ART APPRECIATION

LESSON 6 Elements and Principles of Art

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. enumerate the different elements of visual and auditory art;

2. differentiate the principles of art;

3. provide examples of the interrelatedness of some of the elements and principles of art;

4. explain the relevance of the elements and principles of art in the study of art and its products
(artworks); and

5. illustrate examples of hybrid art and dissect what art forms are combined therein.

In the chapter on Subject and Content, it was mentioned that arts have a specialized language. And to
be able to understand this language, the familiarity with some of the elements and principles that make
it legible is required. Think of it as the letters-the stringing of letters to formulate words, and perhaps
even the different pronunciation and enunciations that assist comprehension.

The next chapter endeavors to take art and break it into its smaller parts. Like a scientist who takes a
splice or a sample and places it under a microscope, the next lesson will allow for a better view, not of
the final picture; rather, the parts that complete it.

Let's Get Started

Art with Only Five Lines

This exercise will challenge your creativity under severe limitations. You will be given 5 minutes for each
exercise.

1. In a legal-sized paper, draw five equally-sized squares.

ABCDE

2. For 1 minute, create an artwork within the perimeter of the first square (A). Do the same for the next
four squares, moving from B to E as timed by your instructor.

3. You will be timed as you go through each square to ensure that you will not go over the limit. All
students will begin and end their projects at the same time.

4. After all the squares have been filled, share your experience and show your work to your peers.

Let's Get Down to Business

Elements of Art: Visual

Taking off from the scientific reference, elements of art are akin to the atoms that are defined as the
units or "building blocks" of matter. Together in a variety of combinations and formations, they have the
ability to create molecules such as water, or the more complex sucrose. These formulations are almost
the same with elements of art when they are joined together, in a variety of ways. In the same line of
reasoning the elements of art are the aspects of an artwork hat can be isolated from each other.

These elements of art are generally produced when something is done to the medium after the
technique is carried out. It must be underscored, however, that all works of art require all elements to
be present. Some art forms also necessitate some of the elements as they are inherent in the very
nature of them. For example, sculptures automatically have the following elements with or without the
decision of the artist to include them: shape, form, and space. Without these elements, there is no
sculpture to begin with. Elements are the necessary preconditions for the creation of art.

To enumerate, the elements of art and design are the following: line, shape and form, space, color, and
texture.

1. Line

A line refers to a point moving at an identifiable path-it has length and direction. It also has width. It is
one-dimensional, however, it has the capacity to either define the perimeters of the artwork (edges)
and/or become a substantial component of the composition. Although a line is “simple," it has variations
in view of its orientation/direction, shape, and thickness. These variations import not only the visual
elements into the artwork, but suggest meaning or message being conveyed by the artist.

Known for using lines to provide the outline or contour of the figures he portrays in his work, Keith
Haring first executed the public mural "Todos juntos podemos parar el sida" (Together We Can Stop
AIDS) in Barcelona in 1989. In 2014, it was recreated at the foyer of the Museu d'Art Contemporani de
Barcelona (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art) to commemorate it. Haring battled with HIV/AIDS
to which he succumbed to in 1990.

Figure 51. Keith Haring. "Todos juntos podemos parar el sida" (We Can All Together Stop AIDS), Plastic
paint on wall. MACBA Collection. Barcelona City Council long-term.

A quality that is ascribed to lines is its ability to direct the eyes to follow movement or provide hints as
to a work's focal point. The orientation in which we are most accustomed to such as the assertive force
of gravity grounding objects, or the sideways or up-and-down vibration that informs us of an
earthquake, the gustiness of wind from the window, or the direction of the rainfall conjures different
images of lines.

a. Horizontal and vertical lines - refers to the orientation of the line. Horizontal lines are normally
associated with rest or calm. Landscapes often contain these elements as works like these often connote
a visual sense of being parallel to the ground. It also alludes to position of the reclined body at rest.
Vertical lines, on the other hand, connote elevation or height, which is usually taken to mean exaltation
or aspiration for action. Together, these lines communicate stability and firmness.

b. Diagonal and crooked lines - diagonal lines convey movement and instability, although the
progression can be seen. Crooked or jagged lines, on the other hand, are reminiscent of violence,
conflict, or struggle.

c. Curved lines - these are lines that bend or coil. They allude to softness, grace, flexibility, or even
sensuality.
Figure 52. Francisco de Goya, "Porque esconderlos?” (Why Hide Them?) (1797-99) Etching and aquatint.
This print is work No. 30 of the Caprichos series (First edition, Madrid, 1799), Museo del Prado
Collection.

