The Visual Language

―The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.‖
-Aristotle
Introduction:

This lesson provides definition and examples of the elements of art that are used by artists
working in various media. The elements of art are components or parts of a work of art that can be
isolated and defined. They are the building blocks used to create a work of art.

Learners who can identify the elements and evaluate their role and composition of a work of art
will be better able to understand an artist‘s choices. They will be equipped to address whether a work of
art is successful.

The Elements of Art

( Jeanie Ann S. Amburgo )

Composition:

The arrangement of elements in a work of art. All works of art have an order determined by the
artist. Composition creates a hierarchy within the work, which tells the viewer the relative importance of
the imagery and elements included.

Two types of Composition:

1. Symmetrical Composition
It convey a sense of stability. In this example, a single large figure in the center is flanked
by a smaller by a smaller figure on either side. The shape of the artwork itself is also symmetrical
– a vertical line bisecting the image would create two equal halves that are mirror images of one
another.
2. Asymmetrical Composition
Often convey a sense of movement since the elements of the composition are unbalanced. In
this example, the artist used organic forms to create a composition that mimics the movement of
vines growing in an unordered fashion around the clock face.

Line:

A line is an identifiable path created by a point moving in space. It is one-dimensional and can
vary in width, direction, and length. Lines often define the edges of a form. Lines can be horizontal,
vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin. They lead your eye around the composition and can
communicate information through their character and direction

 Horizontal Lines- Horizontal lines suggest a feeling of rest or repose because objects parallel to the
earth are at rest. In this landscape, horizontal lines also help give a sense of space. The lines
delineate sections of the landscape, which recede into space. They also imply continuation of the
landscape beyond the picture plane to the left and right
 Vertical Lines- Vertical lines often communicate a sense of height because they are perpendicular
to the earth, extending upwards toward the sky. In this church interior, vertical lines suggest
spirituality, rising beyond human reach toward the heavens.
 Horizontal and Vertical Lines- Horizontal and vertical lines used in combination communicate
stability and solidity. Rectilinear forms with 90-degree angles are structurally stable. This
stability suggests permanence and reliability.
 Diagonal lines convey a feeling of movement. Objects in a diagonal position are unstable. Because
they are neither vertical nor horizontal, they are either about to fall or are already in motion. The
angles of the ship and the rocks on the shore convey a feeling of movement or speed in this stormy
harbor scene.
 In a two-dimensional composition, diagonal lines can also indicate depth through perspective.
These diagonal lines pull the viewer visually into the image. For example, in this photograph the
diagonal lines lead the eye into the space to the point where the lines converge.
 Curved Lines-The curve of a line can convey energy. Soft, shallow curves recall the curves of the
human body and often have a pleasing, sensual quality and a softening effect on the composition.
The edge of the pool in this photograph gently leads the eye to the sculptures on the horizon.
  Twisted Lines- Sharply curved or twisted lines can convey turmoil, chaos, and even violence. In
this sculpture, the lines of the contorting bodies and the serpent help convey the intensity of the
struggle against the snake's stranglehold
 Repeated Lines- When repeated, lines can create a pattern. In this example, the artist repeated
different kinds of lines across the composition to create various patterns. Patterned lines also give
the image rhythm.

Shape and Form

Shape and form define objects in space. Shapes have two dimensions—height and width—and are usually
defined by lines. Forms exist in three dimensions, with height, width, and depth

 Shape has only height and width. Shape is usually, though not always, defined by line, which can
provide its contour. In this image, rectangles and ovals dominate the composition. They describe
the architectural details for an illusionist ceiling fresco.
 Form has depth as well as width and height. Three-dimensional form is the basis of sculpture,
furniture, and decorative arts. Three-dimensional forms can be seen from more than one side, such
as this sculpture of a rearing horse.
 Include mathematical, named shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, and
cones. Geometric shapes and forms are often man-made. However, many natural forms also have
geometric shapes. This cabinet is decorated with designs of geometric shapes.
 Organic shapes and forms are typically irregular or asymmetrical. Organic shapes are often found
in nature, but man-made shapes can also imitate organic forms. This wreath uses organic forms to
simulate leaves and berries.
 Repeated shapes and forms also create patterns. On this manuscript page, the repeating organic
floral shapes create a pattern.

Space:

Real space is three-dimensional. Space in a work of art refers to a feeling of depth or three
dimensions. It can also refer to the artist's use of the area within the picture plane. The area around the
primary objects in a work of art is known as negative space, while the space occupied by the primary
objects is known as positive space

Positive and Negative Space

The relationship of positive to negative space can greatly affect the impact of a work of art. In this
drawing, the man and his shadow occupy the positive space, while the white space surrounding him is the
negative space. The disproportionate amount of negative space accentuates the figure's vulnerability and
isolation.

