WEDNESDAY READ + WATCH: How the Elements of Art Shape Creativity

Good Morning Wildcats!
 
In order to understand any field, it’s important to have a solid foundation from which to grow. For ALL visual art, this means understanding the Elements of Art. These creative building blocks are essential and having a grasp on how they work is important both for artists and for lovers of art. By gaining a deeper understanding of the elements of art, it’s easier to analyze, unravel, and create any type of artwork from painting and photography to sculpture and architecture.
 
While the concepts may seem simple, once mastered they can stretch and grow in all directions, no matter what style of art is being created or appreciated. The Elements of Art are concrete visual components that work in tandem with principals of art that organize and harmonize them.
 
Line, color, shape, form, value, space, and texture are the SEVEN CORE Elements of Art and they often overlap and inform one another. Whether talking about drawing, painting, sculpture, or design, these components of art all need to be taken into consideration. Once you have a handle on these seven visual elements, it’s even easier to create your own art.
 
But you don’t need to be an artist yourself to find the elements of art useful. Any art lover will be able to view artwork in a more meaningful way by learning more about these core visual components.

WHAT ARE THE SEVEN ELEMENTS OF ART?

Elements of Art are stylistic features that are included within an art piece to help the artist communicate. The seven most common elements include line, shape, texture, form, space, color and value, sometimes with the additions of mark making, and materiality. When analyzing these intentionally utilized elements, the viewer is guided towards a deeper understanding of an artwork they are creating or viewing.

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LINE

These marks span a distance between two points and can be straight or curved, continuous or broken, and can be any width or texture. In visual art, lines don’t only need to be made with marks and outlines. They can also be implied or abstract.

These marks moving in a space between two points give the viewer the ability to visualize the stroke movement, direction and intention based on how the line is oriented. Lines describe an outline, capable of producing texture according to their length and curve. There are different types of lines artists may use, including, actual, implied, vertical, horizontal, diagonal and contour lines, which all have different functions.  Lines are also situational elements, requiring the viewer to have knowledge of the physical world in order to understand their flexibility, rigidity, synthetic nature, or life. 

Look at the face of Leonardo da Vinci below; the contour lines around his facial features give his face form. Leonardo da Vinci, Self-Portrait, c. 1512

Whether two-dimensional or three-dimensional, there’s no denying that lines have a huge impact on the rest of the elements of art. They can be used to create shape and form, as well as give a sense of depth and structure. Lines are the foundation of drawing and are a powerful tool unto themselves. Using different types of lines—continuous, broken, vertical, jagged, horizontal—drastically changes the psychology of an artwork, impacting the viewer greatly.

In this example of expressive lines in art wavy lines are used in contrast with a strong straight diagonal line to convey anxiety. Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

In this example of directional lines in art diagonal lines are used to show the energy and excitement of the scene and vertical lines (in Judith’s attendant) are used to show strength. Artesmisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1614–20

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SHAPE = 2D

The result of closed lines, shapes are two-dimensional, flat, and only have height and width. Geometric shapes like circles and squares are mathematical and precise, while organic shapes take cues from nature and tend to be curved and abstract.

Henri Matisse‘s collage art makes great use of organic shapes, while Piet Mondrian is known for relying on geometric shapes in his paintings. Shapes can be used to control how we perceive a composition. For instance, triangles can help draw the eye to a particular point, while circles represent continuity.
 
A shape is a two-dimensional design encased by lines to signify its height and width structure, and can have different values of color used within it to make it appear three-dimensional. 

“Simultaneous Counter Composition” (1930) by Theo van Doesburg

There are different types of shapes an artist can use and fall under either geometrical, defined by mathematics, or organic shapes, created by the artist or that occur in nature.

In this example of geometric shapes in art circles, triangles, crescents, and rectangles are used. Pablo Picasso, Three Musicians, 1921

This artwork uses a variety of examples of organic and free-form shapes. Grace Hartigan, The Year of the Cicada, 1970

Simplistic, geometrical shapes include circles, triangles and squares, and provide a symbolic and synthetic feeling, whereas acute angled shapes with sharp points are perceived as dangerous shapes. Rectilinear shapes are viewed as dependable and more structurally sound, while curvilinear shapes are chaotic and adaptable. Organic shapes are complex and imprecise. They give works of art a natural feeling.