One of the most important Spanish artists is Francisco de Goya. Known for his prints, he is a master of
etched works and use of aquatint. He made use of this medium to articulate his political views about the
ills of society, war scenes, and even the dreamlike and grotesque while still engaging with what was
happening around him. As with most etchings and other types of prints, lines are dominant visual
components.

Figure 53. Théodore Géricault, "The Raft of Medusa” (1818-19) Oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Lines may not necessarily be explicit or literally shown. As what many examples will portray, implied
lines may be just as powerful, if not more. In “The Raft of Medusa.” the position and orientation of the
bodies that are aboard the raft are predominantly diagonal in direction. This creates not only movement
but also tension in the scene. Based on an actual event, the painting depicts the 1816 wreckage of the
French government ship called Medusa.

2-3. Shape and Form

These two are related to each other in the sense that they define the space occupied by the object of
art. Shape refers to two dimensions: height and width, while form refers to three dimensions: height,
width, and depth. Even if shapes are part of a bigger picture, each can be identified by breaking the
visual components apart and making distinctions based on what we know and what we have seen. Two
categories can be used as a broad distinction.

a. Geometric - these shapes find origin in mathematical propositions. As such, its translation and
use are often man-made. These include shapes such as squares, triangles, cubes, circles,
spheres, and cones, among others.

Figure 54. Piet Mondrian, “Composition with Color Planes and Gray Lines 1" (1918) Oil on canvas Private
Collection

b. Organic - organic shapes are those readily occurring in nature, often irregular and asymmetrical.
The design of the vase in Figure 55 is foliage, a sample from a series that made use of morning
glories.

Figure 55. Louis Comfort Tiffany (designer), Tiffany Furnaces (Major), Vase made of favrile glass. (c.a.
1913), Gift of Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, 1951. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Shapes may also be implied. For instance, Raphael's famous painting "The Madonna of the Meadows"
depicts three figures: Mary, the young Jesus (right), and the young John the Baptist (left). The positions
in which the group takes allude to a triangular shape reinforced by the garb of Mary.
Figure 56. Raphael, “The Madonna of the Meadows” (1505), Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum,
Vienna

4. Space

Related to shape and form is space. It is usually inferred from a sense of depth, whether it is real or
simulated. Real space is three dimensional. Like what has been previously mentioned, sculptures are a
perfect example of artworks that bear this element. However, this can only be manifested in two-
dimensional artworks through the use of different techniques, or the use (or non-use) of area around a
drawing or picture.

Figure 57. Anish Kapoot, “Cloud Gate" (2004), located in Chicago, Illinois.

In the middle of the AT&T Plaza at the Millennium Park in the Loop Community area in Chicago, the
iconic "Cloud Gate" occupies a considerable space. Shaped like a boon, hence its other referent, the
public sculpture was unveiled in 2004. The dent in the middle offers a gap in which people can pass
through and gaze at the sculpture in a different perspective.

However, not all works are sculptures. In two-dimensional artworks, they may be implied.

a. Positive and negative space - usually identified with the white space is the negative space. The
positive space on the other hand, in the space where shadow is heavily used.
b. Three-dimensional space - can be simulated through a variety of techniques such as shading. An
illusion of three-dimensionality can be achieved in a two-dimensional work.

5. Color

Color is perhaps one of the elements that enhances the appeal of an artwork. Its effect has range,
allowing the viewer to make responses based on memory, emotion, and instinct, among others. This
element is a property of light, as it is reflected off the object. Color is not intrinsic to an object and
without light, one cannot perceive color. Much of what we know about colors begins with the notion of
a Color Theory that was first unraveled by the experiments undertaken by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. A
ray of sunlight passing through a prism reveals an array of colors akin to that of a rainbow.

An upshot of this color theory is the creation of a color wheel.

COLOR WHEEL

COLORS

WARM COLORS

Figure 58. Color Wheel courtesy of Jaime Costiglio.

