This document summarizes the key elements and principles of art. It discusses the elements of line, color, value, shape, form, space, and texture. It then explains the principles of design used to organize these elements, including balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, movement, pattern/repetition, unity, variety, and proportion. Examples of famous artists are provided to illustrate each element and principle.

1. The Elements
and Principles

2. The Elements of Art
The building blocks
or ingredients of art.

3. LINE
Pablo Picasso
A mark with length and direction. A continuous
mark made on a surface by a moving point.

4. Line

5. Line
Contour lines- outline
the edges of forms
or shapes
Gestural lines- indicate
action and physical
movement

6. COLOR
Consists of Hue
(another word for
color), Intensity
(brightness) and
Value (lightness or
darkness).
Henri Matisse Alexander Calder

7. Color
Color has three
properties:
1. The first is HUE.
(this is the name of the colors)
2. The second property of color is
value, which refers to the
lightness or darkness of a hue.
3. The third property of color is
intensity, which refers to the purity
of the hue (called “chroma”)

8. Neutral Colors
These colors are made by adding a
complimentary color (opposite on the color
wheel) to a hue. Neutralized hues are called
tones.

9. Tints and Shades
Tints-adding the color white.

10. Warm and Cool Colors

11. VALUE
The lightness or darkness of a color.
MC Escher Pablo Picasso

12. VALUE
High Range in Value
Low Range in Value

13. SHAPE
An enclosed area defined and determined
Joan
by other art elements; 2-dimensional. Miro

14. Shape
SHAPES CAN BE DESCRIBED AS:
GEOMETRIC
square, triangle, rectangle, rhombus, circle, cone
ORGANIC
free form shapes, shapes in nature for example:
leaves, trees, clouds, animals

15. Organic vs. Geometric

16. FORM
A 3-dimensional 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.
Jean Arp Lucien Freud

17. FORM
Form can be 2-d Form can be 3-d

18. SPACE
The distance or area between, around, above, below,
or within things.
Robert Mapplethorpe
Claude Monet Positive (filled with
Foreground, Middleground and something) and Negative
Background (creates DEPTH) (empty areas)

19. Space
Space is being created how?
How is space being altered?

20. TEXTURE
The surface quality or "feel" of an object, its
smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may
be actual or implied.

21. Texture
Implied texture – texture that has been
simulated in drawing and painting on a Actual texture – texture that you can feel
smooth surface with your sense of touch

22. The Principles of Design
What we use to organize the
Elements of Art,
or the tools to make art.

23. BALANCE
The way the elements are arranged to
Alexander Calder create a feeling of stability in a work.

24. Symmetrical Balance
The parts of an image are organized
so that one side mirrors the other.
Leonardo DaVinci

25. Asymmetrical Balance
When one side of a composition does
not reflect the design of the other.
James Whistler

26. EMPHASIS
The focal point of an
image, or when one
area or thing stand
out the most.
Jim Dine Gustav Klimt

27. EMPHASIS
CAN BE CREATED THROUGH THE USE OF MANY
DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES LIKE…
CONTRAST
PROPORTI ON
COLOR

28. CONTRAST
Salvador Dali
Ansel Adams
A large difference between two
things to create interest and tension.

29. CONTRAST
…with color …with proportion/scale

30. RHYTHM
RHYTHM
A regular repetition
of elements to
RHYTHM
produce the look and RHYTHM
feel of movement. RHYTHM
RHYTHM
and
Marcel MOVEMENT
Duchamp

31. RHYTHM
and
MOVEMENT
IT CAN BE QUICK
AND FAST “TEMPO”

32. RHYTHM
and
MOVEMENT
…OR SLOWER AND
MORE MELODIC

33. Vincent VanGogh

34. PATTERN
and Repetition Gustav Klimt
Repetition of a design.

35. UNITY
When all the
elements and
principles
work together
to create a
pleasing
image.
Johannes Vermeer

36. The use of
differences and
change to
increase the
visual interest of
the work.
VA R IET Y
Marc Chagall

37. PROPORTIO N
The comparative
relationship of
one part to
another with
respect to size,
quantity, or
degree; SCALE.
Gustave
Caillebotte