Formal Elements of ArtPrinciples of Design

• Formal Elements = Line, Space, Color, Light, Texture, Pattern, Time, Motion

• Principles of Design = Balance, Proportion/Scale, Rhythm, Emphasis, Unity

Formal Elements + Principles of Design=

Composition

Formal Elements

• Line, Space, Color, Light, Texture• Animate the picture plane• Make the space dynamic rather than static• Engage the imagination• All artists use formal elements in artwork,

regardless of media (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, photography, textiles, ceramics, digital media…)

Line• The most fundamental element of art• Lines possess direction or reflect movement,

move the eye• Important in nature and human history• Three types of line: – Outline – Contour line– Implied line– *sometimes line is the work itself, and is not

necessarily any of the above three

Kara Walker

OutlineIndicates the edge of a 2-dimensional shape.

Auguste Rodin, “Ugolinosurrounded by his Three Children,” 1880.

http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/collections/drawings?number=48

Contour Line• Indicates the edges

and curves of a 3-dimensional shape.

• Implies depth in an image

• Hatching = Closely spaced parallel lines: “hatches”

• Cross-Hatching = Multiples sets of hatches that intersect to create more depth and volume in a piece.

• Lines create shaded areas: linear methods of modeling.

• Lines create volume: they are contour lines.

Implied Line

• Gesture activates space.• We can follow the line created by a mark,

gesture, or gaze.• Discontinuous, completed by viewer• Can also create a sense of directional

movement or force.

Eugene Delacroix, “Liberty Leading the People,” 1830.

James Lee

#1

Andy Goldsworthy, Dandelion Flowers pinned with Thorns,” 1985

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkHRZQU6bjI

Francis Alys, “The Green Line…,” 2004

Line Quality

• Intellectual, emotional, expressive qualities to lines

• Can be gestural or geometric• Autographic = consistent use of a formal

element of art, to the extent that it is recognizable as yours.

• Most artists use both loose and controlled lines in their work

Vincent Van Gogh, “Self Portrait,” 1889

Sol Lewitt, Wall Drawing No. 1136” 2004

Line Orientation

• Refers to the whole composition• Horizontal and Vertical Lines = rational,

controlled, stable. • Diagonal lines = chaotic, dynamic, unstable,

movement.

Jacques-Louis David, “Death of Marat,” 1793

Eugene Delacroix, “Liberty Leading the People,” 1830.

Space

• Implied or real sensation of three dimensions• Shape = a flat, two dimensional area. It’s

boundaries can be measured in height and width

• Mass = a solid, three-dimensional area. It’s boundaries are measured using height, width, and depth.

Shape Mass

Positive Shape (Positive Space) = The shape or form that immediately grabs our attention; the dominant shape in the composition

Negative Shape (Negative Space) = the background of any image, or the space between and around a form.

Donald Sultan, “Lemons, May 16, 1984,” 1984

Barbara Hepworth, “Family of Man,” 1970

Color

• Complex scientific definition: “the property of light determined by specific wavelengths bouncing off objects.”

• Basically, your eye perceives light reflected off objects as color.

• Primary Colors = Red, Yellow, and Blue• Secondary Colors = Orange, Green, and Violet• Intermediate Colors = mixture of a primary

color and a secondary color.

• Hue = The pure color itself (ex: red, blue, green)

• Value = Light and dark in a specific color, or a whole work of art (add white or black)

• Intensity (Saturation) = the brightness or dullness of a hue (add gray)

Neat Visual Tricks

• Colors can be organized by color temperature (warm and cool) – temperature can effect feeling in a piece

• Simultaneous Contrast = complimentary colors placed next to each other in a composition – our eyes can only see one at a time.

Texture

• Surface quality of a work

• Appeals to the sense of touch

Manuel Neri, “Mujer Pegada No. 2,” 2006

Actual Texture

• Physical, three-dimensional (even if it’s a two-dimensional surface like a painting)

Robert Ryman, “Untitled,” 1963

Visual Texture• Illusion of

texture in a 2-D surface

• Functions like perspective

• Can be realistic or abstract

• If you actually touch the surface, it will be smooth. Texture is a complete illusion.Max Ernst, “The Horde,” 1927

Principles of Design• Balance, Scale/Proportion, Rhythm, Emphasis,

Unity• Organization of formal elements: makes work

visually compelling or imbues work with meaning

• Composition = formal elements + principles of design

Balance• Symmetrical Balance = equal visual weight on

both sides of an image.• Asymmetrical Balance = Composition allows

objects of varying visual weight to balance one another.

• Radial Balance = Objects and designs in a composition radiate out from a central point.

• In 3-dimensional work, symmetry and asymmetry refer to how an object is balanced relative to it’s center of gravity.

Leonardo Da Vinci, “Vitruvian Man,” 1490 James McNeill Whistler, Girl in White with a Japanese Fan

Proportion

• The size of a partin relation to the whole.

Scale• The size of an object

in relation to the things around it.

Rhythm

• Measured repetition of elements – moves the eye in a work of art.

• Pattern, Music• Repeating motif (such as wallpaper)• Combination of related or similar colors (or

any other formal element) in a repetitive way

Henri Matisse, “Harmony in Red,” 1908-9

Pablo Picasso, “Portrait of Suzanne Bloch,” 1904

• Use formal elements (line, space, color, texture, pattern) to make something stand out more

• Can also manipulate proportion for emphasis.

• Focal point = point of focus or attention in a work of art

Emphasis

Unity• All design elements are in agreement – no

individual part is more important than the whole.• Creates a sense of harmony in a work of art.• Variety = diversity, visual counterpoint to unity.• Absolute unity in an image can be boring:

however, lack of unity can make an image confusing. Every artist must strive to find the perfect amount of unity in their work

• Work against unity to juxtapose two points or illustrate a complicated idea. (Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde)