Elements and Principles
Name two Elements of Design
Line, Shape, Color, Value, Form, Texture, Space
What are the three primary colors?
Red, Blue, Yellow
Define "Abstract" art.
A style of art that does not try to show realistic images. Instead, it uses shapes, colors, lines, and forms to express ideas, emotions, or moods.
What is a common characteristic of Surrealist art?
Use of everyday objects in dreamlike or unexpected ways.
This is the area between the foreground and the background in a composition
Middle ground
Name two Principles of Design
Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Unity
Name one complementary color pair.
Red and Green, Blue and Orange, Yellow and Purple
Abstract artists often emphasize elements like __________ and color instead of realistic subject matter.
Line
Name one surrealist artist we talked about in class
Salvador Dalí, René Magritte
When one area of an artwork grabs the viewer's attention first, it is called the __________
Focal Point
__________ is an Element of Art that refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
Value
What is a tertiary color?
Mixing a primary color with its neighboring secondary color creates this type of color.
How does Jean-Michel Basquiat's work connect to abstract art?
Basquiat’s art uses expressive lines, symbols, and layered meanings instead of realistic imagery. This reflects abstract and non-representational art principles by focusing on emotion, spontaneity, and visual impact rather than realistic representation.
Surrealist artists often created dreamlike scenes by combining realistic details with __________ elements.
Imaginary
This part of a composition appears closest to the viewer and usually contains the most detail.
Explain how the Principle of Contrast can be used to make a composition more visually interesting.
Contrast can be used to create visual interest by placing opposing elements next to each other, such as light and dark colors, rough and smooth textures, or large and small shapes. This difference draws the viewer’s attention and helps highlight important parts of the artwork.
A ___________ color scheme uses only one hue, along with its tints and shades.
How would you best describe non-representational (non-objective) artwork?
Art that does not depict recognizable objects or subjects
What is automatic drawing?
A drawing method where the hand moves freely without thinking.
How can an artist create the illusion of depth using foreground, middle ground, and background in a composition?
Placing larger, more detailed objects in the foreground, medium-sized objects with less detail in the middle ground, and smaller, less detailed or faded objects in the background.
Which Principle of Design helps guide the viewer’s eye through an artwork and can create a sense of action?
Rhythm
How does Pointillism demonstrate an understanding of color theory?
Pointillism shows how colors interact by placing tiny dots of different hues close together. When viewed from a distance, the viewer's eye blends the colors optically, demonstrating how complementary and analogous colors can mix visually rather than physically.
This early 20th-century art movement helped inspire non-representational art by focusing on emotion, symbolism, and dream-like color and form.
Expressionism
What is juxtaposition?
A technique, used in Surrealism, that places unrelated objects together to create surprising or dreamlike combinations.
How do artists create depth (or the illusion of space) in landscape compositions?
Overlapping objects, changing size, and using atmospheric perspective are all ways to create this in a composition