Elements and Principles of Design

Elements: Line Shape Form Color Value Texture Space Principles: Balance Emphasis & Focal Point Contrast Movement Variety Pattern & Repetition Unity Harmony/Gestalt Elements and Principles of Design

Line A line is defined as a mark with length and direction, created by a point that moves across a surface. A line can vary in length, width, direction, curvature, and color. Jasper Johns, 0-9 (continuous line) Gesture drawing

line Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm

line Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke, 1965

line Morris Louis, Beta Kappa 1961

Shape & Form Shape is an enclosed space defined by other elements of art. Shape is 2-Dimensional while form is 3-dimensional Shape can be Geometric or Organic Fernana Leger, The City Matisse, from the series “Jazz”

Are these shapes Geometric or Organic? shape Edward Steichen, Le Tournesol (Sunflower) 1920

form David Smith, Wandering Rocks

form Edward Hopper, the Lighthouse at Two Lights

Color Is an element of art with three properties 1) Hue, the name of the color, e.g. red, yellow, etc. 2) Intensity or the purity and strength of the color 3) Value, or the lightness or darkness of the color Jasper Johns, Target (primary colors) Delauney

Color Mark Rothko, Red, Orange, Tan and Purple Picasso, the Old Guitarist

Color Andre Derain, Mountains at Coullioure, 1905

Color Kandinsky, Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle), 1913

Color Van Gogh, Night Cafe

Value An element of art that refers to luminance or luminosity – the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is an especially important element in works of art when color is absent. This is particularly likely with drawings, printmaking, and photographs Kathe Kollwitz, Self portrait

Value Chuck Close (made w/ thumbprints!) Edward Weston, Pepper (photograph)

Texture Texture refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness. Actual texture can be felt while simulated textures are implied by the way the artist renders the surface area Oppenheim Fur-lined cup

Texture Actual and Implied Albrecht Durer Rhinocerus Golsdworthy

Space Space is the empty or open area between, around, above, below, or within objects. Shapes and forms are made by the space around and within them. Space is often called three-dimensional or two- dimensional. Positive space is filled by a shape or form. Negative space surrounds a shape or form.

Space Positive/Negative Space MC Escher

Space Depth Perugino, Delivery of the Keys

Space Depth De Chirico, Melancholy and Mystery of a Street

Balance Balance is a sense of stability in the body of work. Balance can be symmetrical (formal) or assymmetrical (informal) Wayne Thiebaud, Around the Cake (formal balance)

Balance Edgar Degas (informal balance)

Emphasis & Focal Point Emphasis - Any forcefulness that gives importance to some feature or features of an artwork; something singled out, stressed, or drawn attention to by means of contrast, anomaly, or counterpointFocal Point = portion of an artwork's composition on which interest or attention centers David Hockney

Emphasis & Focal Point Barbara Kruger Rene Magritte

Contrast A large difference between two things, such as light and shadow, color and black/white Andy Warhol

Contrast David, the Death of Marat

Movement Movement adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewers eye throughout the picture plane. Edward Munch, the Scream

Movement Umberto Boccioni, Unique forms of continuity in space Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending Staircase

Variety When elements are changed in scale, color, or form. Stuart Davis Andy Warhol

Pattern & Repetition Involves multiples of the same element. Repeated elements can vary in size, color, or axis placement. Repeated elements can create a pattern. The use of repetition may be applied to all Visual Elements. Motion can be created by repetition. William Morris Arts and Crafts Movement

Pattern & Repetition Chuck Close, Self Portrait, detail

Unity & Harmony The quality of wholeness or oneness (Gestalt) that is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of design. Claude Monet Haystacks

Unity Cezanne Wayne Theibaud

Unity Van Gogh

Identify the elements & principles in the following:

Your Assignment: • Work on handout with the book “Art Fundamentals” • Create 12 small artworks (6 elements, 6 principles) and • “visually define” them. Draw a 3 inch x 3 inch square - using a ruler - • And create small representations of each of the elements and • Principles • - you may use any media on hand -

Elements and Principles of Design