ELMENTS

AND
PRINCIPLES OF ART`

GROUP 5 MEMBERS HERMAN CAGUMAY CELRE ALEJANDRIA EDGEN BILL BANGIT

RHEA MAE ALMACIN ROBEN MARATAS JOHN LESTER ALBERO
 ELEMENTS OF ART: VISUAL
• Taking off from the scientific reference, elements of art are akin to the
atoms that are defined as the units or “building blocks” of matter.
Together, in a variety of combinations and formations, they have the
ability to create molecules such as water, or the more complex
sucrose. These formulations are almost the same with elements of
art when they are joined together, in a variety of ways.
• These elements of art are generally produced when something is
done to the medium after the technique is carried out. Some art forms
also necessitate, some of the elements as they inherent in the very
nature of them.
• For example: sculpture automatically have the following elements
with or without the decision of the artist to include them: shape, form
and space.
• Without these elements, there is no sculpture to begin with. Elements
are the necessary preconditions for the creation of art.
 LINE
A line refers to a point moving at an identifiable path– it has length and
direction. It also has width. It is one-dimensional, however, it has the
capacity to either define the perimeters of the artwork (edges) and/or
become a substantial component of the composition. Although a line is
“simple,” it has variations in view of its orientation/direction, shape and
thickness.
These variations import not only the visual elements into the artwork,
but suggest meaning or message being conveyed by the artist.
 KEITH HARING

Keith Haring portrays his work in the first executed the public mural
“Todos juntos Podemos parar el sida” (Together We Can Stop AIDS) in Barcelona in 1989.
In 2014, it was recreated at the foyer of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (Barcelona
Museum of Contemporary Art) to commemorate it.
Haring battled with HIV/AIDS to which he succumbed to in 1990.
  "TODOS JUNTOS PODEMOS PARAR EL SIDA"
(together we can stop AIDS),
the mural that Keith haring had painted in the raval
neighborhood 25 years earlier as a way of raising awareness of
the condition, and of reminding us that combating it was a joint
societal effort. It has remained there since then, on one of the
walls next to the museum, addressing everyone walking past it.
 THE DIFFERENCES OF LINES
a. Horizontal and vertical lines – refers to the orientation of the line.
Horizontal lines are normally associated with rest or calm.
Landscapes often contain these elements as works like these often connote a visual
sense of being parallel to the ground. It also alludes to position of the reclined body at
rest. Vertical lines, on the other hand, connote elevation or height, is usually taken to
mean exaltation or aspiration for action. Together, these lines communicate stability and
firmness.
b. Diagonal and crooked lines -- diagonal lines convey movement and instability,
although the progression can be seen.
Crooked or jagged lines, on the other hand, are reminiscent of violence, conflict, or
struggle.
c. Curved lines -- these are lines that bend or coil. They allude to softness grace,
flexibility, or even sensuality.
Francisco de Goya, ”Porque esconderlos?”
(Why Hide Them?) (1719-99)
Etching and aquatint. This print is
work No. 30 of the Caprichos series
(First edition, Madrid, 1799). Museo
del Prado Collection.
 FRANCISCO DE GOYA
One of the most important Spanish artists is Francisco de
Goya. Known for his prints, he is a master of etched works
and use of aquatint. He made use of this medium to
articulate his political views about the ills of society, war
scenes, and even the dreamlike and grotesque while still
engaging with what was happening around him. As with
most etchings and other types of prints, lines are dominant
visual components.
Théodore
Géricault, "The
Raft of Medusa"
(1818-19) Oil on
canvas. Musée de
Louvre, Paris.

The Raft of Medusa

Lines may not necessarily be explicit or literally
shown. As what many example will portray,
implied lines may be just as powerful, if not more.
In “The Raft of medusa,” the position and
orientation of the bodies that are aboard the raft
are predominantly diagonal in direction. This
creates not only movement but also tension in the
scene. Based on an actual event, the painting
depicts the 1816 wreckage of the French
government ship called Medusa.
 SHAPE AND FORM
These two are related to each other in the sense that they define the
space occupied by the object of art. Shape refers to two dimensions:
height and width, while form refers to three dimensions: height, width
and depth. Even if shapes are part of a bigger picture, each can be
identified by breaking the visual components apart and making
distinctions based on what we know and what we have seen. Two
categories can be used as a broad distinction:
a)Geometric – these shapes find origin in mathematical propositions. As
such, its translation and use are often man-made. These include
shapes such as squares, triangles, cubes, circles, spheres and cones
among others.
Piet Mondrian,
“Composition with
Color Planes and
Gray Lines 1”
(1918)
Oil on canvas.
Private Collection.

