Elements of Art
The elements of art are the building blocks used by artists to create a work of art.
Line
Line - referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point.
This photo shows line because of the train tracks going down the hill. This is line because it is a continuous mark all the way down the hill guiding the image. |
Shape
Form
Form - three dimensional figures, or figures with the illusion of being three dimensional.
This photo shows form because the statue is a three dimensional figure that is represented in the photo. The different snake heads going in all different directions are the three dimensional aspect of the statue which makes this photo emphasize form |
Space
Space is the area between and around objects.
This photo shows space because the area the palm tree branches make up around the object which in this case is the sunset provides space. This space around the sunset provides depth and emphasis of the sunsets beauty. |
Texture
Texture is how a surface of something feels or looks. It is the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc.
This photo shows texture because of the the nonuniform pattern of the surface of the tree stump. This nonuniform pattern provides texture due to its roughness that is captured in the photo. |
Color
Color is light reflected off of objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue (the name of the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).
This photo is an example of color because the light on the lake and the clouds is color being reflected. Furthermore, this photos emphasized color could be described as a light red with high saturation. |
Value
Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It defines how light or dark a given color or hue can be. Values are best understood when visualized as a scale or gradient, from dark to light.
This photo shows value because the idea of light and dark colors are highlighted in the varying exposures of this photo especially due to the fact that certain parts of the building appear black and others gray even though in reality they are the same color. This difference in color exposure is a perfect example of value. |