Artistic Design

Review of the Elements & Principles

Elements of Art

The basic visual symbols that artists use to create works of visual art.

Line

Vincent van Gogh Street in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, 1888

Shape

Henri Matisse Sorrow of the King (1952)

Form

Barbara Hepworth ~ Hieroglyph, 1953

Raphaelle Peale, A Dessert, 1814

Color

Paul Cezanne ~ Mont Sainte-Victoire Seen from Les Lauves 1904-06

Paul Cezanne ~ Le Mont Sainte-Victoire 1897-98

Value

Pablo Picasso, Fernande with Black Mantilla, 1905-06

Space

Jacob LawrencePool Parlor, 1942

Shallow space

Deep space

Casper David Friedrich ~ Riesengebirge , 1835

Texture

Janet Fish ~ Lamp and Book, 2004

Visual Texture

Tactile Texture

Ann GoldmanDraped Rock

Principles of Design

Guidelines for using the elements of art to produce certain visual effects in a work of art.

Frank Stella ~ Khurasan Gate III, 1968

Symmetrical Balance

Balance

M.C. EscherDevelopment II 1939

Radial Balance

Katsushika Hokusai ~ Mount Fiji, 1831

Asymmetrical Balance

Contrast

Artemisia Gentileschi Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1612-13

Rhythm & Repetition

Claude Monet ~ Poplars along the River Epte, Autumn 1891

Proportion & Scale

Georgia O’KeeffeSummer Days, 1936

Lucien Freud Red-haired Man on a Chair, 1962-63

Figure/Ground Relationship

Emphasis (Focal Point)

Edward Hopper ~ New York Movie, 1939

Unity & Variety

Charles DemuthIn the Province (Roofs)