Composition with Color Planes and Gray Lines 1

 SHAPE AND FORM-2
b) Organic – organic shapes are those
readily occurring in nature, Often irregular
and asymmetrical. The design of the vase in
Figure 55 is foliage, a sample from a series
that made use of morning glories.
Louis Comfort Tiffany
(designer), Tiffany
Furnaces (Maker),Vase
made of favrile glass.
(c.a. 1913), Gift of
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Foundation, 1951. The
Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York.
Vase made of favrile glass
 Shapes may also be implied. For instance, Raphael's famous painting “The Madonna of the
Meadows” depicts three figures: Mary, the young (right), and the young John the Baptist (left). The
positions in which the group takes allude to a triangular shape reinforced by the garb of Mary.

Raphael, “The Madonna of the Meadows” (1505). Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
 SPACE
Related to shape and form is space. It is usually inferred from
a sense of depth, whether it is real or stimulated.
Real is three-dimensional. Like what has been previously
mentioned, sculptures are a perfect example of artworks that
bear this element. However, this can only be manifested in
two-dimensional artworks through the use of different
techniques, or the use (or non-use ) of area around a drawing
or picture.
In the middle of the AT&T Plaza at the Millennium Park in the loop Community
area in Chicago, the iconic “Cloud Gate” occupies a considerable space. Shape
like a bean, hence its other referent, the public sculpture was unveiled in 2004.
The dent in the middle offers a gap in witch people can pass through and gaze at
the sculpture in a different perspective.

Anish Kapoot, “Cloud Gate” (2004), located in Chicago,

Illinois.
 TWO DIMENSIONAL
ARTWORKS
“Not all works are sculptures”
In two-dimensional artworks, they may be implied.
a. Positive and negative space – usually identified with the white space
is the negative space. The positive space, on the other hand, is the
space where shadow is heavily used.
b. Three-dimensional space – can be simulated through a variety of
techniques such as shading. An illusion of three-dimensionality can be
achieved in a two-dimensional work.
 COLOR
“Color is perhaps one of the elements that enhances the appeal of an artwork”.
Its effect has range, allowing the viewer to make responses based on memory,
emotion, and instinct, among others.
This element is a property of light, as it is reflected off the object. Color is not
intrinsic to an object and without light, one cannot perceive color.
Color begins with the notion of a Color Theory that was first unraveled by the
experiments undertaken by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666.
A ray of sunlight passing through a prism reveals an array of colors akin to that
of a rainbow.
An upshot of this color theory is the creation of a color wheel.
Color Wheel courtesy of Jaime Costiglio.
 The color wheel corresponds to the first property of color, hue.
a. Hue – this dimension of color gives its name. it can be subdivided into:
 Primary colors – red, yellow, and blue.
 Secondary colors – green, orange, and violet
 Tertiary colors – six in total, these hues are achieved when primary and
secondary colors are mixed
b. Value – this refers to the brightness or darkness of color. Often, this is
used by artists to create the illusion of depth and solidity, a particular
mood, communicate a feeling, or in establishing a scene
(e.g., day and night).
 Light colors – taken as the source of light in the composition
 Dark colors – the lack or even absence of light
 We can identify the color even when a range is presented to us.
Expectations are also established based on the notion that yellow is within
the light value; whereas, violet is in the dark. Each primary color has a
range of values based on the addition and diminishing quantity and quality
of light.
 Tint – this is a lighter color than the normal value (e.g., pink for red)
 Shade – This is a darker color than the normal value (e.g., maroon for
red)
c. Intensity – this is the color’s brightness or dullness. It is identified as the
strength of color, whether it is vivid or muted. To achieve a specific
intensity of a color, one may add either gray or its complementary color.
 Bright or warm colors – positive energy
 Dull or cool colors – sedate/soothing, seriousness or calm
 To better understand intensity of color, color harmonies
are to be considered. In interior design, we often hear
designers refer to color schemes – a guide for selecting
not only wall print but also furniture and decor. However,
color harmonies are also integral considerations not only
for pictorial arts but also for other art forms.
 Monochromatic harmonies – use the variations of a hue.
An example is Claud Monet’s “Houses of Parliament”.
 Complementary harmonies – involve two colors
opposite each other in the color wheel. Since they are at
contrary positions, the reaction is most intense.
Claude Monet, “Houses of Parliament” (1900/1). Oil
on canvas. Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
(Bequeathed, 1933). Art Institute Chicago.

