Elements of Art Form, Value, Texture and Space

Form A form is a three dimensional object. It has length, width and depth. Architecture, sculpture and pottery are all examples of forms. There are many types of forms…..

Form: closed A closed form does not interact with the space around it This sculpture of the Pharaoh Kafra, ca b.c. is an example.

Form: open An open form interacts with the space around it. This sculpture, Recumbent Figure, by Henry Moore, 1938, allows space to flow through the piece as well as around it.

Form: relief A form carved in relief can not be viewed from all sides, as shown here in this ancient Greek carving.

Value Value is the element of art that deals with how light or dark the colors are.

Value: shade If you add black to a color, you create a shade of that color. Adding black to blue, will create a midnight-blue shade.

Value: tint If you add white to a color, you are creating a tint of that color. Pink is a tint of red.

Value Here we see a value scale for green.

Value: uses Value is often used to create the illusion of form or depth. Here the different values create the illusion of 3-D.

Value: uses In the Mona Lisa, you can see how the lighter values appear further away than the darker values.

Value: uses Value can be used in art to create dramatic effects. In Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, the different values draw the eye to specific parts of the work.

Value: uses

Texture Texture is the element of art that deals with the actual feel or touch of the surface of the artwork, or the way it looks as though it would feel. All surfaces have textures.

Texture Michelangelo's Pieta, appears to have a smooth, cool texture.

Texture Texture is an important quality in Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, as shown in this close-up of the work.

Space Space is the element of art that deals with the perception of depth or dimension. It defines how objects are organized.

Space 2-dimensional works can imply more space than is actually present. The use of perspective creates the illusion of space on a 2-D surface. An example is Raphael’s The School of Athens, The Vatican. It uses linear perspective (the use of a vanishing point).

Space: linear perspective

Space: atmospheric perspective Another technique for creating the illusion of space on a 2-D surface is atmospheric perspective. Atmospheric perspective creates depth by changing the colors, values and details. We see all of these in Albert Bierstadt’s Among the Sierra Nevada, California, 1868.

Space: atmospheric perspective