The color wheel corresponds to the first property of color, hue.

a. Hue - this dimension of color gives its name. It can be subdivided into:

Primary colors - red, yellow, and blue

Secondary colors - green, orange, and violet

Tertiary colors - six in total, these hues are achieved when primary and secondary colors are mixed

b. Value - this refers to the brightness or darkness of color. Often, this is used by artists to create
the illusion of depth and solidity, a particular mood, communicate a feeling, or in establishing a
scene (e.g., day and night).

Light colors - taken as the source of light in the composition

Dark colors - the lack or even absence of light

However, we can identify the color even when a range is presented to us. Expectations are also
established based on the notion that yellow is within the light value; whereas, violet is in the dark. Each
primary color has a range of values based on the addition and diminishing quantity and quality of light.

Tint - this is a lighter color than the normal value (e.g., pink for red)

Shade - this is a darker color than the normal value (e.g., maroon red)

C. Intensity - this is the color's brightness or dullness. It is identified as the strength of color, whether it is
vivid or muted. To achieve a specific intensity of a color, one may add either gray or its complementary
color.

Bright or warm colors - positive energy

Dull or cool colors - sedate/soothing, seriousness or calm

To better understand intensity of color, color harmonies are to be considered. In interior design, we
often hear designers refer to color schemes-a guide for selecting not only wall paint but also furniture
and decor. However, color harmonies are also integral considerations not only for pictorial arts but also
for other art forms.

Monochromatic harmonies - use the variations of a hue. An example is Claude Monet's "Houses of
Parliament."

Figure 59. Claude Monet, "Houses of Parliament" (1900/1). Oil on canvas. Mr. and Mrs. Martin A.
Ryerson Collection (Bequeathed, 1933). Art Institute Chicago.

Complementary harmonies - involve two colors opposite each other in the color wheel. Since they are at
contrary positions, the reaction is most intense.

Figure 60. Cima da Conegliano (Giovanni Battista Cima). "Three Saints: Roch, Anthony Abbot, and Lucy.”
Oil on canvas transferred to wood (ca.1513). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.

Notice the altar piece featuring Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Roch (Figure 60). Along with them is Saint
Lucy patron of the blind, whose red and green garb beautifully showcases an example of
complementary harmonies.

Analogous harmonies - make use of two colors beside each other in the color wheel
Figure 61. Edgar Degas, "Before the Race" (1882-1884) Oil on panel Henry Walters (Bequeathed, 1931)
Walters Art Museum (WAM).

Other harmonies have emerged such as triadic harmonies, which make use of three color from
equidistant files within the color wheel. This, however, does not mean that artists will limit themselves
to those kinds of harmonies These are but jump off points that artists and other creative use.

All in all, color presents a multitude of possibilities that affects how works of art are taken in by the
viewer. Just taking a look at fiery and passionate reds of the clouds and the sky in Edvard Munch's "The
Scream," would bring oneself to ask: Did Munch depict a romantic sunset or a warning of coming
horrors? A clue is not in the colors alone, but rather, in the face of the man himself that is prominent in
the painting. His shriek would point to the latter. What is illustrated is that colors and imagery work
together to deliver a message, whether the one intended by the artist, or what is facilitated by our own
experiences.

Figure 62. Edvard Munch, "The Scream (1893) Tempera and casein on cardboard Munchmuseet
Nasjonalgalleriet. Oslo

6. Texture

Like space, texture can be either real or implied. This element in an artwork is experienced through the
sense of touch (and sight). This element renders the art object tactile.

Figure 63. Frans Pourbus the Younger, "Margherita Gonzaga, Princess of Mantua” Oil on canvas. Bequest
of Collis P. Huntington, 1900. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.

Often, texture is commonly associated with textiles. In the portrait rendered by court painter Frans
Pourbus the Younger, Princess Margherita's garb is adorned in opulent bead and stitch work that are
befitting her rank. This was achieved using the techniques employed by the artist in creating the work.

a. Textures in the two-dimensional plane - texture can be implied using one technique or a
combination of other elements of art. By creating this visual quality in the artwork, one can
imagine how the surface will feel if it was to be touched. Some of the words used to describe
texture are the following: rough or smooth, hard or soft, hairy, leathery, sharp or dull, etc. To be
able to simulate the texture of a surface in a flat, two-dimensional plan is one important skill
that an artist must be familiar with, especially if this idea or concept necessitates it.
b. Surface texture - refers to the texture of the three-dimensional art object.

