| The Five Elements of Art: Line, Shape, Value, Color, Texture |
In every creative medium, be it music, art, dance, poetry, prose, or theatre, the goal is unity. For the
creator, unity results from the selection of appropriate devices peculiar to the medium and the use of certain
principles to relate them.
Art Fundamentals – Theory and Practice by Ocvirk, Stinson, Wigg, Bone and Cayton
A unique style emerges when an artist recognizes his or her personal preferences of dominant design
elements and consciously or unconsciously emphasizes these dominant elements. The remaining elements
act as subtle reinforcement of the dominant elements and strengthen the visual impact of the painting.
The five elements are line, shape, value, color and texture. Why not emphasize all five elements? When
more than two of the elements dominate a painting, the content of the painting can become lost as the
elements fight for attention. A viewer becomes confused and moves on. Simplicity conveys a message
clearly. A viewer either relates to the painting or not; there is no confusion.
When a point moves in any direction it is no longer a point and becomes a line. A line can vary in thickness,
length and direction. Depending on its thickness and the adjacent areas, a line can also become a shape.
A shape is an area with a defined boundary created by a variation of color, value or texture of the areas
adjacent to it. Not only do shapes within a painting affect one another, the shape of the canvas must also be
taken into consideration.
Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, or hue. Even a subtle change in value can define a shape.
Learning to see the value of a color strengthens an artist’s ability to manipulate shapes and forms to guide
the viewer’s eye through the painting.
Color is the result of wavelengths of light reflecting off objects. Objects absorb certain wavelengths and
reflect others. The human eye sees the reflected wavelengths as hues, or color: most simply red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, violet and red.
Surface variation within a shape becomes texture. Texture is the result of shapes that are so small and
varied that they are seen as a group or pattern.
What about content? What about understanding the intention of an artist? If the elements are not
manipulated successfully to create a balanced ratio of harmony and variation, the content of the painting will
not be communicated. The subject might be obvious, but not the reason for the choice of subject. A painting
arouses a viewer’s emotions based on personal experiences, perhaps quite different from those of the artist.
The content of a painting is not inflexible. The viewer becomes the creator of his or her own experience.
creator, unity results from the selection of appropriate devices peculiar to the medium and the use of certain
principles to relate them.
Art Fundamentals – Theory and Practice by Ocvirk, Stinson, Wigg, Bone and Cayton
A unique style emerges when an artist recognizes his or her personal preferences of dominant design
elements and consciously or unconsciously emphasizes these dominant elements. The remaining elements
act as subtle reinforcement of the dominant elements and strengthen the visual impact of the painting.
The five elements are line, shape, value, color and texture. Why not emphasize all five elements? When
more than two of the elements dominate a painting, the content of the painting can become lost as the
elements fight for attention. A viewer becomes confused and moves on. Simplicity conveys a message
clearly. A viewer either relates to the painting or not; there is no confusion.
When a point moves in any direction it is no longer a point and becomes a line. A line can vary in thickness,
length and direction. Depending on its thickness and the adjacent areas, a line can also become a shape.
A shape is an area with a defined boundary created by a variation of color, value or texture of the areas
adjacent to it. Not only do shapes within a painting affect one another, the shape of the canvas must also be
taken into consideration.
Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, or hue. Even a subtle change in value can define a shape.
Learning to see the value of a color strengthens an artist’s ability to manipulate shapes and forms to guide
the viewer’s eye through the painting.
Color is the result of wavelengths of light reflecting off objects. Objects absorb certain wavelengths and
reflect others. The human eye sees the reflected wavelengths as hues, or color: most simply red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, violet and red.
Surface variation within a shape becomes texture. Texture is the result of shapes that are so small and
varied that they are seen as a group or pattern.
What about content? What about understanding the intention of an artist? If the elements are not
manipulated successfully to create a balanced ratio of harmony and variation, the content of the painting will
not be communicated. The subject might be obvious, but not the reason for the choice of subject. A painting
arouses a viewer’s emotions based on personal experiences, perhaps quite different from those of the artist.
The content of a painting is not inflexible. The viewer becomes the creator of his or her own experience.
