Formal Elements Elements of Art Principles of Art

What makes up an art work?

The Elements of art

Elements of Art The composition of an art work is made up of the arrangement of the elements. These are known as the Elements of Art
Color line texture tone shape /form

COLOUR
Colour is very expressive and an exciting element of art. It appeals strongly to the senses and emotions. Colour can communicate in all different ways, it can be very powerful thing in art work. Art works can communicate by colour alone. It can cause emotional reactions.

COLOUR
Primary colours-yellow, red and blue. (colours that can not be made by mixing other colours. Secondary colours- purple, green and orange (colours mixed from a combination of any two primary colours) Complimentary colours (colours found on the opposite on the colour wheel.)

 Monochromatic colour scheme (uses only one colour and tints and shades) Harmonious colours- colours that have something in common. One colour will be in harmony with another.

Primary colours Lichtenstein

Secondary colours

Complementary colours Gauguin

Monochromatic colour scheme Escher

Colour Schemes

Colour schemes

Complementary colours scheme

Communicating with colour

Cool colours go away from you
Van Gogh

Van Gogh

Rothko
Warm colours come towards you

Rothko

Lines
Line in art may mean a single thin stroke It may signify the meeting edge of two areas It may refer to the contours as in sculpture Line can display strong suggestion of Movement Line can produce a sense of tranquility

Line Clement Meadmore

Line
can create volume Escher

Lines can create movement they can move through an art work Escher

Lines can create movement Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley
Larger lines in the foreground Smaller lines in the back ground give an illusion of distances, space and perspective.

Lines create pattern and shape John Olsen

Tone
Tone can be flat or graduated Can be created by using shading, line or dots. Lines can be used to create tone in hatching or cross-hatching Dots can be used to create tone.

Rick Amor

Tone
Tone can be subdued Strong Contrasting

Rick Amor

Tone Rembrandt Hatching and cross-hatching

Tone
Dramatic use of tone. Mattia Preti Tone used to attract out attention to the most important part of the painting Spot light shining on the painting

Texture
Read or Simulated Real texture are the textures that actually exist they are what you actually feel Simulated textures

Texture
Grained Rough Corrugated Smooth Furry Shiny prickly

Texture Van Gogh

Texture
When we actually touch and feel a surface we experience real texture Real texture; the feel of a surface Cactus, feathers, scales

When we look at a photograph or a painting of the texture of a surface such as glass or velvet leather, we see patterns of light and dark that create the effect of texture Simulated texture; a two dimensional surface that imitates real texture, simulated textures copy or imitate real textures.

Simulated texture
imitates real texture Max Ernst

Oldenburg
real texture, the feel of a surface

Shape / Form
A shape is an area that is defined in some way by a line, an edge, a colour or a texture. If we traced around its outline we would have a shape, silhouette Shapes are flat they have only two dimensions height and width Shapes can be geometric look as if they were made with a ruler. Organic irregular, uneven shapes of nature.

Shape

Shape / Form
Forms, like shapes have height and width but they also have the third dimension depth. They are solid. They have volume and occupy space. Two dimension - painting Three dimension - a sculpture

Elements of Art
These five elements are the primary aspects of visual perception. Every artwork can be described by reference to these elements. For example, a work will have the presence of strong lines or absence of line. A work may be full of tone or a complete lack of tone.

Principles of Design
These are the nine main principles of design Space Balance Proportion Emphasis Unity Contrast Repetition Movement Rhythm Direction

Principles of Art
The artists use the principles to combine the elements in a satisfying way.

Ways to create space

Divide the picture into the fore-ground, middle ground and background Strong details is used in the foreground, with gradual loss of detail as the image fades into the back ground Large objects in the fore ground graduating to smaller objects in the back ground Overlapping of objects give the appearance of objects being in front of each other Warm colours in the foreground and cool colours in the back ground

Degas
Space

Balance
Refers to the distribution of weight in an art work so that no one part overpowers another or seems heavier that another. Artists may choose to create imbalance of a particular purpose. Sydney Long

Proportion
The relationship between the size of the objects within an artwork. Eugene von Guerard

Emphasis
An artist can create a centre of interest by allowing one area of an art work to dominate. Picasso

Contrast Picasso Girl Mirror

Repetition
John Brack - Collins St 5pm

Rhythm
Richard Mock