Leonardo da Vinci - Study for the Adoration of the Magi, circa 1481Ī line is mathematically defined as a path that connects two dots or a path of an imagined moving dot. It is also a very interesting thing to observe and analyze, given that a line is, in general, an abstract phenomenon basically invented by humans. What this means is that lines are, in a way, our most valuable companions when it comes to expressing our feelings or thoughts, both for artistic and practical reasons. Even the occurrences that do not have strictly outlined edges, such as the sun, the clouds or water, are depicted with lines rather than smudges of color in young children’s drawings. After all, it is usually the first and the most pristine outcome of our contact with writing tools, pens, pencils, crayons, etc, and typically the first thing we choose to use in order to represent the reality around us.

Saying that the line is the most essential of all art elements somehow comes naturally.

Raphael - The School of Athens (1510-1511) - a classic example which manifestly embodies line, shape, color, space (its representation) and texture in a single painting Hardly anything that belongs to the domain of the visual can be achieved without at least one of these elements. Even if most of today’s art is not essentially based on the traditional forms of visual arts anymore, the elements of art continue to build our ocular perception. The latter is a phenomenon more common for modern art, which emerged at the turn of the 19th century when the visual representation was challenged by an endeavor to deconstruct the existing assumptions which determined the way we understand the role of art and culture. Thanks to the way our brain functions, we rarely interpret these units individually, unless we deliberately choose to focus on each of them in particular, or in case the artist aims to emphasize a single element in order to achieve a certain effect or to make a statement. As you can already imagine, these are supposed to be the basic units deployed to constitute a visual arrangement, ultimately perceived as a whole. Some also mention value, which is described as a parameter that determines the intensity of color, and pattern, which refers to repetition. You might find form singled out as a separate category, defined as a three-dimensional alternative to shape. Do you know an answer to a question What are the elements of art exactly? The traditional way of looking at art, namely the visual arts, suggests that there are five basic elements of an artwork – line, shape, color, texture and space.

Elements and principles of art