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Heydar Aliyev Center (2007-2012) by Zaha Hadid.

FORM = 3D

Form is an element of art closely related to shape. Like shape, form can be geometric or organic. However, unlike shape, form is always three-dimensional. A form is measurable by length, width, and height, and encloses volume. Forms can be well-defined, such as a cube, or they can be free-form, such as an animal. They can be created by combining two or more shapes and are often defined by the presence of shadow and how light plays against it in an artwork.

​When a shape acquires depth and becomes three-dimensional, then it takes on form. Cylinders, pyramids, and spheres are some of the more common forms, though they can also be amorphous. In sculpture, form is of the utmost importance, though it can easily be introduced into drawing and painting using 3D art techniques.

Example or organic form. Niki de Saint Phalle, Le Paradis Fantastique, 1967-1971

In this example of form in art geometric forms/spheres are used. Salvador Dali, Galatea of the Spheres, 1952

Form is often used when referring to physical works of art, like sculptures which are three-dimensional objects with volume of height, width and depth. Form is connected most closely with three-dimensional works and can be viewed from many angles = you can walk around it and have a 360-degree view. In drawn or animated works, form is alluded to by adding shading and highlights to two-dimensional shapes, giving the illusion of depth.

​Baroque sculptor Bernini was a master of form, carving his sculptures in a way that gave enjoyment from any perspective. Form is also a big consideration in architecture, with acclaimed architects like Frank Lloyd-Wright, Zaha Hadid, and Tadao Ando giving careful consideration to this element in their designs.

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André Derain, Charing Cross Bridge, 1906

COLOR

Color is the visual property of the pigment of an object that is detected by the eye and produced as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light. The human eye is capable of seeing millions of colors, making it one of the most diverse and powerful elements of art.
 
By working with hue, value, and intensity—three building blocks of colors—artists can tap into a wide range of emotions. There’s nothing that changes an artwork’s emotional impact more than color. 

Still Life with Irises” by Vincent Van Gogh. 1890.

Masters like Van Gogh, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec all expertly manipulated color in their art to provoke different feelings. Color can be used symbolically or to create a pattern. It can be selected for contrast or to set a specific mood. A deep understanding of color theory helps any artist make better use of the colors they have at their disposal.

In this example of primary colors in art only neutral colors with the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow are used. Jacob Lawrence, Workshop (Builders #1), 1972

In this example of complementary colors in art red and green are used to create contrast. Ando Hiroshige, Plum Estate, Kameido From “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo”, 1857

Color is present when light strikes an object and it is reflected back into the eye, a reaction to a hue arising in the optic nerve.

• The first of the properties is hue, which is the distinguishable color, like red, blue or yellow.
  
• The next property is value, meaning the lightness or darkness of the hue.
  
• The last is chroma, saturation or intensity, distinguishing between strong and weak colors. A visual representation of chromatic scale is observable through the color wheel that uses the primary colors.

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“The Tetons and the Snake River” (1942) by Ansel Adams.

VALUE

Related to color, value is the lightness and darkness of a color. And is often described in varying levels of contrast. White is the lightest value while black is the darkest. To create a tint of a color, the artist adds white. To create a shade, the artist adds black.

Playing with value can not only change certain forms, but also influence the mood of the artwork. Value is so important that the Italians created a term—chiaroscuro—that specifically refers to the use of light and dark in a piece of art.
 
Baroque painter Caravaggio was a master of using chiaroscuro in his moody oil paintings. Photographer Ansel Adams is another example of an artist who expertly used value to his advantage by using areas of contrast to create interest in his landscape photography.

Value refers to the degree of perceivable lightness of tones within an image = gradation of graphite, charcoal and paints = gray scale.

In this example of value in art a wide range of values are created using the shading techniques of hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling. Albrecht Durer, Melancholy I, 1514

In this example of value in art white is added to a color to create a tint in the clothes of the women, one of the baskets, and in the checkerboard on the wall. Rufino Tamayo, Women of Tehuantepec, 1939

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“Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix” (1805-1808) by Antonio Canova.

TEXTURE

Texture refers to the tactile qualities of a surface. This element of art deals with the way objects feel or the way it looks like they would feel.

Tactile vs Visual Texture 

• Tactile texture is the actual feeling of a surface that can be touched = actual or physical 
  
• Visual texture is the illusion of texture in an artwork. Think of a photograph of a forest. The texture of the trees and leaves is seen, but the photograph remains smooth.