Figure 64. School of Ogata Korin (Japanese, 1658-1716). Inro with Rinpa Style Kanzan and Jittoku (Edo
period). Three cases, lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl and pewter Inlay on gold lacquer ground;
Pouch: printed cotton with sarasa pattern; Ojime: metal bead, H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of
Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The elements of art make it possible to engage with the visual and tactile qualities of the artwork
through a "common language that may be widely understood. Through these elements, there is
something from which the idea, concept, message, or intended mood of the artist may be inferred. It
offers a starting point or a baseline from which analysis may take place. This kind of analysis is called
formal analysis of art.

Planes and Perspective

Some art forms work with actual spaces, such as sculptors, architects, and stage designers. However,
with pictorial art that is two-dimensional, notions of depth and hence perspective requires the
implementation of principles and techniques in creating an illusion that will fool the eye to three-
dimensionality when in reality there is none. Picture plane is the actual surface of the painting or
drawing, where no illusion of a third dimension exists. Here, the elements lay flat, as if one was looking
through a window into what lies on the other side of the glass.

During the Renaissance, specifically in the fifteenth century, chiaroscuro was developed. It made use of
light and dark contrasts and tones in which paintings not only looked three-dimensional, but also more
dramatic. Aside from this technique, linear perspective changed the way pictorial representation was
done. Credited Renaissance artists, its early proponents include Leon Battista Alberti, Paolo Uccello, and
architect Filippo Brunelleschi in the early fifteenth century, who were published Alberti's On Painting in
1435.

Its use was based on the following observations:

a. As forms and objects recede, the smaller they become.

b. We were taught that parallel lines never meet. However, when they too, seem to converge when they
recede into a distance, at a point, they both disappear. This point of disappearance is called the
vanishing point.

An example often used to illustrate linear perspective is the railroad where tracks disappear off at a
distance.

Figure 65. G. Herbert & Horace C. Bayley photographer, Partington New Railway Viaduct, Interior.
negative May 1893 (print 1894). Gelatin silver print.

A viewpoint may also be construed as normal (view standing up), low (view from a lower angle), or high
(view looking down on a scene) depending on the position the viewer takes.

There are three types of perspective, grounded on the number of vanishing points used by the artist:

a. One-point perspective - often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways; or rows of trees; this type of
perspective shows parallel lines that seem to converge at a specific and lone vanishing point, along the
horizon line.

b. Two-point perspective - pertains to a painting or drawing that makes use of two vanishing points,
which can be placed anywhere along the horizon line. It is often used in depicting structures such as
houses or buildings in the landscape that are viewed from a specific corner.

Figure 66. Gustav Caillebotte Rue de Paris, temps de pluie Paris Street in Rainy Weather) 1877 Oil on
canvas.
c. Three-point perspective - in this type of perspective, the viewer is looking at a scene from above or
below. As the name suggests, it makes use of the three vanishing points, each corresponding to each
axis of the scene.

Figure 67. Berenice Abbott "Chanon Building, New York," (about 1935). Gelatin silver print. Gift of Nina
and Leo Pircher.

Elements of Art: Auditory

Together with literature, music as an form is classified as auditory art. However, some would argue that
it is under the broad category of performance art. Either way, music, much like the visual arts, has its
own building blocks or elements.

Perhaps one of the most widespread forms of art, whose intersection in daily life is most perceptible, is
music. Music is sound organized in a specific time. It is considered an implement to cultural activities,
answering a specific role or function. During the times when man had to hunt for food, music was used
as a corral to herd animals, or as an element of specific rituals or rites. Singing or dancing to music was
also often included in opportunities for members of society to gather and interact. Some are adept with
the skill and sense to produce music, while others consume it as listeners, audiences and even
performers.

If there is an important quality that music has, it is having the capacity to transcend barriers, even that
of differences in language or conventions in sound. Different demographics, groups, and individuals may
have specific preferences as to the genre of music. However, in order to establish this preference,
listeners often take to its elements for its evaluation. Some of the common elements of music are the
following: rhythm, dynamics, melody, harmony, timbre, and texture.

