Elements of Art

Elements of Art
Introduction to Eastern and Western Art

Form
(Formal Elements)
● Purely visual aspects of art and architecture, including line, shape,
form, color, texture, space.
● The formal elements support the concept in the art or can be the main
focus in the work.

Line
● Line quality – characteristics of lines (bold, thin, smooth, curvilinear,
rectilinear, organic, etc.)
● Character of line related to individual artistic style (nuance) and
inherent quality of the specific medium
● Delineation of shape and form (used to describe, define, map out)
●
Line as a means of expression

Lion Panel, Chauvet Cave (France), Cave Drawings, 35.000 BCE

Li Fangying (Chinese), Plum Blossom from Album of
Eight Leaves, Chinese Ink Drawing / Calligraphy, 1744
The plum blossom is
an important symbol in
Chinese culture. As a
“friend of winter,” the
plum blossom most
vividly represents the
value of endurance, as
life ultimately overcomes
through the vicissitude of
time. The fragrance of
plum blossoms “comes
from the bitterness and
coldness,” as the
Chinese saying goes.
Souls are tempered in
the depth of experience,
growing in inner strength
and unyielding courage.

Ottoman Empire (Islamic Art) from Istanbul, Turkey, Tughra
(Insignia) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent, Watercolor and
Gold on Paper, 1555 – 60, 52.1 cm x 64.5 cm

Rembrandt van Rijn
(Dutch Baroque),
Self-portrait, 1630,
Printmaking (Etching)

Sol LeWitt (American), Wall #260 (Installed at Museum of Modern Art in New
York, USA), Chalk on Painted Wall, 1975

Sopheap Pich (Cambodia),
Buddha, Rattan, Wire, Dye,
2009, 100 x 29 x 9 inches

Shape
● Two-dimensional
● Geometric (regular) vs. Organic (irregular)
● Symbolism of shape

Vasudhara Offering Mandala (Nepal),
Silver and Gilt Copper, 19th
Century,
8.9 x 33 cm
Mandala – Hindu and
Buddhist circular
symbol of the universe
often containing a
square with four gates
Vasudhara – Goddess
with 6 arms in center
from whom wealth and
well-being flows

Gustave Klimt (Austrian), The Kiss, Oil on Canvas, Oil Paint and Gold
Leaf, 1907-08, 108 cm x 108 cm

Henri Matisse (French),
Icarus, Paper Cut-Out, 1946
Icarus – character from Greek
Mythology often represented in
classic literature and art.
The myth involves Icarus' father
who gave him wings made out of
wax and feathers and then warns
him not to fly too high or low.
Icarus ignores his father and flies
too close to the sun which
melted the wax in his wings and
caused him to drown in the sea.

Architectural Plan of Phoenix Hall (Hōō-dō), Byōdō-in
Buddhist Temple (Kyoto, Japan), Completed 1052
Phoenix Hall, or Hōō-dō, derives its
name from the shape of the building
which resembles the mythological
phoenix bird with two wings and a tail.
In addition, the temple has statues of
Phoenixes on the roof. In Japan, the
mythical Phoenix was adopted as a
symbol of the imperial household,
particularly the empress. This
mythical bird represents fire, the
sun, justice, obedience, fidelity,
and the southern star
constellations.

Phoenix Hall (Hōō-dō), Byōdō-in Buddhist Temple (Kyoto, Japan), Completed 1052

Form
● Three-dimensional (closely associated with sculpture)
● Geometric vs. Organic Form
● Closed vs. Open Form
● In drawing and painting, the illusion of three-dimensional form is
conveyed through light and shadow, and the rendering of value
and tone.

Vessel in the Form of an Elephant with a Rider (Thailand),
Earthenware with underglaze iron-brown (Sawankhalok ware),
14th
- mid-16th
Century, height 13.5 cm

Constantin Brancusi
(Romanian-born Modern),
Bird in Space, Polished
Brass, 1932, 151 cm high

Frank Gehry (Canada / USA), Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain),
Deconstructivist Architecture, Completed 1997

Georgia O'Keefe (USA), White Trumpet Flower, Oil on Canvas, 1932

Space
● Area within and around an artwork
● 2-D Illusion of Space – Perspective
● 3-D Sculptural Space
● 4-D Architecture / Element of time related to moving through
space
● Positive space (figure / full)
● Negative space (ground / empty)
● Location / Site-specific

Fan Kuan (Chinese),
Travelers Among
Mountains and
Streams, Hanging
Scroll (ink and color
on silk) early 11th
Century (Song
Dynasty)
Landscape painting is
regarded as the highest
form of Chinese
painting, The time from
the Five Dynasties
period to the Northern
Song period (907–
1127) is known as the
"Great age of Chinese
landscape".