Texture is an element of art that also plays to our sense of touch. It’s defined as a description of the way something feels or looks like it would feel. Sometimes we’re speaking about an actual texture that can be felt, as in the case of Icelandic artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, who creates installation art using synthetic hair. Other times, the texture is an implied visual texture that is two-dimensional. Smooth, rough, hard, soft, furry, fluffy, and bumpy are just some different textures that evoke different responses.

In this example of tactile or actual texture in sculpture actual fur is used to cover the saucer, cup, and spoon. Meret Oppenheim, Object, 1936

For instance, an artist look for a hyper-realistic result would want clouds to appear fluffy, while another artist wishing to subvert conventions might play with texture to create a surreal experience for the viewer. 19th-century sculptor Antonio Canova was a master of this, as exemplified by his portrait of Napoleon’s sister where she’s resting on a cushion that seems so soft and touchable, it’s hard to believe that it’s marble.

Impasto is the technique of applying paint very thickly to the surface. In this closeup of you can see the thick application of paint to create actual/tactile texture. Claude Monet, Water Lily Pond, 1900 (detail)

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In this example of space in art, overlapping, foreshortening, relative size, perspective, and more are used. John Sloan, South Beach Bathers, 1907-1908

SPACE

Space is the element of art that is concerned with how an artwork depicts depth. It is how artists make a two-dimensional surface (paintings and drawings) look three-dimensional. Space can give the illusion of objects in an artwork being close, far away, or overlapping one another.
 
This element of art can be manipulated based on how an artist places lines, shapes, forms, and color. The placement of these other elements creates space.

Guillaume Briard

The empty negative space between the hands creates as much emotion and power as the positive space of the hands. Auguste Rodin, The Cathedral, 1908

Space can be either positive or negative. Positive space is an area occupied by an object or form, while negative space is an area that runs between, through, around, or within objects. There are different types of spaces an artist can achieve for different effect. Positive space refers to the areas of the work with a subject, while negative space is the space without a subject.  Open and closed space coincides with three-dimensional art, like sculptures, where open spaces are empty, and closed spaces contain physical sculptural elements.

Artists often think about the foreground, middle ground, and background of their artwork, purposefully placing shapes and lines throughout the space to achieve the perfect composition. A sense of depth in two-dimensional works is often achieved by perspective = distance between and around and proportion = size between shapes and objects and how their relationship with the foreground or background is perceived.

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MARK MAKING + MATERIALITY

Mark making is the interaction between the artist and the materials they are using. It provides the viewer of the work with an image of what the artist had done to create the mark, reliving what the artist had done at the time.
 
Mark making is a term used to describe the different lines, patterns, and textures we create ​in a piece of art. It applies to any art material on any surface, not only paint on canvas or pencil on paper. A dot made with a pencil, a line created with a pen, a swirl painted with a brush, these are all types of mark making. ​

Mark making can be loose and gestural, or structured and controlled such as hatching. Most artists work with a variety of marks in every painting, but there are some styles, such as Pointillism, where just one type of mark is used.

It is easy to think of a mark as a building block for whatever you choose to create:

• A single mark creates a dot.
• An extended mark becomes a line.
• A cluster of marks become a shape.
• A series of repetitive marks become a pattern.

Materiality is the choice of materials used and how it impacts the work of art and how the viewer perceives it.
 
To speak of “materiality” in contemporary art is to emphasize the material qualities of the mediums (art materials) employed. Obviously, all art is made out of some material; however, much of art prior to modernism did not place emphasis on the materials themselves, but rather the image which they made up.

In the past decade, a greater attention to the art object and its materiality has enhanced the study of art history, opening new avenues of investigation. Combined with more historical methodologies, the focus on the materiality of artworks is offering profound insights into their meanings. Artists across time and space have infused materials not only with ritual and symbolic significance but also social, political, and economic functions.

Art historians, increasingly in collaboration with conservators and scientists, are gaining insight into the process of art making from raw material to finished object, as well as the strategic deployment of materials both for their aesthetic qualities and for their power to signify.