1. Rhythm
Often associated to the terms beat, meter, and tempo, rhythm is the element of music that
situates it in time. It is the pulse of the music. Beat is the basic unit of music while tempo refers
to its speed (beats/second). Beats can be organized into a recognizable recurrent pattern, which
is called the meter.

Classical terms are used to refer to the variations in tempo, some of which are:

 Largo – slowly and broadly

 Andante – walking pace
 Moderato – at moderate speed
 Allegro – fast
 Vivace – lively
 Accelerando – gradually speeding up
 Rallentado – gradually slowing down
 Allargando – getting slower, broadening
 Rubato – literally “robbed time,” rhythm is played freely for expressive effect
2. Dynamics
The element of music that refers to the loudness or quietness of music is dynamics. Classical
terms are used to refer to the different levels pertaining to this:
 Pianissimo [pp] – very quiet
  Piano [p] – quiet
 Mezzo-piano [mp] – moderately quiet
 Mezzo-forte [mf] – moderately loud
 Forte [f] – loud
 Fortissimo [ff] – very loud

When composers indicate an increase, or decrease in loudness, they use the terms crescendo for the
former, and decrescendo or diminuendo for the latter.

3. Melody
Melody refers to the linear presentation (horizontal) of pitch. By horizontal, it means that in
musical notation, it is read in succession from left to right. Pitch is the highness or lowness of
musical sound.
4. Harmony
If melody is horizontal, harmony is vertical. It arises when pitches are combined to form chords.
When several notes are simultaneously played, this refers to a chord.
Harmony can be described in terms of its “harshness”: dissonance is the harsh-sounding
combination while consonance is the smooth-sounding combination.
5. Timbre
Timbre is often likened to the color of music. It is a quality that distinguishes a voice or an
instrument from another. Dependent on the technique, the timbre may give a certain tone or
characteristic to music, much like how a painter evokes different effects or impressions onto the
canvas.
6. Texture
The number of melodies, the type of layers, and their relatedness in a composition is the texture
of music. It may be:
 Monophonic – single melodic line
 Polyphonic – two or more melodic lines
 Homophonic – main melody accompanied by chords

Akin to artworks whose style, medium, and technique emphasize some of the elements in visual arts, a
composition and genre of music may emphasize the elements of music previously outlined. Some
elements may even be de-emphasized or omitted altogether. Like what was mentioned, these elements
may be isolated from each other. However, as visual or musical compositions, the combination of these
elements in art is what we initially engage with.

Most often, elements do not only coexist in the artwork, but are fused together or overlap with each
other. In visual arts, most artworks have overlapping elements.

Principles of Art

To reiterate, the appreciation and engagement of art relies substantially on being equipped with the
appropriate language that allows it to be more comprehensible. If the elements of art were like the
letters (i.e., combining these letters will form words, phrases, and sentences), then the principles of art
would perhaps be the closest to the rules of grammar and composition. Learning these principles will
lessen the intimidation and might even open vast possibilities for the novice looker to have a more
pleasurable experience of art. These principles will provide explicit ways in which these elements are
used, how they are manipulated, how they interact, and how they inform the overall composition of the
artwork to assist the artist in conveying this intention. It is the principle of art that influence the effect
achieved by the elements and the linkages of other principles. These principles are: balance, scale and
proportion, emphasis and contrast, unity and variety, harmony, movement, rhythm, and repetition and
pattern.

1. Balance
This principle refers to the distribution of the visual elements in view of their placement in
relation to each other.

Figure 68. Isamu Noguchi. “Cube.” Entrance of Marine Midland Building, Manhattan.

There are three forms of balance:

a. Symmetrical - the elements used on one side are reflected to the other.

This offers the most stable visual sense to any artwork.

Figure 69. UP Diliman Oblation Statue

b. Asymmetrical - the elements are not the same (or of the same weight) on each side, putting the
heaviness on one side.
c. Radial - there is a central point in the composition, around which elements and objects are
distributed.
2. Scale and Proportion

Scale pertains to the size in relation to what is normal for the figure or object in question.