Raphael Sanzio (Italian Renaissance), School of Athens
(Vatican, Rome), Fresco Painting, 1509 – 1511

One-point Perspective
. Vanishing Point
. Vanishing Point
.
Horizon Line

Positive and Negative Space
Donald Judd, Untitled, Brass
and Plexiglas, 1969

Itsukushima Torii Shinto Gate, (Hiroshima, Japan), Camphor Wood,
1168 CE (current structure completed 1875)

Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris, France), View of Nave, Gothic Architecture,
Completed 1345 CE

Yayoi Kusama, Fireflies on the Water,
Installation with lights, mirrors, plexiglas, water, 2012

Color
● Physical properties of color include the hue (color itself such as red,
blue, green), value (the relative degree of lightness or darkness of
color), and saturation (brightness or dullness of color).
● Color combinations are often cultural and can be connected to
certain periods or styles.
● Color symbolism - the use of color to represent an idea or feeling in
relation to a certain context or culture

Jar with Dragon, Chinese (Ming Dynasty), Porcelain with Cobalt
Blue, 15th
Century, H. 19 in. (48.3 cm); Diam. 19 in. (48.3 cm)
The painting of cobalt
blue on a porcelain
body, which first flowered
in China in the fourteenth
century, is arguably the
most important
development in the
global history of
ceramics. At the time,
the cobalt blue was
considered to be twice as
valuable as gold and was
imported from Persia.
The Chinese dragon is a
spiritual and cultural
symbol that represents
prosperity and good luck.

The Lovers Radha and Krishna in a Palm Grove, Indian
Hindu, Watercolor and Ink, 1775-80
Contrast of
saturation levels
adds to the mystery
and drama in the
painting.

Claude Monet (French Impressionism),
Haystack series (25 in the series total),
Oil on Canvas, 1888 – 1891, various sizes
The effects of natural light on color

Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist, Oil on Panel,
1903 – 1904, 122.9 cm × 82.6 cm
Color Symbolism

Piet Mondrian (Dutch De Stijl), Composition with Red,
Blue, and Yellow, Oil on Canvas, 1930, 51 x 51 cm
Primary colors –
red, blue, and yellow
The De Stijl artists sought
a universal art that
represents harmony,
purity, and truth

Anish Kapoor (Indian-British Contemporary), Destierro
(Unearthed), Installation in Argentina, 2017
The artist,
Anish Kapoor,
is known for
his use of
saturated
pigments in his
work. Here dirt
is covered in
bright red
pigment and a
tractor is
painted bright
blue.
The work
represents the
displacement
of people in
the world and
alludes to the
current refugee
crisis.

Light
● In art, the light is often used to create a sense of naturalism and
can add drama and contrast.
● In photography, light is one of the key elements as photography
relies on light for the production of the image.
● In sculpture, the light (and shadows) help to show the form.
● Light is often used as a symbol related to religion, including God
and Enlightenment
● In contemporary art, real light is used in sculpture and
installations

Caravaggio (Italian Baroque), The Calling of Saint
Matthew, Oil on Canvas, 1599 – 1600, 322 cm × 340 cm

Gerhard Richter
(German), Zwei
Kerzen (Two
Candles),
Oil on Canvas,
1982

Fan Ho (Hong Kong photographer), Afternoon Chat, Photograph, 1959

Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Daughters (Ancient Egypt),
Limestone Bas Relief, 1350 BCE, 43.5 cm x 39 cm
Akhenaten, the
Egyptian Pharaoh
and his Queen
Nefertiti were
known for a
religious
revolution, in
which they
worshipped one
god only, Aten, or
the sun.

Dan Flavin, Untitled
(Marfa Project),
Fluorescent Light
Installation, 1996

Ryoji Ikeda (contemporary Japanese artist based in Paris), The Transfinite,
Light and Sound Installation, 2011.

