Line, shape, space, colour, form and texture. These are called the formal elements of art.
Pattern, repetition, movement, balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion, variety and unity. These are called the principles of design.
The elements of art are the building blocks that make a work of art.
The principles of design are how the elements of art are used to make a work of art.
If you describe a work of art by using the elements and principles, you would be giving what is called a formal analysis of a work of art.
The headings elements of art, principles of design, and formal analysis are not that important to remember unless you wish to study art history formally or academically. What they categorize; line, repetition, colour, variety and so on are more important to remember and they are simple enough words to understand.
What’s most important is how artists use shape, texture, rhythm, unity and so on, to transmit a message or a feeling through their work to the viewer. And artists do this both consciously and instinctively.
You can learn how to use the elements of art, and principles of design to do a formal analysis of a work of art by attending a class or course.
However because the art world has convinced you that the interpretation of a work of art is in the hands of art historians, critics, art writers, and other ‘approved’ members of the…