​The inquiry into an artwork’s materiality raises questions about procurement, trade, value, and manufacturing on the one hand, and, on the other, about the materiality of mechanically reproduced objects or of ephemeral, durational, and conceptual works. Finally, as artworks move between cultures, their materials—whether feathers, shells, marble, or oil paint—are given new meanings, thereby accumulating additional interpretive layers.

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CONCLUSION

Elements of art are stylistic features that are included within an art piece to help the artist communicate – no matter what art form you create in = drawing, paintings, digital, mixed media, graphic, photography, sculpting in clay, stone, earth etc. When analyzing these intentionally utilized elements, the viewer is guided towards a deeper understanding of the work.

After reading (mostly looking at pictures of amazing artwork) there is a video to watch and questions to answer. Remember answers can be found in both the text and the video!

I look forward to hearing about your Color Therapy Meditation and seeing your Earth Day Environmental Art creations!

Below is the list of assignments to review – make sure you have completed and submitted each of them in a timely manner. And please remember I am always here if you need any type of assistance via email, phone or virtual meet up.

Also during locker clean out (which began Monday 5/4) there is table of supplies located outside the art room… on this table you will find your SKETCHBOOKS and basic art supplies such as glue sticks, gel pens, markers and colored pencils. If you are in need of supplies, please only take what you need and plan to return them at the end of the school year in June.

Hope you all are well, practice social distancing, wear a face mask when necessary and remember to wash your hands!

Sincerely,

Nicole Webster Clark

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ASSIGNMENT + VIDEO

1. Read through the text of this post (mostly images of art)
2. Watch the one video
3. Answer the questions using the video and the text

 
Questions can be located at the bottom of this post as well as in our Google Classroom.
 
DUE DATE Submit answers to me via Google Classroom or email by Tuesday May 12th 12/midnight

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UNDERSTANDING THE ELEMENTS OF ART

This video will explain all of the parts that are used to create an artwork: line, value, color, space, shape, form, and texture. These things are called the elements of art.

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ELEMENTS OF ART QUESTIONS

1.  What are two analogies the video uses to describe the Elements of Art?

2. You can use all kinds of adjectives to describe line - provide two examples of types/styles of line.
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3. What is line variation?

4. What does line variation create?

5. What are some of the first lines that you learn to draw when you are introduced to art making?

6. What is a blind contour line?

7. What is a value scale (gradation)?

8. What do you need in order to SEE color?

9. What is white light?

10. What are some words (adjectives) you can use to describe different colors without using hue/color name?
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11. What are the two types of space in artwork?
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12. Describe shallow space.

13. Describe deep space.

14. What is positive space?

15. What is negative space?

16. What is the difference between shape and form?
Shape is
Form is

17. What are they two ways to describe shape and form?
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18. What shape/form are the exception to the geometric rule?

19. What is the difference between geometric and organic shapes?

20. Texture is how something actually/physically feels OR how it appears to feel or how you would imagine it to feel = the artist implies a feeling. Give examples (objects) of physical texture for each of these descriptions: soft, rough, smooth and sharp.
Soft =
Rough =
Smooth =
Sharp =

21. What is/are your favorite(s) Elements of Art to work with?

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POSTS + ASSIGNMENTS SO FAR

4/5 Hello + Welcome: Introduction, Syllabus etc.
4/6 Monday Art Mission: Still Life Self Portrait
4/8 Wednesday Watch: Prehistoric Stone Age Art
4/10 Fragment + Fortify Friday: Norman Rockwell 
4/13 Monday Art Mission: Color Theory w/ Color Wheel Still Life or Color Wheel Collage
4/15 Wednesday Watch: Medieval Illuminations
4/17 Fragment + Fortify Friday: The Dark Crystal
4/20 Monday Art Mission: Contour Drawings + Google Pictionary 
4/22 Wednesday Watch: Earth Day + Environmental Art
4/24 Fragment + Fortify Friday: COVID19-Themed Murals + Graffiti Related To Coronavirus
4/27 Monday Art Mission: Review + Catch Up
4/30 Wednesday Watch: Gothic Architecture
5/1 Fragment + Fortify Friday: May Day + The RGB Colorspace Atlas
5/4 Monday Art Mission: Color Therapy Altar + Guided Meditation
5/6 ​Wednesday Watch: Elements of Art Questions

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SOURCES

• https://mymodernmet.com/elements-of-art-visual-culture/
• https://artclasscurator.com/elements-of-art-examples/