Elements

Elements of Art for Writing an Evaluation of a Portrait

Element Definition Example
Color What the eyes sees when light is reflected off an object. Color can be light, dark, bright, or dull. Think of color relationships: analagous, monochromatic, complimentary, tints, shades, tones
Line A path of a moving point through space How does your eye move around the painting? Can you imagine lines dissecting the painting?
Shape Two dimensional enclosed space, can be free form, geometric How do the shapes define an object, are they realistic, accurate, fading, repeated?
Space The distance between, above, below, within, and around things Positive space attracts your eye the most, negative space enhances and is usually background, folds in fabric, shadows
Form An illusion of three dimensional shape Ability to make a 2 dimensional surface look 3-D
Texture The way something feels or looks like it might feel Smooth skin, soft, coarse, or smooth clothes
Light Ability to show effects of sunlight Reflections, glitter in eyes, sparkle in jewelry, shadows or sunlight in a room

created by Leslie Goldman 10-13-2006