All of the objects we look at are made up of certain common elements. They are arranged according to certain basic principles. As you learn these basic elements and principles, you learn the language of art. Being able to speak the language of visual art will help you in many ways. It will increase your appreciation and enjoyment of art and will help you to talk about art with other people. It will even help you produce more beautiful and meaningful works of your own. The basic visual symbols in the language of art are known as the elements of art. Just as there are basic kinds of words like nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs there are basic kinds of art elements. The basic kinds of art elements: are line, shape, color, space and texture. Artists put together these elements as the visual pieces they use to create a work of art. All visual images will contain some of these elements and when you look at a painting you may see color, texture, shape, size and lines.
Learning to read the elements of art is a slow process, as you have to read the elements one at a time. Visual images are also organized by means of the Principles of Design. The principles are rhythm, movement, balance, proportion, and variety. It is important to know the different materials that are used to create art objects and the materials are called medium. The medium can be paint, glass, metal, clay and fibers. Sculptors may use copper and create a piece of sculpture with copper. When an artist creates a work of art they usually like to have a subject that their work of art is about. When the viewer looks at a work of art they like to be able to recognize what the work of art is about.
Therefore, the subject may be a painting of a house, a tree, a person, an animal and something from nature like mountains, rivers, the ocean, subjects are limitless and do not always have to be represented in a realist way or realist manner.
One more thing needed to learn in reading the language of art is that the content of the work of art is the message the artist is trying to communicate to people and the artist hopes the message of the artwork is understood.
For more information contact Jaylene Armstrong, retired art educator from Madison Wisconsin, at 661-255-3050.