The Seven Main Things of Art

Introduction

Often people ask, what are the seven main things of art? The answer is quite simple because the seven main things of art are the seven elements of art. The elements of art are what every visual art form must stem from. Line, shape, space, value, form, color and texture are core fundamentals, and any visual art form must have at least one of these or you cannot have a piece of art. Imagine trying to cook a recipe with none of the ingredients. In this brief overview I am going to explain each of the elements separately and how they’re applied in works of art so that you can better understand the function they serve.

Line

Line is applicable the second your tool of choice touches the surface. Artists use lines for everything from scribbling to most complicated composition. You outline your subject; you emphasize lines to indicate form and you use it to direct your viewer. The painting below is ‘The Music Lesson’ by Johannes Vermeer. While a list could be made about how line is used here, what Vermeer is notable for is his tile floors. Vermeer uses line with this tile flooring to show a strong perspective creating depth and leading you into the painting.

"The Music Lesson" Johannes Vermeer, 1662–1664, Oil on Canvas

Shape

What shape is in art is the silhouette of any form or object. The most simplified shapes are your circles, triangles, squares etc. Shape can be used two dimensionally and is essential for creating three-dimensional form. Because shape is found in everything three dimensional, artists often use it to simplify their subjects. Constructivism painting was a post-World War One art movement and was when art was starting to become deconstructed and abstracted. Abstracted art, when done correctly, is a hyper-focus on an element of art itself. The painting ‘Proun 99 ’ by El Lissitzky, as many constructivists art, is mainly focused on the simplified shape in a composition.

"Proun 99" El Lissitzky, 1924, Tempera

Space

When talking about space in artwork, this can be referring to multiple aspects of space. This is about how an artist decides to use the area of their composition, how they place the horizon line, how much depth and distance. Thomas Eakins painting ‘The Agnew Clinic’ is a perfect example of the element of space being used. Most notably is where the horizon line is place. Because of the horizon line the viewer is placed in such a position where they are looking down at the surgery taking place and looking out across the crowd immediately giving the sense of depth and distance to the viewer.

"The Agnew Clinic" Thomas Eakins, 1889, Oil on Canvas

Value

Value is vital because value is going to be the depiction of the light. From white to black and everything in between. Value will not only add more variation and options to what is being put on the surface, but creates depth, form, distance, and contrast. This painting ‘A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt Rosalie’ by Albert Bierstadt uses value for everything but what Bierstadt executes perfectly is his use of value for contrast. By putting the lightest parts of the painting next to the darkest parts the attention of the viewer is caught and guided exactly where the artist wants them to go.

"A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt Rosalie" Albert Bierstadt, 1866, Oil on Canvas

Form

To make anything three dimensional or appear three dimensional the artist must deal with form. This goes from your basic cubes and spheres to most complicated architecture and sculpture. In two-dimensional work like painting and drawing form is an illusion the artist must create by understanding how forms exist in the world. Below is the work ‘The Ecstasy of St Teresa’ by Bernini. This marble sculpture started as a hunk of rock but was deliberately chiseled to depict an array of form. The cloth is thin, delicate, folding over itself and creating ripples while the human figures adhere to the skeletal and muscle structure while having a smooth finish for the skin itself.

"The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1647–1652, White Marble

Color

Color has three properties, and those properties are hue, saturation and value. Each property of color can be used to create a sense of depth, mood, contrast and can even add symbolism. Color in Van Gogh's ‘The Night Café’ works together to create a nauseating mood. He does this mainly by using the harsh complementary colors of red and green next to each other with a dirty yellow on the floor bringing attention to the distorted perspective.

‘The Night Café’ Vincent Van Gogh, 1888, Oil on Canvas

Texture

The element of texture is when an artist is attempting to represent the surface of a given object. Different forms and materials are going to react to light in different ways and that is how an artist can translate the way an object might feel given the chance to touch it. In Peter Paul Rubens painting ‘Daniel in the Lions Den’ there are two completely different textures with the lion’s fur and the human figure. In the detail shown the artist used different techniques when painting the fur of the lion versus the skin of the human. This is why the fur appears softer and the figure more solid and smooth.

"Daniel in the Lion's Den" Peter Paul Rubens, 1614 - 1616, Oil on Canvas

Detail of "Daniel in the Lion's Den"

Conclusion

To summarize, the seven elements of art are the building blocks and foundation of any great artwork that can come to mind. Knowing these elements will help you analyze artwork that inspires you. Analyzing works, like I have done here, by looking for these specific elements can help teach the function of any given element and how to apply them. So by understanding this you can improve your own artwork faster because there are points to aim at rather than aiming in the dark.