Sainte-Chapelle (Paris, France), Completed 1248 (Gothic Rayonnant
style)

The Seated
Buddha from
Gandhara,
(modern day
Pakistan), Grey
Schist sculpture,
100 – 300 CE,
95 x 53 cm
Statues of the
"enlightened one" were
not made until the 1st
century CE, before that
Buddha was
represented by
symbols such as his
footprint and a bodhi
leaf.

Texture
● Tactile texture involves touch. Textures can be smooth, rough,
sticky, soft, fuzzy, slick, etc.
● Visual texture in art is the illusion of texture. It can involve the
manipulation of certain mediums on a surface to give the look of real
texture.

Julian Schnabel (American Neo-Expressionism), The Sea, Oil,
Wood, Mexican Pottery, 1981, 108" x 156"

Meret Oppenheim (Swiss Surrealism), Object (Breakfast in
Fur), Found objects, 1936
This Surrealist object
was inspired by a
conversation
between Oppenheim
and artists Pablo
Picasso and Dora
Maar at a Paris cafe.
Admiring Oppenheim's
fur-covered bracelet,
Picasso remarked that
one could cover
anything with fur, to
which she replied,
"Even this cup and
saucer."

Pieter Claesz (Dutch Baroque), Still Life with Lobster and Silverware, Oil on
Canvas, 1641, 38 x 31 inches

Guanware Vase,
Southern Song
Dynasty (China),
Stoneware with
Guan-type
glaze, 12th
Century

Composition
● Composition is the organization or arrangement of forms in a
work of art. Shapes may be repeated or varied, balanced
symmetrically or asymmetrically, they may be stable or dynamic. The
possibilities are nearly endless and artistic choice depends both
on the time and place where the work was created as well as the
objectives of the individual artists.

Balance
Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors,
texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be
balanced to make a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance, the
elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other
side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look
balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central
point and may be similar.

Leonardo DaVinci (Italian Renaissance), The Last Supper, Oil and Tempera
on Plaster, 1494, 460 cm (180 in) × 880 cm (350 in)

Iktinos and Callicrates (Greek architects), Parthenon, (Ancient
Greek Classical Period), Temple, Architecture, completed 432
BCE

Rose Window (Gothic Period), Chartres Cathedral (Chartres,
France) Stained Glass, 1235 CE
Radial Balance

Alexander Calder
(American Modern),
The Brass Family,
1929, Brass Wire and
Wood Sculpture,
170.2 x 104.5 x 22.5 cm

Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese), The Great Wave, color
woodblock print, 1829–1833, 25.7 cm × 37.8 cm (10.1 in × 14.9 in)

Edgar Degas (French Impressionist), The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage, Mixed
Media (Oil Paint, Watercolor, Pastel, Ink), 1874, 21 3/8 x 28 3/4 in. (54.3 x 73 cm)

Pattern
Pattern is the repetition of formal elements, symbols, or objects
all over a work of art

Lacquer Box with Pommel Scroll Design, Late 14th
Century, Yuan or Ming Dynasty (China), Carved Red
and Black Lacquer, H. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm); Diam.13 1/8
in. (33.2 cm)

Takashi Murakami (Japanese Contemporary), When I
Close My Eyes, I See Shangri-La, Offset Lithograph
on Paper, 2012, 26 3/4 by 26 3/4 inches
Shangri-La is a fictional
place described in the 1933
novel Lost Horizon by
British author James Hilton.
Hilton describes Shangri-La
as a mystical, harmonious
valley enclosed in the
western end of the Kunlun
Mountains. Shangri-La has
become synonymous with
any earthly paradise, and
particularly a mythical
Himalayan utopia – a
permanently happy land,
isolated from the outside
world.

Hyacinthe Rigaud
(French Baroque),
Portrait of King
Louis XIV, Oil on
Canvas, 1701, 277
cm × 194 cm
Fleur-de-lis,
(French: “lily flower”)
is a symbol used in
ornamentation and,
particularly, in
heraldry, long
associated with the
French crown, as well
as with the Virgin
Mary.

Ai Weiwei (Chinese Contemporary), Safe Passage, Installation
with 14,000 Refugee Life Jackets (Berlin, Germany), 2016

Movement
Movement is the path the viewer’s eyes take through the work of art,
often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges,
shape, and color within the work of art. Visual movement can also involve
real or implied motion.

