drawings, space is real in 3D work.

Texture- Quality or “feel” of an object. Texture can be implied like the drawing on the right, or real like the wire mesh on the sofa sculpture.

Principles of Design

Balance-sense of stability created by repeating same shapes and forms and by creating a feeling of equal weight.

Pattern: repetition

Emphasis- refers to developing points of interest to pull the viewer’s eye to important parts of the body of work.

Contrast-juxtaposition of elements in an artwork. Juxtaposition is a fancy word for opposites. Light and dark, bold and dull, etc.

Unity-when all parts equal a strong whole and work does not appear disjointed or confusing.

Harmony-achieved by using similar elements throughout the work, harmony gives an uncomplicated look to work.

Rhythm-type of movement made by repeating shapes and colors.

Movement-shows action directs the eye around the piece.

Variety- refers to differences in work.

Proportion-refers to relationships of the size of objects within a work.