elements and principles of visual arts

8/13/2019 Elements and Principles of Visual Arts

1/47

Elements

&

Principles of artby

Arjun Kumar SinghAssistant professor

Lovely Professional University

Punjab, India


2/47

1 Movement2 Unity

3 Harmony

4 Variety5 Balance

6 Contrast

7 Proportion

8 Pattern and rhythm


3/47

1. Movement

Movement shows actions, or alternatively, the path theviewer's eye follows throughout an artwork. Movement

is caused by using elements under the rules of the

principles in picture to give the feeling of motion and to

guide the viewer's eyes throughout the artwork. Inmovement an art should flow, because the artist has

the ability to control the viewer's eye. The artists

control what the viewers see and how they see it, like a

path leading across the page to the item the artist

wants the viewer's attention focused on.


4/47


5/47

Cloud Monet, Impression Sunrise 1860


6/47

Georges-Pierre Seurat, Pointillism, 1880s


7/47

Vincent van Gogh Year 1889 Type Oil on canvas

Dimensions 73.7 cm 92.1 cm (29 in 36 in)

Location Museum of Modern Art (F612, JH1731) [1], New York City


8/47

Marshal Duchamp


9/47

M F Hussainspainting from Horse series


10/47


11/47

2. UnityA principle of art, unity occurs when all of the

elements of a piece combine to make a balanced,

harmonious, complete whole. Unity is another ofthose hard-to-describe art terms but, when it's

present, your eye and brain are pleased to see it.


12/47


13/47


14/47


15/47

The Calling of

Saint Matthew

by

Michelangelo

Merisi da

Caravaggio

completed in

1599-1600 ,

Contarelli

Chapel


16/47

The Yellow Christ

(1889),

by

Gauguin


17/47

Jan van Eyck


18/47

3. Harmony

Harmony is achieved in a body of work by using similar

elements throughout the work, harmony gives an

uncomplicated look to a piece of artwork or sculpture.

Color harmony or color theory is also considered a

principle through the application of the design element

of color.


19/47

Tree of life by Gustav Klimt


20/47

Untitled

by

Ganesh Pyne


21/47

Bharat Mata

by

Awanindra Nath Tagore


22/47

From Black series by Francis Goya


23/47

M F Hussainspainting from Mother serise


24/47

4. Variety

Variety is the quality or state of having different forms

or types, notable use of contrast, emphasis, difference

in size and color


25/47


26/47

Paintings

by

Sayedhaidarraja


27/47

Paintings by Sayed Haidar Raja


28/47

Paintings

by

Salvador Dali


29/47

Paintings

by

Vijender Sharma


30/47

5. Balance

As a basic principle of art (specifically of design), balance refers

to the ways in which the elements (lines, shapes, colors,textures, etc.) of a piece are arranged. Balance is one of those

useful terms to know, if one is to employ Art Speak.

Balance can be symmetrical("formal"), where elements are

given equal "weight" from an imaginary line in the middle of a

piece. For the most basic example of symmetry, think of your

eyes in relation to either side of your nose.

Balance doesn't necessarily mean symmetry, though.

Asymmetrical("informal") balance occurs when elements are

placed unevenly in a piece, but work together to produceharmony overall.


31/47

Paintings

by

Vijender Sharma


32/47

Paintings by Vijender Sharma


33/47

PicassosGuernica


34/47

6. Contrast

A principle of art, contrast refers to the arrangement of

opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs.smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece

so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

The colors white and black provide the greatest degree

of contrast. Complementary colors also highly contrast

with one another.

An artist can employ contrast as a tool, to direct the

viewer's attention to a particular point of interest

within the piece.


35/47

Picasso


36/47

Three Musician

by

Picasso


37/47


38/47

7. Proportion

Proportionis a principle of art that describes the size,location or amount of one element to another (or to

the whole) in a work. It has a great deal to do with the

overall hamrony of an individual piece.

Think of Leonardo's Vitruvian Man(you know the guy:naked, inserted within a rectangle within a circle, arms

outstretched, legs shown both together and spread,

etc.) for a clear idea of just how much thought has

gone into proper proportioningover the ages.


39/47

Painting by Partho Das


40/47

Caravaggios painting

8 Rhythm


41/47

8. Rhythm

Rhythmis a principle of art that's difficult to summarize

in words. Assuming that you've picked up on a rhythm

in music before, take what you heardwith your earsand try to translate that to something you'd seewith

your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat.

A pattern has rhythm, but not all rhythm is patterned.

For example, the colorsof a piece can convey rhythm,by making your eyes travel from one component to

another. Linescan produce rhythm by implying

movement. Forms, too, can cause rhythm by the ways

in which they're placed one next to the other.Really, it's easier to "see" rhythm in just about anything

otherthan the visual arts. Literally-minded types

should stick to music for rhythm.


42/47

M F Hussainspainting from Horse series


43/47

Paul Gauguin's painting


44/47

9. PatternA principle of art - and probably the universe itself -

patternmeans the repetition of an element (or

elements) in a work.

An artist achieves a pattern through the use of colors(children playing with Legos know this instinctively),

lines(think: Op Art) or shapes(as with mosaics,

tessellations, etc.).


45/47

Painting by S H Raja


46/47

Tree of life by Gustav Klimt


47/47

elements and principles of visual arts

Documents