“Houses of Parliament”
Figure 60. Cima da Conegliano (Giovanni Battista Cima), “Three Saints: Roch, Anthony Abbot, and
Lucy”. Oil on canvas transferred to wood (ca. 1513). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Notice the altar piece featuring Saint Anthony Abbot and
Saint Roch (Figure 60). Along with them is Saint Lucy,
patron of the blind, whose red and green garb beautifully
showcases an example of complementary harmonies.
 Analogous harmonies – make use of two colors beside
each other in the color wheel.
Figure 61. Edgar Degas, “Before the Race” (1882-1884) Oil on panel.
Henry Walters (Bequeathed, 1931) Walters Art Museum (WAM).
Other harmonies have emerged such as triadic harmonies,
which make use of three colors from equidistant sites within
the color wheel. This, however, does not mean that artists will
limit themselves to these kinds of harmonies. These are but
jump-off points that artist and other creatives use.
Color presents a multitude of possibilities that affects how
works of art are taken in by the viewer.
Just taking a look at fiery and passionate reds of the clouds
and the sky in Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” would bring
oneself to ask: Did Munch depict a romantic sunset or a
warning of coming horrors? A clue is not in the colors alone,
but rather, in the face of the man himself that is prominent in
the painting.
Figure 62. Edvard Munch, “The Scream” (1893). Tempera and
casein on cardboard. Munchmuseet, Nasjonalgalleriet, Osio.
 TEXTURE
Like space, texture can be either real or
implied. This element in an artwork is
experienced through the sense of touch (and
sight). This element renders the art object tactile.
Figure 63. Frans Pourbus the Younger, “Margherita Gonzaga, princess of mantua. “Oil on
canvas Bequest of Collis P. Huntington, 1990, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
 TEXTURE-2
Texture is commonly associated with textiles. In the portrait rendered by court
painter Frans Pourbus the Younger, Princess Margherita’s garb is adorned in
opulent bead and stitch work that are befitting her rank.
This was achieved using the techniques employed by the artist in creating the work.
a.Textures in the two-dimension plane – texture can be implied using one technique
or a combination other elements of art. By creating this visual quality in the
artwork, one can imagine how the surface will feel if it was to be touched. Some of
the words used to described texture are the following: rough or smooth, hard or
soft, hairy, leathery, sharp or dull, etc. To be able to stimulate the texture of a
surface in a flat, two-dimensional plan is one important skill that an artist must be
familiar with, especially if his idea or concept necessitates it.
 TEXTURE
b. Surface texture – refers
to the texture of the three-
dimensional art object.
 TEXTURE
c. Three-point perspective – in this type of
perspective, the viewer is looking at a scene
from above or below. As the same suggest, it
makes use of the three vanishing points, each
corresponding to each axis of the scene.
Figure 64. School of Ogata Kōrin (Japanese, 1658 – 1716), Inrō with Rinpa Style Kanza and Jittoku (Edo period). Three cases; lacquered wood
with mother-of-pearl and pewter inlay on gold lacquer ground; Pouch: printed cotton with sarasa pattern; Ojime: metal bead. H. O. Havemeyer
Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York .
The elements of art make it possible to engage with visual and
tactile qualities of the artwork through a “common language”
that may be widely understood. Through these elements, there
is something from which the idea, concept, message, or
intended mood of the artist may be inferred. It offers a starting
point or a baseline from which analysis may take place. This
kind of analysis is called “formal analysis of art.”
PLANES AND PERSPECTIVE
Some art forms work with actual spaces, such as sculptors, architects, and
stage designers. However, with pictorial art that is two-dimensional, notions
of depth and hence perspective requires the implementation of principles
and techniques in creating an illusion that will fool the eye to three-
dimensionality when in reality there is none.