Three-Dimensional Space

The perfect illusion of three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional work of art is something that
many artists, such as Pieter Saenredam, labored to achieve. The illusion of space is achieved through
perspective drawing techniques and shading

Color:

Light reflected off objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue (red, green, blue,
etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is). Colors can be described as
warm (red, yellow) or cool (blue, gray), depending on which end of the color spectrum they fall.

Value

It describes the brightness of color. Artists use color value to create different moods. Dark colors in
a composition suggest a lack of light, as in a night or interior scene. Dark colors can often convey a sense
of mystery or foreboding.
Light colors often describe a light source or light reflected within the composition. In this painting,
the dark colors suggest a night or interior scene. The artist used light colors to describe the light created
by the candle flame.

Intensity:
 Intensity describes the purity or strength of a color. Bright colors are undiluted and are often
associated with positive energy and heightened emotions. Dull colors have been diluted by mixing with
other colors and create a sedate or serious mood. In this image the artist captured both the seriousness
and the joy of the scene with the dull gray stone interior and the bright red drapery.

Texture:

The surface quality of an object that we sense through touch. All objects have a physical texture.
Artists can also convey texture visually in two dimensions.
In a two-dimensional work of art, texture gives a visual sense of how an object depicted would feel
in real life if touched: hard, soft, rough, smooth, hairy, leathery, sharp, etc.

Texture depicted in two-dimensions

Artists use color, line, and shading to imply textures. In this painting, the man's robe is painted to
simulate silk. The ability to convincingly portray fabric of different types was one of the marks of a great
painter during the 17th century.

Surface texture
The surface of this writing desk is metallic and hard. The hard surface is functional for an object that
would have been used for writing. The smooth surface of the writing desk reflects light, adding sparkle to
this piece of furniture.

Point:

A point is the visual element upon which all others are based. It can be defined as a singularity in
space or, in geometric terms, the area where two coordinates meet. When an artist marks a simple point
on a surface, (also referred to as the ground), they immediately create a figure-ground relationship.

For example, Pointillism is a style of painting made famous by the French artist Georges Seurat in
the late nineteenth century. He and others in the Pointillist group created paintings by juxtaposing
points—or dots—of color that optically mixed to form lines, shapes and forms within a composition.

Line
(John Paul D. Bejico)

• Line is one of the seven elements of art. It is considered as by many to be the most basic element of
art. In terms of art, line is considered as ―a moving dot‖.

• It can create shapes, texture, and variety in art depending on how it is used.

• A line connects two points and can go on forever. It is made by a pointed tool such as a pen, crayon,
marker, paint brush, etc.

• Real/Actual lines are the ones that we draw and the ones that are the most known.

• Implied lines are created through the sense of the line being there.

• Lines come in all shapes and sizes and the types of line that can be drawn are endless. Some
common forms of line include horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zigzag, curved, and broken lines.

Horizontal Lines

• Horizontal line are line that are parallel to the horizon and generally flow from the left to right or
vice versa.

• Create a sense of relaxation.

• Stagnant to the eye and sometimes boring.

Vertical Lines

• Vertical line are line that move up and down without any slant.

• Create a sense of growth or height

 • In fashion, vertical lines create a long and lean silhouette.

Diagonal lines

• Diagonal lines are the lines that slant.

• Create a sense of tension with the edges of the paper.

• Exciting!

Zigzag Lines

• Zigzag lines are lines that change direction abruptly.

• Create a sense of chaos.

Curved Lines

• Curved lines are the lines that gradually change direction.

• Create a sense of infinity/never ending movement.

• Feminine and graceful

Contour Lines

• It is the most obvious use of line is when it is used to define the edges or boundaries of a subject.

• In most cases, when we begin a drawing, wee start by drawing the outline of the subject.

Cross Contour Lines

• It follow paths across a shape to show differences in surface features. They give flat shapes a
sense of form, and can also be used to create shading.

Hatch Lines

• Hatch lines are repeated at short intervals in generally one direction. They give shading and
visual texture to the surface of an object.

Crosshatch Lines

• Crosshatch lines provide additional tone and texture.

• Cross hatching is the process of developing the value (or shading) in a drawing or painting using
lines that cross over each other. Just like with hatching, the greater the concentration of marks,
the darker the value.

Some Basic Terms

• Line Variation- the use of variety of line including width, length, texture, thickness, and etc. to add
interest to a drawing or painting.

• Length- lines can be long or short.

• Width- lines can be wide or skinny

• Texture- lines can be rough or smooth.

• Direction- lines can move in any direction.

Shapes: Positive, Negative and Planar

• Positive shapes and negative shapes refer to the shapes created by changes in space.

• We can visually determine positive shapes (the figure) and negative shapes (the ground).

• Positive shapes represents solid objects and negative shapes show the surrounding space.

• A plane or planar shapes are defined as any surface area in space.