This sculpture
depicts Shiva's
roles as creator,
preserver, and
destroyer of the
universe and
conveys the Indian
conception of the
never-ending
cycle of time.
Shiva's dance is set
within a flaming
halo. The energy of
his dance makes
his hair fly to the
sides. The symbols
imply that, through
belief in Shiva, his
devotees can
achieve salvation.
Shiva As Lord of
Dance (Nataraja),
India Chola Period,
Copper Alloy
Sculpture, 11th
Century, H. 26 7/8
in. (68.3 cm);
Diam. 22 1/4 in.
(56.5 cm)

Eadweard Muybridge (British Photographer), The Horse in
Motion, 1878, 12 silver print photographs, 11 x 21 cm

Giacomo Balla (Italian Futurism), Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash,
1912, Oil on Canvas, 95.6 cm × 115.6 cm

Frank Gehry (Canadian / American Postmodern Architect),
Dancing House (Prague, Czech Republic), 1992
The “Dancing
House” is set on a
property of great
historical
significance. Its
site was the
location of a house
destroyed by the
U.S. bombing of
Prague in 1945.

Alexander Calder
(American Modern),
Red Lily Pads,
Painted Sheet Metal
and Metal Rods /
Mobile) 1956,
Installed in the
Guggenheim Museum
(New York City, USA)

Rhythm
Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used
repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement. Rhythm
creates a mood like music or dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and
active, variety is essential.

Marcel Duchamp
(French Modernism),
Nude Descending a
Staircase, Oil on
Canvas, 1912,
147 cm × 89.2 cm

Fragment of Mother Goddess (Matrika) Panel with
Varahi, Kaumari, and Chamunda, (Nepal), Copper
repoussé relief, 10th
/ 11th
Century, 16.1 x 29.5 x 10.8 cm
Matrikas are a group of
mother goddesses who
are always depicted
together in Hinduism.
These goddesses are the
personified powers of
different Devas (divine
beings in Hinduism).
Varahi, the god of death,
is represented with a
boar's head and human
body. Kaumari is the god
of war. Chamunda is
described as having three
eyes and holds a sword
and trident.

William Van Alen (American),
Chrysler Building (New York
City, USA), Art Deco Period,
1930

Contrast
Contrast involves the use of opposite elements (light vs. dark
colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in
a piece to create visual interest, excitement, and drama. Contrast
can also involve concepts relating to contradictions and opposing
ideas.

Inoue Yūichi
(Japanese Showa
Period), Kanzan (Cold
Mountain), Ink on
Japanese Paper, 1966,
241.3 × 123.8 cm
Kanzan (“Cold
Mountain”) was an
eccentric Tang
Dynasty (618– 906
CE) Chinese monk
who wrote poetry
who has since
inspired many artists
and writers.

Man Ray (American in Paris
Modernism), Rayograph,
Photogram, 1922, 23.9 x 17.8 cm
A photogram is a
photographic image made
without a camera by placing
objects directly onto the
surface of a light-sensitive
material such as photographic
paper and then exposing it to
light. Man Ray called his
photograms “rayographs”
after himself.

Andy Warhol (American Pop Artist), Marilyn Monroe 23,
Screenprint on paper, 1967, 36 x 36 inches.

Rene Magritte (Belgian Surrealism), The Treachery of Images,
Oil Paint, 1928 – 1929, 63.5 cm × 93.98 cm.

Emphasis
Emphasis is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s
attention. Usually the artist will make one area stand out using
such elements as size, color, texture, shape to create a focal point.

Li Cheng (Chinese Five
Dynasties and Ten
Kingdoms / Early Song
Dynasty), Buddhist Temple
in Mountains, Ink on Silk,
960 CE, 111.76 x 55.88 cm.

Francisco Goya (Spanish Romanticism), The Third of May,
Oil on Canvas, 1814, 8′ 10″ x 11′ 5″
On May 2, 1808,
hundreds of
Spaniards rebelled.
On May 3, these
Spanish freedom
fighters were
rounded up and
massacred by the
French. Even though
Goya had shown
French sympathies in
the past, the
slaughter of his
countrymen and the
horrors of war made
a profound
impression on the
artist.

Manit Sriwanichpoom (Thai Contemporary), Pink Man on Tour # 6 (Amazing
Rice Field Northern Thailand), 1998, c-print mounted on aluminum, 40 x 50 cm

Elements of Art

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