Picture plane is the actual surface of the painting or drawing, where no

illusion of a third dimension exists. Here, the elements lay flat, as if one was
looking through a window into what lies on the other side of the glass.
Figure 65. G. Herbert & Horace C. Bayley, Photographer, Partington – New
Railway Vladuct, Interior. negative May 1893 (print 1894), Gelatin silver print .
A viewpoint may also be construed as normal (view standing up), low (view from a
lower angle), or high (view looking down on a scene) depending on the position the
viewer takes.
There are three types of perspective, grounded on the number of vanishing
points used by the artist:
a. One-point perspective – often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways, or rows
of trees; this type of perspective shows parallel lines that seem to converge at a
specific and lone vanishing point, along the horizon line.
b. Two-point perspective – pertains to a painting or drawing that makes use of two
vanishing points, which can be placed anywhere along the horizon line. It is
often used in depicting structures such as houses or buildings in the landscape
that are viewed from a specific corner.
c. Three-point perspective – in this type of perspective, the viewer is looking at the
scene from above or below. As the name suggests, it makes use of the three
vanishing points, each corresponding to each axis of the scene.
Figure 66. Gustav Caillebotte, “Rue de Figure 67. Berenice Abbott, “Chanon
Paris, temps de pluie” (Paris Street in Building, New York,” (about 1935), Gelatin
Rainy Weather), 1877. Oil on canvas. silver print. Gift of Nina and Leo Pircher.
 ELEMENTS OF ART: AUDITORY
Together with literature, music as an art form is classified as auditory art.
However, some would argue that it is under the broad category of performance
art. Either way, music, much like the visual arts, has its own building blocks or
elements.
If there is an important quality that music has, it is having the capacity to
transcend barriers, even that of differences in language or conventions in sound.
Different demographics, groups, and individuals may have specific preferences as
to the genre of music. However, in order to establish this preference, listeners
often take to its elements for its evaluation. Some of the common elements of
music are the following: rhythm, dynamics, melody, harmony, timbre, and texture.
 ELEMENTS OF ART: AUDITORY
1. Rhythm
Often associated to the terms beat, meter, and tempo, rhythm is the element of music
that situates it in time. It is the pulse of the music. Beat is the basic unit of music while
tempo refers to its speed (beats/second). Beats can be organized into a recognizable
recurrent pattern, which is called the meter.
Classical terms are used to refer to the variations in tempo, some of which are:
• Largo – slowly and broadly
• Vivace – lively
• Andante – walking pace • Accelerando – gradually speeding up
• Moderato – at moderate speed • Rallentado – gradually slowing down
• Allargando – getting slower, broadening
• Allegro – fast • Rubato – literally “robbed time”, rhythm is
played freely for expressive effect
 ELEMENTS OF ART: AUDITORY
2. Dynamics
The element of music that refers to the loudness or quietness of music is
dynamics. Classical terms are used to refer to the different levels pertaining to
this:
• Pianissimo [pp] – very quiet
• Piano [p] – quiet
• Mezzo-piano [mp] – moderately quiet
• Mezzo-forte [mf] – moderately loud
• Forte [f] – loud
• Fortissimo [ff] – very
When composers loud an increase, or decrease in loudness, they use the term
indicate
crescendo for the former; and decrescendo or diminuendo for the latter.
 ELEMENTS OF ART: AUDITORY
3. Melody
Melody refers to the linear presentation (horizontal) of pitch, By horizontal, it means
that in musical notation, it is read in succession from left to right. Pitch is the highness
or lowness of musical sound.
4. Harmony
If melody is horizontal, harmony is vertical. It arises when pitches are combined to
form chords. When several notes are simultaneously played,
This refers to a chord.
Harmony can be described in terms of its “harshness”: dissonance is the harsh-
sounding combination while consonance is the smooth-sounding combination.
 ELEMENTS OF ART: AUDITORY
5. Timbre
Timbre is often likened to the color of music. It is a quality the distinguishes a voice or an
instrument from another. Dependent on the technique, the timbre may give a certain tone or
characteristic to music, much like how a painter evokes different effects or impression onto the
canvas.
6. Texture
The number of melodies, the type layers, and their relatedness in a composition is the
texture of music. It may be:
• Monophonic – single melodic line
• Polyphonic – two or more melodic lines
• Homophonic – main melody accompanied by chords
Akin to artworks whose style, medium, and technique emphasize some of the
elements in visual arts, a composition and genre of music may emphasize the
elements of music previously outlined. Some elements may even be de-
emphasized or omitted altogether. These elements may be isolated from each
other. However, as visual or musical compositions, the combination of these
elements in art is what we initially engage with.
Most often, elements do not only coexist in the artwork, but are fused
together or overlap with each other, in visual arts, have overlapping elements.

Principles of Art
The appreciation and engagement of art relies substantially on being
equipped with the appropriate language that allows it to be more
comprehensible. If the elements of art were like the letters (i.e., combining these
letters will form words, phrases, and sentences), then the principles of art would
perhaps be the closest to the rules of grammar and composition. Learning these
principles will lessen the intimidation and might even open vast possibilities for
the novice looker to have a more pleasurable experience of art.
These principles will provide explicit ways in which these
elements are used, how they are manipulated, how they
interact, and how they inform the overall composition of the
artwork to assist the artist in conveying his intention. It is the
principles of art that influence the effect achieved by the
elements, and the linkages of other principles. These principles
are: balance, scale and proportion, emphasis and contrast,
unity and variety, harmony, movement, rhythm, and repetition
and pattern.