• A shape‘s orientation within the picture plane creates a visually implied plane, inferring direction
and depth in relation to the viewer.
Figure - Ground Relationship -The Technique That Master Artist Use To Separate Their Subject Clearly
From The Background.

( Marla N. Fernandez )

Three Types Of Figure-ground Relationships:

Stable- It‘s clear what‘s figure and what‘s ground. One or the other usually dominates the composition.

Reversible - Both figure and ground attract the viewer‘s attention equally. This creates tension, whereby
either can overtake the other, leading to a dynamic design.

Ambiguous - can appear to be both figure and ground simultaneously. They form equally interesting
shapes, and the viewer is left to find their own entry point into the composition.

Importance:

Directs the audience to look at different parts of the design and interpret what they see in different
contexts.

Space:

It refers to the distances or areas around, between and within components of piece.

- Space can emphasize a specific subject matter and lead our gaze towards it.

- Space gives the viewer a reference for interpreting an artwork.

Type of Space:

 positive and negative,

 shallow and deep,
 two-dimensional and Three dimensional

Positive And Negative Space

Positive space is the "occupied" areas in a work of art that is filled with something such as, lines,
colors and shapes. It is the primary subject matter of a painting; the animals, plants, building, mountain,
vase, people, etc., that forms your area-of-interest. It dominates the eye and is the focal point in a
composition.

Negative Space refers to the unoccupied areas that surround the subject matter. It is more passive
in nature and is defined by the edges of the positive space it surrounds. It is what gives definition to our
composition. negative space. It is unused or not as active, or ―passive‖, in its use of the subject matter.
Negative space is not always completely boring like a white piece of paper.

Deep and shallow space

 refers to the degree of depth a picture plane has.

 in a visual composition consists of the foreground, middle ground, and background.
 Shallow space is more related to two-dimensional space, in a visual composition will mostly depict
subject matter closer to us, the viewers.

Two Dimensional and Three Dimensional

Two-Dimensional Space in Art

 is where there are only two dimensions: length and breadth.

 A canvas, paper, chart, or any plane with only length and breadth has a two-dimension space.

Three-Dimensional Space

 In the real world, Space is three-dimensional, meaning it has length, breadth, and height (or
depth).
Mass:

 The amount of attention an object in a scene commands.

 It is also referred to as visual weight

Importance:

Balancing visual weight is important in many compositions. If elements are not balanced, then the
viewer will spend much of their focus on one particular part of the scene, rather than letting the focus
flow through the composition as intended.

THE VISUAL ELEMENTS – COLOR

( Leody S. Castro )

Color is the visual element that has the strongest effect on our emotions. It is the element we use to
create the mood or atmosphere of an artwork.

Color as Light

'Street Light' by Giacomo Balla is a poetic impression that represents the physical properties of light. At
its center, the bulb burns with a white heat in the darkness of the night. Its radiant glow dissolves in
concentric waves, each of which diminish in intensity and change color to suggest the different
wavelengths of the spectrum.

Color as Tone

Dramatic color combined with a vigorous painting technique are the key elements of Expressionism in
art. Expressionist painting was more about using color and the physical qualities of a medium to express
your feelings about the subject rather than simply describing it in a naturalistic fashion.

Color As Pattern

In 'Violin and Checkerboard' by Juan Gris, the artist assigns different colors to particular shapes which
create an asymmetrical pattern of forms arranged around the white cloth at the center of the painting.
This pattern of colors leads the viewer's eye in a clockwise motion around the picture. Color distributed as
irregular pattern is often used as unifying element in the composition of artworks.

Color as Form

To create the illusion of form in a painting, artists traditionally added lighter and darker pigments to the
main color of an object in order to render the naturalistic effects of light and shade. The main
disadvantage of this technique was that much of the intensity of the original color was sacrificed when it
was blended with highlights and shadows. The Impressionists had introduced a more scientific approach
to the analysis of color to try to solve this problem while some of the Post Impressionists had begun to use
color structurally (Paul Cézanne and Georges Seurat) and symbolically (Gauguin and Van Gogh).

Color as Harmony

Harmony is the compatibility, balance or progression of similar elements. 'Blue Dancers' by Edgar Degas
is a carefully composed pastel painting that illustrates the harmony of color as well as several other
visual elements.

Color as Contrast

Few painters in the history of art capture the intensity of light and energy more than Joseph Mallord
William Turner. In his first of two versions of 'The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons' (1835),
the visual elements of the painting are fuelled by a collision of the classical elements of earth, air, fire and
water.

Color as Movement
When you look at an abstract artwork your brain instinctively searches for signs of rhythm and order to
try to make spatial sense of the image. Victor Vasarely makes use of this impulse to create an impression
of movement by combining graduated squares and sequential colors. These lead the eye into and through
the image with increasing and decreasing acceleration. The squares, which graduate from large to small,
are aligned on their horizontal axes but are staggered on their vertical axes to create the illusion of a
tunnel whose dizzying perspective unfolds as they travel towards the vanishing point at its center.

