Elements of Art

As you recall what we have learned about the elements of art, think about how they affect your emotions...

1) LINE - Look at the lines in Van Gogh's Starry night. A few of the lines have been highlighted in the modified version.  Notice how the red lines in the sky communicate storminess or tumult. The green line of the steeple is peaceful. Lines can be straight or curved; vertical, horizontal or diagonal. It's the kind of line, length of the line and/or placement of the line that creates a specific emotion. The combination of lines can even suggest movement. You may click on the images to make them larger.

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

modified version

Sometimes there are lines that are not actually drawn, but are suggested.  These are called implied lines. See the Madonna's line of sight as she looks at the child? How does that make you feel? Can you find other lines in these works of art that show emotion?

Large Cowper Madonna by Raphael

modified to show line of sight

2) COLOR - Color can often create mood, just as a bright sunny day after three dark and dreary days of rain can lift your spirits.  Notice the modification of color for each of the two paintings below.  Do you feel the same way about the new version as you do about the original?

Day of Rain by Gustave Caillebotte

modified version

Twelve Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh

modified version

3) SHAPE/FORM - Shape is 2D and form is 3D. Artists sometimes use shapes to create their subject. Shapes can be angular and sharp or soft and round. Different types of shapes create different moods. How do the shapes in this work by Kazimir Malevich affect how you feel?

The Woodcutter by Kazimir Malevich

4) TEXTURE - Sometimes artists like Van Gogh, who use lots of oil paint on their canvas, create texture just with the paint itself.  Other artists may use pieces of fabric or other items on a canvas.  Other times texture is implied. When you look at the drawing by Dürer, you see fuzzy, but it is only a picture of fuzzy. This is implied texture.

Young Hare by Albrecht Dürer

Styrofoam Still Life has very little texture.  See how adding texture changes it.

Styrofoam Still Life by Red-Flare

modified version 1

modified version 2

modified version 3

5) SPACE - There is positive and negative space in art.

Still Life with Fruit and Nuts by Robert Seldon Duncanson

In this work of art there is positive space, which is the fruit and nuts.  Positive space is the subject of the art.

Positive space (the subject)

Negative space (everything else)

Everything else (not the subject) is negative space. The blue portion is a cutout of the subject, everything else (not blue) is negative space.

Artists also use color, shading, size, overlapping, and linear perspective to create depth. See if you can find some of these in Day of Rain.

Day of Rain by Gustave Caillebotte

Use this phrase to help you remember these elements (in a different order than above list):
She Loves Counting To Seventy-Five 

All images are in the public domain