ELEMENTS AND

PRINCIPLES OF ART
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. enumerate the different elements of visual and auditory art;
2. differentiate the principles of art;
3. provide examples of the interrelatedness of some of the elements
and principles of art;
4. explain the relevance of the elements and principles of art in the
study of art and its products (artworks); and
5. illustrate examples of hybrid art and dissect what art forms are
combined therein.
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. In the same line of
reasoning, the elements of arts are the aspects of an artwork that can
be isolated from each other.
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 the perimeters of the artwork (edges) and/or become a substantial
component of the composition/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.
Known for using lines to provide the outline or contour of the figures he
portrays in his work, Keith Haring 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 Museum 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.
Keith Haring, ‘’ Todos juntos Podemos parar el sida’’ ( We Can All Together Stop AIDS). Plastic
paint on wall MACBA Collection Barcelona City Council long-term.
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 theses 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, which is usually taken to mean exaltation or
aspiration for action. Together, these lines communicates stability and
firmness.
B. Diagonal and crooked lines- diagonal lines convey movement and lines.
On the other hand, are reminiscent of violence, conflict, or struggle.
C. Curved lines- these are lines that bend or coil. The allude to softness
grace, flexibility, or even sensuality.