What are the Five elements of visual art

All visual art, whether two-dimensional like a painting or three-dimensional like a

sculpting are made of one or more of five elements of art. These elements are the basic

building blocks of any art. The final art piece would depend upon how these elements

have been used by the artist.

1. LINE : Lines, can be used for a wide range

of purposes : stressing on a word or phrase,

connecting content, creating patterns and more.

Lines can be used to create the effect of depth or

distance. e.g. lines which start from the same point

meeting the horizon, rails of a railway etc.

2. SHAPE : The three basic types of shape are

geometric (circles, squares, triangles etc.), natural

(leaves, trees, people etc.) and abstract (icons,

stylization and graphic representations). These

are used creatively to make visually pleasing and

eye-catching design.

3. COLOUR : Color is used to generate emotions,

define importance, create visual interest. It is

referred to as ‘hue’. It is also used to highlight an

area in an art work.

4. LIGHT AND SHADOW : Depending on the

amount of light falling on an object, the shadow

of the object or the shadow falling on the object

changes. Through the play of light and shadow,

the form of an object is emphasized. Giving a

thought to the light and shadow becomes extremely

important in realistic art work.

5. TEXTURE : Texture refers to how an object

feels when we touch it. Objects could be smooth,

rough, sharp, blunt etc. If these textures could be

captured as they are, the artwork may seem more

realistic and appealing to the observer.