Lesson 5:

Elements and Principles of Arts

I. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Enumerate the different elements of visual and auditory art;
2. Differentiate the principles of art;
3. Provide example of the interrelatedness of some of the elements and principles of art; and
4. Explain the relevance of the elements and principles of art in the study of art and its products (artworks).

II. CONCEPT NOTES

The elements of art are the basic components of art-making. It is impossible to create a work of art
without using at least one of the six elements of art. Artworks can also be analyzed according to the use of the
elements in a work of art.
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. In the same line of reasoning, the elements
of art, the aspects of an artwork that can be isolated from each other.

To learn more about art assumptions and nature of arts, read and write the following concepts in your
Batang Gapan Notebook.

I. ELEMENTS OF ART

A. VISUAL

To enumerate, the elements of art and design are the following: line, shape and form, space, color, and
texture.

1. Line is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal; straight or
curved; thick or thin.

a. Horizontal and vertical lines – refers to the orientation of the line. Horizontal lines are normally
associated with rest of calm. Vertical lines connote elevation or height which 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 are reminiscent of violence, conflict, or struggles.

c. Curved lines – these are lines that bend or coil. They allude to softness, grace, flexibility, or even
sensuality.

2. Shape is a closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or organic, like free-form or
natural shapes. Shapes are flat and can express length and width.

3. Forms are three-dimensional shapes expressing length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders, boxes, and
pyramids are forms.
 a. Geometric – these shapes find origin in mathematical propositions. These include shapes such as
squares, triangles, cubes, circles, spheres, and cones, among others.

b. Organic – organic shapes are those readily occurring in nature, often irregular and asymmetrical.

4. Space is the area between and around objects. The space around objects is often called negative space;
negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the feeling of depth. Real space is three-dimensional;
in visual art, when we create the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.

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.

5. 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).
 White is pure light; black is the absence of light.
 Primary colors are the only true colors (red, blue, and yellow). All other colors are mixes of primary
colors.
 Secondary colors are two primary colors mixed together (green, orange, violet).
 Intermediate colors, sometimes called tertiary colors, are made by mixing a primary and secondary
color together. Some examples of intermediate colors are yellow green, blue green, and blue violet.
 Complementary colors are located directly across from each other on the color wheel (an
arrangement of colors along a circular diagram to show how they are related to one another).
Complementary pairs contrast because they share no common colors. For example, red and green
are complements, because green is made of blue and yellow. When complementary colors are mixed
together, they neutralize each other to make brown.

6. Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth, soft or hard.
Textures do not always feel the way they look; for example, a drawing of a porcupine may look prickly,
but if you touch the drawing, the paper is still smooth.

Planes and Perspective

Some art forms work with actual spaces, such as sculptors, architects, and stage designer. However, the
pictorial art that is two-dimensional, notions of depth and hence perspective required 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.

Three types of perspective:

a. One-point perspective – often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways, or rows of tress; 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 places 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 a 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.

B. AUDITORY

Some of the common elements of music are the following: rhythm, dynamics, melody, harmony, timbre,
and texture.

1. Rhythm - A principle of design that indicates movement, created by the careful placement of repeated
elements in a work of art to cause a visual tempo or beat.

Classical terms are used to refer to the variations in tempo, some of which are:
 Largo – slowly and broadly
 Andante – walking pace
 Moderato – at moderate speed
 Allegro – fast
 Vivace – lively
 Accelerando – gradually speeding up
 Rallentado – gradually slowing down
 Rubato – literally “robbed time” rhythm is played freely for expressive effect

2. Dynamics – The elements 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 loud

3. 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 of 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 simultaneously played, this refers to a chord.

5. Timbre – Timbre is often likened to the color of music. It is a quality that 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 impressions onto the canvas.

6. Texture – the number of melodies, the type of 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

II. PRINCIPLES OF ART

These principles are: balance, scale and proportion, emphasis and contrast, unity and variety,
harmony, movement, rhythm, and repetition and pattern.

1. Balance
This principles refers to the distribution of the visual elements in view of their placement in relation
to each other.

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.
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.

Proportion is the size of the components, or of objects in relation to one another when taken as a
composition or a unit. This can also refer to values such as amounts or number of elements or objects in
the composition.

Proportion can be:

a. Natural – related to the realistic size of the visual elements in the artwork, especially for figurative artworks.
b. Exaggerated – refers to the unusual size relations of visual elements, deliberately exaggerating the immensity
or minuteness of an object.
c. Idealized – most common to those that follow canons of perfections, the size-relations of elements or objects,
which achieve the most ideal size-relations.

3. Emphasis
Emphasis allows the attention of the viewer to a focal points, accentuating or drawing attention to
these elements or objects. This can be done through the manipulation of the elements or through the
 assistance of other principles, especially that of contrast.

4. Contrast
Contrast is the disparity between the elements that figure into the composition. One object may be
made stronger compared to others objects. This can be done in many ways using the elements of art.

5. Unity
Unless intended to be otherwise, composition are intended to imbue a sense of accord or
completeness from the artwork. This is unity.

6. Variety
Variety 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 directions 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 elements 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 in turn imbues the feelings of security and calmness.