Color as Symbol

The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh is his masterpiece from the first period of his work before he
moved to Paris in 1886. It portrays a poor Dutch peasant family sitting down to share their frugal evening
meal. They are agricultural labourers and the earthy greens and browns that Van Gogh uses to paint
them symbolize their closeness to and dependence on the land for their survival. There is a unity of colour
and texture between the hands and faces of the peasants and the potatoes and coffee they are sharing.
The dark sombre tones of the work sympathetically reflect their humble existence and the artist's respect
for the quiet dignity of their labour.

Color as Mood - Joy

For Van Gogh, yellow was the colour of joy and friendship. He painted a series of at least seven sunflower
pictures to decorate the rooms of his 'Yellow House'. These paintings were conceived as a welcome to his
friend and fellow painter Paul Gauguin with whom he dreamed of setting up a ‗Studio of the South‗ [2] in
Arles in the South of France.

In contrast with the sombre mood of 'The Potato Eaters', 'Sunflowers' is one of the most joyful paintings in
the history of art. Despite the fact that it has echoes of the Vanitas subjects of 17th century Dutch still
lifes, as some of its blooms have turned to dead seed heads, it still glows with a radiance that transcends
any hint of melancholy.

The Visual Language

Color as Mood - Sadness

We often use the language of color to describe our emotions. We talk of being 'red' with rage or 'green'
with envy. If we are feeling good we are in the 'pink' or if we are sad we've got the 'blues'. When Pablo
Picasso painted 'The Old Guitarist' he was certainly suffering from the 'blues'. In fact, the main body of
his work between 1901-04 is now referred to as his 'Blue Period'.

Color as Mood - Peace

The 'Isle on Lake Attersee' has many of the characteristics of Klimt's summer landscapes. The isle and its
horizon are at the top of the picture acting like a hinge that swings your attention down to the reflective
surface of the lake. There are few more peaceful pursuits than to sit at a lakeside and watch the glimmer
of light and color on the surface of the water. Klimt conveys that peaceful feeling of total relaxation and
contentment in the way he focuses his attention on the Impressionistic spectrum of turquoise and blue
reflections that gently merge into the soft waves of yellow sunlight.

Color as Mood - Anxiety

The Scream' by Edvard Munch has entered the public consciousness as an emblem of anxiety. All its
elements combine to form an image of impending doom, a panic attack in color and shape. The two main
colors of the painting are orange and blue, a lurid contrast from opposite ends of the spectrum,
guaranteed to form a tense relationship. An anxious state of agoraphobia is generated by the extended
perspective of the bridge and the haunting waves of sound that echo around the fjord. A stomach
churning glimpse over the edge of the handrail initiates an attack of vertigo. A deep sense of isolation and
helplessness is experienced by the figure who is holding his head to absorb the phobic assault from this
environment, while his path of escape is blocked by the spectral figures at one end of the bridge and the
mysterious border that channels the burning color of the sky at the other.

Color as Mood - Noise

The Futurists embraced the noise, energy and intensity of modern city life. The raucous night-life of the
cabaret with its vibrant fashions and risqué dancing to ragtime rhythms, all illuminated by modern
electric lighting, was the perfect setting for a vision of Futurist fun. Severini smashes this image into
countless fragments which he reassembles in a dynamic composition that captures the collective
consciousness of Futurism. Contrasts of opposite colors collide in a shatterproof structure that frames the
fun, frolics, noise and excitement of modern entertainment.

Visual Element – Texture

Texture in art is a visual element that refers to the surface quality of a painting (i.e. smooth, rough,
matte, glossy, etc).

It defines the surface quality of an artwork - the roughness or smoothness of the material from which it is
made.We experience texture in two ways: optically (through sight) and physically (through touch).

Optical Texture

An artist may use his/her skilful painting technique to create the illusion of texture. For example, in the
detail from a traditional Dutch still life above you can see remarkable verisimilitude (the appearance of
being real) in the painted insects and drops of moisture on the silky surface of the flower petals.

Physical Texture: An artist may paint with expressive brushstrokes whose texture conveys the physical
and emotional energy of both the artist and his/her subject. They may also use the natural texture of their
materials to suggest their own unique qualities such as the grain of wood, the grittiness of sand, the
flaking of rust, the coarseness of cloth and the smear of paint.

Ephemeral Texture: This is a third category of textures whose fleeting forms are subject to change like
clouds, smoke, flames, bubbles and liquids.

Smooth Texture

Rough Texture

Glassy Texture

Reporters:

Jeanie Ann Amburgo

John Paul Bejico
Marla Fernandez
Leody Castro