Art has 7 principles!

This article discuss what the 7 principles of art are.

Art theory tends to be a subject that some people are more interested in and others completely leave it. Those that do leave can't help but be curious about what it's like to create art and why there are such concrete characteristics that are often used to define the genre.

What are the 7 principles of art?

According to art theorist Frank Bethwaite, there are 7 fundamental characteristics that define the genre of art. These qualities come from music, the visual arts, and writing.

These 7 principles can be applied to any artistic medium. Art itself has many definitions and can be used to both define it and subvert it.

1. Contour

The essence of art is composition. How an artist assembles pieces to create something that can be consumed by the viewer.

"Art is a set of actions that are performed by two or more people. That act is then assembled into a work of art." ― Frank Bethwaite

Contour is how an artist shapes or contours the subject of their artwork. It's the first way that an artist manifests their craft to the viewer. Contours may be as simple as line drawing or as complex as an elaborate collage.

An example of a picture that contours is the work of Alberto Giacometti. The works by the famous Swiss artist are incredible due to his use of light and shadow in them.

2. Image

The object in an art piece is the second representation of the art medium. The object is usually an external object that the artist's work is placed upon.

The object can be as simple as a few lines to something as complex as a huge composition. Within this art form the image is referred to as a form.

A composition is a kind of abstraction which can be used to guide the viewer in their viewing of the piece. This form is the point at which the viewers is inspired by the artwork and may even make their own version of it.

An example of an image using an object is Gustav Klimt's Prussian Girl.

3. Color

Color is not the same thing as hue or saturation. The color of an object can be described as a value of hue.

It can also be described as the value of chroma, which are the colors and values that the human eye perceives. The different hues, or values of colors may differ as a matter of personal taste.

A piece of art with a color value of hue is called hue and the artist is called the painter of that hue. However, the hue of an object does not represent the color itself but rather the color that the human eye perceives when they view the object.

4. Image Weight

The image weight is the color value of the object. A dominant hue may be light, medium, or dark.

Lighter hues are sometimes referred to as light and tend to have cool undertones. Medium hues are on the other end of the scale and are often warm in color.

Softer colors are sometimes referred to as dark and tend to have warmer undertones. Dark hues are sometimes referred to as dark and tend to have cool undertones.

5. Line

The line is often the center of attention in a piece. There are many ways in which the line may be formed.

There is the line that is the illustration of a person, an animal, or a landscape. The line is also the painting technique which is used to create pieces of art.

However, the line can also be formed by an object itself. It can be formed by a single line that is used to form a certain piece of art, such as a line of light.

Or it can be formed by the movement of the object itself. This can be done by walking across a carpet or a stretch of white paper.

The line also provides a sense of symmetry to a work. This can be seen as the line that follows a circle.

6. Aspect

The aspect of an art work is the overall effect that the viewer sees. The aspect is often the context in which the artwork is viewed.

In the example below, the visual aspect of the abstract picture is the image contrast. This effect is created by light entering the side of the canvas and the shadows cast by the sides.

The fact that the line is lower in contrast and of lighter colors also contributes to the overall effect.

7. Pattern

The pattern is a fact about the form that an artist has created.

The pattern tells the viewer to look at a specific part of the image. The patterns are generally repetitive.

The pattern also gives the viewer clues about the technique that the artist has used. For example, if the pattern of the design is a brick pattern then it can be assumed that the artist used a pattern of leaves.

If the pattern is different, the artist has used another technique.