CONARTS STEM A

Week 4: The Subject and Elements of Art

A. Learning Outcomes
• Identify the subject and the elements of art.
• Understand the subject and elements of art.
• Differentiate among the major styles and movements in contemporary art.
• Make a self-portrait applying one art style.

B. Lesson Proper

The Subject of Art

In creating our own contemporary piece of art, we must fully understand what
makes an art true work of art. We must first explore the subject of art.

Every work of art has a subject.

A song may contain lyrics of devotion directed to a certain person. A novel mat
talk about the result of a war. A painting may show a scene of nature. Every work of art
regardless of the period in which is belongs.

A subject or topic is any person, animal, thing or issue that is describe or

represented in a work of art. It generates the question, what is it? Because people
expect to see or hear subjects that they can recognize or are familiar to them. Subject is
different from theme. Theme is refers to the ideas, thoughts and feelings of the artist.

Everything under the sun is considered a subject in the arts, from simplest idea
(e.g., happiness) or an object (e.g., a wine bottle) to the most complicated ones, like
philosophical thoughts or dreamscapes. In visual design, artworks with subjects that are
recognizable are called realistic, representational or objective art. Those that are not
recognizable are non-representational or non-objective art.

In visual design, there are different ways or styles of depicting a subject. Get to
know these styles through the works of art of various Filipino contemporary artists.

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Realism
The first style is realism in which the subject is done the way it actually looks.
The accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of contemporary life.
Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favor of a close observation of outward
appearances.

https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Calado-Series/ACF5F05BF7220245

Bridal White
by AraceliDans. 2014. Watercoloron paper
Distortion
The second is distortion wherein the artist uses his or her imagination and alters
the subject according to his or her desire. A stylized work is a form of distortion like
Norma Belleza’s painting.
It involves stretching, lengthening, shortening, squeezing, melting and twisting an
object from its original appearance to a new, strange, surreal appearance.
DISPLACEMENT involves relocating or transposing an object from its usual environment
to one that it does not usually belong.

https://heritagegallery.ph/2017/08/belleza-norma/ Fiesta

by Norma Belleza. 2012. Oil on canvas

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Abstraction
Third is abstraction where in the artist breaks apart a subject and rearranges it in
a different manner.
In Science, it is the process of analysis and synthesis. Pablo Picasso innovated
this style in the early 1900’s.
The paintings of the National Artist Vicente Manansala belong to this category.

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-
thephilippines/vicente-manansala/

Mother and Child, 1967

Non objectivism
The fourth style is non objectivism where there is totally no subject at all, just an
interplay of pure elements like line, shape, color and so on.
A good example of non objectivism is the painting by Roberto Chabet.

https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Untitled/638797A03DFCAC64 Untitled No.2 by.

Roberto Chabet. 1980. Acrylic on paper

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Elements of Art
The elements of art are the building blocks used by artists to create a work of art.
The following are the elements of art.
1. Line
Line is the extension of a point, a short or long mark drawn or carved on a
surface .Is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or
diagonal; straight or curved; thick or thin.
2. Space
Space in visual arts can be defined as a void, an emptiness which can either be
positive or negative. The positive space refers to a space enclosed in a shape, while the
negative space denotes the opposite.
Space is the area between and around objects. The space around objects is
often called negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the
feeling of depth. Real space is three-dimensional; in visual art, when we create the
feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.
3. Shape
Shape is a closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or
organic, like free-form or natural shapes. Shapes are flat and can express length and
width.
When the ends of a line meet, they form shape. It also be described as a figure
separate from its surrounding area or background.
4. Forms
Forms are three-dimensional shapes expressing length, width, and depth. Balls,
cylinders, boxes, and pyramids are forms.
5. Color
Probably the most striking art element that catches the eye is color. It is a
sensation created by visible wavelengths of light caught in a prism. It is a mixture of
organic or synthetic substances called pigments, used as paint or dye.
Color is light reflected off of objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue
(the name of the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and
intensity (how bright or dull it is).
Color creates a mood or tone, such as red passion, anger or love; blue for peace,
nobility or sadness; and yellow for gaiety, innocence or jealousy. Color also varies from
dull to bright, depending on its intensity, like in music where intensity can also refer to
the loudness or softness of a sound. Color can also have different meanings, depending
on one’s culture.

• White is pure light; black is the absence of light.

• Primary colors are the only true colors (red, blue, and yellow). All other colors are
mixes of primary colors.

• Secondary colors are two primary colors mixed together (green, orange, violet).
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• Intermediate colors, sometimes called tertiary colors, are made by mixing a primary
and secondary color together. Some examples of intermediate colors are yellow green,
blue green, and blue violet.
• Complementary colors are located directly across from each other on the color wheel
(an arrangement of colors along a circular diagram to show how they are related to one
another). Complementary pairs contrast because they share no common colors. For
example, red and green are complements, because green is made of blue and yellow.
When complementary colors are mixed together, they neutralize each other to make
brown.
6. Value
In visual arts, value is the degree of lightness and darkness of a color.
In music, it is called pitch, which is the high or low of a tone. The tone color or
timbre refers to the quality of the sounds.
7. Texture
Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth,
soft or hard. Textures do not always feel the way they look; for example, a drawing of a
porcupine may look prickly, but if you touch the drawing, the paper is still smooth.

In music or writing, texture is the quality or style of a composition. The sounds

from different musical allow one to hear texture in sound.
These elements are the basic tools of expression in any art form. They can be found
in nature and in a man-made environment. Artists use, arrange and manipulate them
to express feelings or mood to convey their message to the viewers, listeners or reader.

References
https://www.britannica.com/art/realism-art (Realism)
https://ycisqdvisualart.wordpress.com/distortion-
techniques/#:~:text=DISTORTION%20involves%20stretching%2C%20lengthening%2C
%20shortening,it%20does%20not%20usually%20belong. (Distortion)
https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/elements_art.pdf (Elements of the art)

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