Figure 70. Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen, “Plaintor” (2001) Meredith Corporation Collection,
Des Moines.

Sculptures of exaggerate scale are common all over the world as many artists are taken by the whimsical
quality of these objects. One cannot help but smile upon seeing them in public spaces. In the
Philippines, Arturo Luz has created enormous sculptural versions of the paper clip. For a long time, it
occupied a prominent spot at the entrance of the Ayala Museum.

Proportion, on the other hand, is the size of the components, or of objects in relation to one another
when taken as a composition or a unit. This can also refer to values such as amounts or number of
elements or objects in the composition.

One of the most common cannons asserted relates to the proportion of the body. This varies from one
culture or tradition to another. For the Egyptian artists, the human form follows a square grid and is
informed by the palm of the hand as a unit of measure. To complete a standing human figure, 18 units
(squares) are needed from head to foot. On the other hand, Greeks held that numerical relationships-
the golden ratio-was the key to beauty or to perfection. In the golden ratio, the figure is divided into two
unequal segments wherein the smaller is the same ratio to the larger segment, and that the longer
segment is the same ratio in relation to the whole. In figures, it can be valued at 1:1.618.
Figure 74. Leonardo da Vinci, "Vitruvian Man" (1490). Pen and ink with wash over metalpoint on paper,
Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, Italy

Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" is an exploration on the ideas of the Roman architect Vitruvius, in
which the human body is an example of a classical proportion in architecture. For da Vinci, man's body
can be used to better understand the symmetry that exists in nature and the universe.

Proportion can be:

a. Natural - relates to the realistic size of the visual elements in the artwork, especially for figurative
artworks. When it is the accuracy in relation to the real world that the artist is after, this is now referred
to as the principle of scale.

b. Exaggerated - refers to the unusual size relations of visual elements, deliberately exaggerating the
immensity or minuteness of an object.

In relation to this, there are notions in scale that differentiate when an element is smaller than expected
(diminutive), and when something appears to be larger than what is presumed (monumental).

c. Idealized - most common to those that follow canons of perfection, the size-relations of elements or
objects, which achieve the most ideal size-relations.

3-4. Emphasis and Contrast

Emphasis allows the attention of the viewer to a focal point(s), accentuating or drawing attention to
these elements or objects. This can be done through the manipulation of the elements or through the
assistance of other principles, especially that of contrast.

Contrast is the disparity between the elements that figure into the composition. One object may be
made stronger compared to other objects (hence, emphasis). This can be done in many ways using the
elements of art. For instance, space, specifically the use of negative and positive space, is an example of
contrast. Another example is the use of complementary colors in a work of art.

5-6. Unity and Variety

Unless intended to be otherwise, compositions are intended to imbue a sense of accord or

completeness from the artwork. This is unity.

Figure 72. Vasxdhara Mandala" (dated to 1777: Samvat 897); Distemper on cloth. Gift of Stephen and
Sharon Davies Collection 2015. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Variety, on the other hand, is the principle that aims to retain the interest by allowing patches or areas
that both excite and allow the eye to rest.

7. Harmony
Like what is hinted above, unity and variety is related to the principle of harmony, in which the elements
or objects achieve a sense of flow and interconnectedness.

8. Movement

This refers to the direction of the viewing eye as it goes through the artwork, often guided by areas or
elements that are emphasized. These focal points can be lines, edges, shape, and color within the work
of art, among others.

9. Rhythm

This is created when an element is repeated, creating implied movement. Variety of repetition helps
invigorate rhythm as depicted in the artwork.

10-11. Repetition and Pattern

Lines, shapes, colors, and other elements may appear in an artwork in a recurring manner. This is called
repetition. In addition, the image created out of repetition is called pattern. With repetition, there is a
sense of predictability that is conveyed, which in turn imbues the feelings of security and calmness.

Figure 73. Vincent van Gogh, “La Bercause” (Woman Rocking a Cradle; Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin,
1851-1830). Oil on canvas. The Water H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Gift of Walter H. and
Leonore Annenberg, 1996, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002. The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York.

