What are the elements of art
Have you ever encountered a work of art you loved in a museum or gallery but couldn't articulate why? If you're interested in visual art, you must know the seven art elements and how they bring our thoughts, emotions, and visions to life.
So, what are the elements of art — and why do they matter? Read on to find out.
The seven elements of art
Color
What we collectively consider “color" has multiple properties in visual art. All colors have a:
- Hue (color name or family)
- Value (the hue's darkness or lightness)
- Intensity (the hue's pigment concentration or strength)
Visual artists use color to evoke emotion, energy, and interest. For example, a piece featuring bright, highly pigmented colors may portray a fun, vibrant scene, while a black-and-white piece may rely on dark black and light gray hues to create high-contrast visual drama.
Form
In visual art, form encompasses height, width, and depth — also known as volume. Without form, artists could not depict three-dimensional figures.
Form can be geometric (recognizable and angular, like a pyramid) or organic (free-flowing, like a curved vase filled with flowers). Form is often considered in relation to space in drawings, paintings, and sculptures.
Line
Line unites, divides, and defines space in art. In its simplest form, a line is a mark signaling a direction in space. Line goes hand-in-hand with shape, as it's often involved in defining the outer limits of a figure.
It can also depict motion, boundaries, and flow in a piece. Artists incorporate line most obviously in drawing, but this element is present in many types of visual art.
Space
Space refers to the areas around and within an object or element of art. Positive space describes areas occupied by objects and/or art elements. Negative space is the “unoccupied" area surrounding objects and/or art elements.
Artists use positive and negative space to create contrast, flow, and depth.
Shape
A shape is created when two lines meet. In visual art, a shape is a two-dimensional form with a height and width. Like forms, shapes can be geometric or organic and take on various appearances.
However, unlike forms, shapes are limited to basic objects that lack depth. Shape is often a foundational element of gestural and still-life sketches.
Texture
Texture is a characteristic of art that adds nuance to a piece's physical appearance or feel. It can be a technique — like crosshatching or stippling — that depicts real-life textures or a three-dimensional surface with bumps, ridges, holes, or other tactile elements.
Texture can add visual interest, drama, and dimension to a piece. While texture can represent two-dimensional illusions, many multimedia artists use three-dimensional textures to encourage audience interaction.
Value
Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. White is the lightest color, while black is the darkest. Most artwork features a broad spectrum of light, medium, and dark values. Value can create contrast, drama, and nuance in a piece.
Shading, a common technique used in drawing, is an example of value in action. While value is often introduced in shades of white, gray, and black, it can describe the lightness or darkness of any color.