Visual Elements 

The first few times you dig into an artwork, these may feel awkward but with practice it becomes easier to see them and interpret them. At first, don’t even try to work with all of them at once. Start with one that is obvious in the artwork you want to explore more deeply. 

Line 

• Might be obvious, like an outline, or subtle like a fold in draped fabric
• Might be formed from two or more shapes or figures that seem to flow into each other
• Thin (delicate)  or thick (assertive)
• Smooth (elegant) or rough (coarse)
• Straight (stable, secure) or curvy (lively, soft)
• Diagonal and zig-zag lines (direction, movement, energy)
• Lines often lead the viewer’s eye in a particular direction within the artwork

Shape and Form

Shape is something that looks or seems two dimensional (2D or flat). 

Form is something that seems three dimensional (3D) or that seems to have mass or volume. 

• Three basic shapes (circle, square, triangle) can be stretched, pulled, adjusted, and combined into countless variations.
• A square indicates vertical and horizontal directions
• A triangle indicates diagonal directions
• A circle indicates a curving or rotating direction
• Triangular shapes and forms can seem stable if they are base down or unsettling or precarious if point down. 
• Regular shapes suggest order; irregular shapes suggest innovation or disorder. 
• A circle tends to center a work
• A shape might be formed from multiple elements in a work, for example, a seated Mary with a young Jesus at one knee and a young John the Baptist at the other might form a triangle with her head at the top point and all of their feet at the base. 
• A wide rectangle might seem heavy while a tall thin rectangle might seem light or elegant. 

Space 

Space is what the lines, shapes, and forms occupy. 

• A three dimensional object (e.g., a statue) occupies space, in a room, a museum, or a church. 
• On a two-dimensional surface, space is the area of the surface. 
• Theological space tends to put God and other heavenly figures at the top and make them larger than the earthly figures (common in the Middle Ages). 

Texture

Texture describes the surface of a work either in how its actual surface would feel if touched or in the illusion of surface.  It can be difficult to appreciate texture in reproductions but sometimes it is evident. Texture variations can have different meanings depending on the subject matter of the art. Typical variations include:

• Rough – smooth
• Shiny (glossy) – matte (flat) [think of trim paint versus wall paint here]
• Thick – thin 

Value or Tone 

Value or tone refers to the lightness and darkness in the piece. Value or tone can help us recognize the lines, shapes, and forms. 

Color

Color is a powerful element of any image or object. It can be referred to in several ways. 

• Hue: the color itself:
• Primary colors: red, blue, yellow
• Secondary colors: orange (mix of red & yellow), violet (mix of blue & red), green (mix of yellow & blue)
• Complimentary colors: red & green (green has no red in it); blue & orange (orange has no blue in it), yellow and purple (purple has no yellow in it)
• Intensity: brightness versus dullness of the color
• Tint: a hue mixed with white
• Shade: a hue mixed with black
• Warm colors are read and orange
• Cool colors are blue and green
• Yellow and violet can be warm or cool
• Neutral: black, white, gray
• Particular colors have had various meanings in Christian art but sometimes those meanings have changed with time and location.
• Red can refer to passion, love (erotic, spiritual, true), blood (including the Blood of Christ), royalty (especially for cardinals), or fire (Pentecost)
• Blue can refer to the heavens, truth, or faithfulness; it was often used to depict Mary. It was very expensive because it was made from ground up lapis lazuli. 
• Yellow (and gold) can mean sun, divinity, illumination, and sacredness but it could also mean almost the opposite in that it was used for cowardice and deceit, especially for non-believers and Jews.
• Green can indicate spring, new life, fertility, and rebirth
• Violet can indicate love and truth or it can refer to penitence and suffering.