Combined or Hybrid Art

Looking at the elements and principles of art previously discussed, it is apparent that art may be defined
under strict lines that separate one art form or style to another. In a broad sense, it is easy to decipher
visual arts from auditory arts. In the same vein, when looking at more specific art forms, there is a
considerable ease when one is confronted with the challenge of differentiating a painting from a
sculpture, a print from a drawing, or a soundtrack from a poem. However, with the complexity of
contemporary times in which experimentation and innovation are encouraged, the arts are not
exempted from the increasing overlaps, merger, and fusion of different aspects of art production and
their resultant consumption. One of the buzzwords at the tail end of the twentieth century is
interdisciplinarity. Rooted on the realization that the problems of society are becoming more and more
complex, it is necessary that solutions become innovative, wherein alternative routes to what is familiar,
common, and customary are given premium. It was also a direct upshot of postmodernist ideas in which
barriers were more porous-strict delineation of art forms was overthrown to make way for
collaborations and partnerships between fields, professionals, and creatives. The idea of a single-
medium-based art seems like a strange past that no longer holds in an interdisciplinary reality we live in.

In contemporary art, these developments were mirrored in the multifaceted nature of artworks that
were created. It is not surprising that themes, subjects, and the problematique addressed shaped and
produced new kinds of articulation in which two or more art forms and styles are combined. Some
examples of combined arts include dance, theater, installation art, film, video art, documentary,
photography, puppetry, design, and other forms of production.
These combined art forms are interesting specimens that can be studied to understand what art forms
and styles have been combined, and furthermore, what skills, techniques, or creative processes can be
put together to produce interesting and innovative compositions. In combined arts, improvisation is
often tapped in addition to practical and logical considerations of creating an artwork. From a specific
vista of an art form, there is a seeming road map to creation. However, in combined arts, the artist is
challenged to deconstruct an idea or stimulus, from which the content, narrative, technique, art forms,
and styles will take form. Often improvisation or inventiveness is necessary to create an artwork that is
to some extent unprecedented. As different art forms and styles are tapped, inspiration may come from
numerous sources, and documenting the process of fusing these influences may be part of the
production. A clear example of combined art is a theatrical performance that taps into many art forms
such as music, 2D and 3D art, literature, lighting and set design, among others.

Another movement that is reminiscent of the motivations of the Renaissance, and whose emergence is
hinged on the frontiers of science and technology, is called hybrid arts. Referencing and tapping into the
fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, natural and computer sciences,
telecommunications, information, digital and interface technologies (software programs, speech and
face recognition, social media and online platforms, among many other emergent developments), artists
whose works tread under this movement disrupt the norms in terms of what is considered as art, and
even the way people envisage artistic production. More than anything else, hybrid arts are driven by the
expansion of the imagination and what is possible through the "blistering pace of scientific and
technological development" (Pirma, 2014). At its heart is an inquiry-and through information and data,
the capacity of the artist to move around platforms, and the implementation and manipulation of
newfound tools in production, the artist is able to address that inquiry.

Let's Wrap It Up

In any art appreciation course, the module or lesson on the elements and principles of art are
considered one of the most rudimentary stages in easing the student into a meaningful experience with
art, regardless of its form. A familiarity with these building blocks of composition and formal analysis will
aid the viewer in his or her attempt to come into terms with the intention of the artist.

The elements and principles of art are essential to any artwork. Some of them will be more obvious than
others, becoming the anchors in which the viewer may latch on to engage with the artwork. The focal
point(s) that draw the attention of the viewer is also interesting to note, as this provides insight as to the
interests and values that are of most weight to him or her. These perhaps will help create a bridge in
which a person, who may not normally find pleasure in looking at art, may consider future engagements
with it. In short, familiarity of the elements and principles has the potential to break the barriers in
which art becomes ineffable.

Let's Work on This

1. What are the elements of art?

 2. In two-dimension artworks such as paintings, cite the elements and principles of art that when
utilized in the composition of the artwork, will help simulate or suggest the three-dimensional
space?

3. What is the relevance of combined arts and hybrid art in the twenty-first century?

Let's Make it Happen

Create a poster for your favorite film.

1. Using the elements and principles of art as guide, redesign the poster of your favorite film
2. The poster must clearly reflect the use of the elements and principles of art. It is not required
that all elements and principles be represented in the poster.
3. Prepare to show the poster in class. Without revealing many clues on the film, allow your peers
to guess what film is represented by your poster.