Art History
Textbooks
Boundless Art History
Thinking and Talking About Art
Art History Textbooks Boundless Art History Thinking and Talking About Art
Art History Textbooks Boundless Art History
Art History Textbooks
Art History

Section 2

Visual Elements

Book Version 18
By Boundless
Boundless Art History
Art History
by Boundless
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15 concepts
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Line

A line is defined as a mark that connects the space between two points, taking any form along the way.

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Light and Value

Value refers to the use of light and dark in art.

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Color

In the visual arts, color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual impacts of specific color combinations. 

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Texture

Texture refers to the tactile quality of the surface of an art object.

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Shape and Volume

Shape refers to an area in a two-dimensional space that is defined by edges; volume is three-dimensional, exhibiting height, width, and depth.

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Time and Motion

Motion, a principle of art, is a tool artists use to organize the artistic elements in a work; it is employed in both static and time-based mediums.

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Chance, Improvisation, and Spontaneity

Dadaism, Surrealism, and the Fluxus movement all relied on the elements of chance, improvisation, and spontaneity as tools for making art works.

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Inclusion of All Five Senses

The inclusion of the five human senses in a single work takes place most often in installation and performance art.

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Compositional Balance

Compositional balance refers to the placement of the artistic elements in relation to each other within a work of art.

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Rhythm

Artists use rhythm as a tool to guide the eye of the viewer through works of art.

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Proportion and Scale

Proportion is a measurement of the size and quantity of elements within a composition.

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Space

Space in art can be defined as the area that exists between two identifiable points.

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Two-Dimensional Space

Two-dimensional, or bi-dimensional, space is a geometric model of the planar projection of the physical universe in which we live.

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Linear Perspective and Three-Dimensional Space

Perspective is an approximate representation on a flat surface of an image as it is seen by the eye.

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Distortions of Space and Foreshortening

Distortion is used to create various representations of space in two-dimensional works of art. 

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