Elements of Art - The elements of art are the basic building blocks or “vocabulary” of art. - They are organized according to the principles of design. - You cannot create a work of art without using at least a few of them.

Elements of Art  The elements are…  Line  Shape  Form  Value  Color  Space  Texture

Elements of Art When we talk about how the elements are arranged in a particular work of art, we are talking about its composition. Usually when we are talking about composition, we are not too concerned with the subject or story behind the work of art. We are thinking only about how it is arranged.

Composition Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa, Oil on canvas.

Shape A shape is a contained area. They can be separated from the rest of the composition by a line, color, texture, or value.

Shapes Geometric shapes have straight or curved lines and tend to progress regularly according to mathematical laws. Basically, geometric shapes are the shapes that have names.

Shapes Organic shapes are those that are derived from natural forms. They are usually irregular shapes that don’t have names other than the form they copy (cloud, for example). Tara Donovan, Untitled, Styrofoam cups and hot glue.

Shapes Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow, Oil on canvas.

Shapes Henri Matisse, The Flowing Hair (La Chevelure), Gouache on cut and pasted paper.

Shapes Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, 1997.

Shapes David Smith, Cubi XVIII, Polished stainless steel.

Shapes Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Apparition, Oil on masonite.

Shapes Wasily Kandinsky, Composition VIII, Oil on canvas.

Shapes Henri Matisse, Piano Lesson, Oil on canvas.

Shapes Dale Chihuly, Desert Wildflower Towers, Glass. Phoenix, Arizona.

Shapes Victor Vasarely, Blue / Red, 1983, silkscreen.

Shapes Ida Kohlmeyer, Circus Series 83-9, Mixed media on canvas.

Shape versus Form Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow, Oil on canvas. Gerrit Rietveldt, Schroeder House, Utrecht, 1924.

Shape versus Form We can represent three-dimensional forms as two- dimensional shapes. Ellsworth Kelly, Apples, Watercolor and pencil on paper.

Shape A contour drawing defines the shape of an object using line. Ellsworth Kelly, Briar, Pencil on paper.

Positive Shape/Negative Space A positive shape is usually a solid or clearly defined shape, usually in the foreground. Negative space or shape refers to the open or void surrounding positive shapes (background).

Positive Shape/Negative Space A positive shape is usually a solid or clearly defined shape, usually in the foreground. Negative space or shape refers to the open or void surrounding positive shapes (background).

Positive Shape/Negative Space

Positive/Negative Shape

Positive Shape/Negative Space Compositions are usually most interesting when positive shape and negative space are integrated together.

Shapes Sometimes the relationship positive shapes and negative space can be blurred.

Shape M.C. Escher, Day and Night, Woodcut print.

Shape Salvador Dali, Slave Market with Disappearing Bust of Voltaire, Oil on canvas.

Shape When we are drawing, objects can be broken down into simple shapes.

Pablo Picasso often broken down complex forms into simple shapes and lines.

When drawing, we can think about an “alphabet” of shape. Any shape you try to draw can be broken down into these simple shapes and lines.