1. Balance
This principle refers to the distribution of the visual elements
in view of their placement in relation to each other.
Figure 68. Isamu Noguchi. “Cube.” Entrance of Marine Midland Building, Manhattan.
 There are three forms of balance:

a. Symmetrical – the elements used on one side are reflected to the other.
This offers the most stable visual sense to any artwork.

Figure 69. UP Diliman, Oblation Statue

b. Asymmetrical – the elements are not the same (or of the same weight) on each side, putting the heaviness
on one side.
c. Radial – there is a central point in the composition, around which elements and objects are distributed.
2. Scale and Proportion
Scale pertains to the size in relation to what is normal for the figure or object in question.

Figure 70. Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen, “Plaintor” (2001)
Meredith Corporation Collection, Des Moines.
The Egyptian artists, the human form follows a square grid and is
informed by the palm of the hand as a unit of measure. To
complete a standing human figure, 18 units (squares) are needed
from head to foot. On the other hand, Greeks held that numerical
relationship – the golden ratio – was a key to beauty or to
perfection. In the golden ration.
The figure is divided into two unequal segments wherein the
smaller is the same ratio to the larger segment, and that the longer
segment is the same ratio in relation to the whole. In figures, it can
be valued at 1:1.618.

Figure 71. Leonardo da Vinci, “Vitruvian Man” (1490). Pen and ink with
wash over metalpoint on paper. Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, Italy.
Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” is an exploration on the ideas of the Roman
architect Vitruvius, in which the human body is an example of a classical
proportion in architecture, For da Vinci, man’s body can be used to better
understand the symmetry that exists in nature and the universe.

Proportion can be:

a. Natural – relates to the realistic size of the visual elements in the artwork,
especially for figurative artworks. When it is the accuracy in relation to the real
word that the artist is after, this is now referred to as the principle of scale.

b. Exaggerated – refers to the unusual size relations of visual elements,

deliberately exaggerating the immensity or minuteness of an object.

In relation to this, there are notions in scale that differentiate when an

element is smaller than expected (diminutive), and when something appears to
be larger than what is presumed (monumental).

c. Idealized - most common to those that follow canons of perfection, the

size-relations of elements or objects, which achieve the most ideal size-relations.
3-4. Emphasis and Contrast
Emphasis allows the attention of the viewer to a focal point(s),
accentuating or drawing attention to these elements or objects. This
can be done through the manipulation of the elements or through
assistance of other principles, especially that of contrast.

Contrast is the disparity between the elements that figure into the
composition. One object may be made stronger compared to other
objects (hence, emphasis). This can be done in many ways using the
elements of art. For instance, space, specifically the use of negative
and positive space, is an example of contrast. Another example is
the use of complementary colors in a work of art.

5-6. Unity and Variety

Unless intended to be otherwise, compositions are intended
to imbue a sense of accord or completeness from the artwork. This is
unity.
Figure 72. “Vasudhara Mandala” (dated to 1777; Samvat 897), Distemper on cloth. Gift of
Stephen and Sharon Davies Collection, 2015. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Variety, on the other hand, is the principle that aims to retain the interest by allowing
patches or areas that both excite and allow the eye to rest.

7. Harmony
Like what is hinted above, unity and variety is related to the principle of harmony, in
which the elements or objects achieve a sense of flow and interconnectedness.

8. Movement.
This refers to the direction of the viewing eye as it goes through the artwork, often
guided by areas, or elements that are emphasized. These focal points can be lines,
edges, shape, and color within the work of art, among others.

9. Rhythm
This is created when an element is repeated, creating implied movement. Variety of
repetition helps invigorate rhythm as depicted in the artwork.
10-11. Repetition and Pattern
Lines, shapes, colors, and other elements may appear in an artwork in a recurring
manner. This is called repetition. In addition, the image created out of repetition is called
pattern. With repetition, there is a sense of predictability that is conveyed, which is turn
imbues the feelings of security and calmness.
Figure 73. Vincent van Gogh, “La Berceuse” (Woman
Rocking a Cradle; Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin,
1851-1930). Oil on canvas, The Walter H. and Leonore
Annenberg Collection, Gift of Walter H. and Leonore
Annenberg, 1996, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Combined or Hybrid Art