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Elements &
Principles of art by
Arjun Kumar SinghAssistant professor
Lovely Professional UniversityPunjab, India
1. MovementMovement shows actions, or alternatively, the path the viewer's eye follows throughout an artwork. Movement
is caused by using elements under the rules of the principles in picture to give the feeling of motion and to
guide the viewer's eyes throughout the artwork. In movement an art should flow, because the artist has
the ability to control the viewer's eye. The artists control what the viewers see and how they see it, like a
path leading across the page to the item the artist wants the viewer's attention focused on.
Vincent van Gogh Year 1889 Type Oil on canvas Dimensions 73.7 cm × 92.1 cm (29 in × 36¼ in)
Location Museum of Modern Art (F612, JH1731) [1], New York City
2. UnityA principle of art, unity occurs when all of the
elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole. Unity is another of those hard-to-describe art terms but, when it's
present, your eye and brain are pleased to see it.
The Calling of Saint Matthew by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio completed in 1599-1600 , Contarelli Chapel
3. HarmonyHarmony is achieved in a body of work by using similar
elements throughout the work, harmony gives an uncomplicated look to a piece of artwork or sculpture.
Color harmony or color theory is also considered a principle through the application of the design element
of color.
4. VarietyVariety is the quality or state of having different forms or types, notable use of contrast, emphasis, difference
in size and color
5. BalanceAs a basic principle of art (specifically of design), balance refers
to the ways in which the elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures, etc.) of a piece are arranged. Balance is one of those
useful terms to know, if one is to employ Art Speak.Balance can be symmetrical ("formal"), where elements are
given equal "weight" from an imaginary line in the middle of a piece. For the most basic example of symmetry, think of your
eyes in relation to either side of your nose.Balance doesn't necessarily mean symmetry, though.
Asymmetrical ("informal") balance occurs when elements are placed unevenly in a piece, but work together to produce
harmony overall.
6. ContrastA principle of art, contrast refers to the arrangement of
opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.
The colors white and black provide the greatest degree of contrast. Complementary colors also highly contrast
with one another.An artist can employ contrast as a tool, to direct the
viewer's attention to a particular point of interest within the piece.
7. ProportionProportion is a principle of art that describes the size, location or amount of one element to another (or to
the whole) in a work. It has a great deal to do with the overall hamrony of an individual piece.
Think of Leonardo's Vitruvian Man (you know the guy: naked, inserted within a rectangle within a circle, arms
outstretched, legs shown both together and spread, etc.) for a clear idea of just how much thought has gone
into proper proportioning over the ages.
8. RhythmRhythm is a principle of art that's difficult to summarize in words. Assuming that you've picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what you heard with your ears and try to translate that to something you'd see with
your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat.A pattern has rhythm, but not all rhythm is patterned. For example, the colors of a piece can convey rhythm,
by making your eyes travel from one component to another. Lines can produce rhythm by implying
movement. Forms, too, can cause rhythm by the ways in which they're placed one next to the other.
Really, it's easier to "see" rhythm in just about anything other than the visual arts. Literally-minded types should
stick to music for rhythm.
9. PatternA principle of art - and probably the universe itself -
pattern means the repetition of an element (or elements) in a work.
An artist achieves a pattern through the use of colors (children playing with Legos® know this instinctively),
lines (think: Op Art) or shapes (as with mosaics, tessellations, etc.).