Elements of Art: Line, Shape, Mass, Color, and Space

Line: Outline, Abstraction, and Form

Not all artwork contains lines, and those that do not seem extraordinary precisely because of the near-universal presence of line in almost everything we look at. The paintings of Jackson Pollock, for instance, are composed of paint splatters that may appear line-like to the eye but are not true lines in the formal sense. They create a web of visual energy without using line to define any particular form.

The difference between Pollock's work and a drawing by Picasso is that the latter uses line to convey a specific form—in many cases, a recognizable human face. Line can be understood as "outline" when it traces the essential features of an object. When a line exists purely for its own sake, as in many abstract works of art, the concept of line is deconstructed entirely. A line can be straight or curved and can flow from any one point to any other.

Few artists convey the essential character of line as purely as Piet Mondrian. His compositions reduce painting to its most basic structural element: the straight line intersecting at right angles, dividing the canvas into fields of color. In Mondrian's work, line is not a means to an end but the subject itself.

Shape: Representation and Abstraction

A shape can be anything—including a line. Shapes can and often do represent familiar objects, as in a still life painting. In abstract works of art, shapes are non-representational. The still life paintings of Paul Cézanne are replete with a variety of different shapes converging to convey the idea of objects arranged on a table: bottles, onions, and drapery rendered as interlocking geometric forms.

The human eye creates a gestalt image based on the way an artist places shapes on the canvas. Shapes in an abstract work of art may contain colors or textures but do not generally suggest any object familiar from daily life. It is the relationship between shapes—their relative size, placement, and color—that generates visual meaning.

Mass: Volume and Weight in Art

Mass can be suggested on a two-dimensional surface, as in Cézanne's still life paintings, where the rounded orbs of onions symbolize their physical weight and volume. However, mass is most powerfully conveyed in three-dimensional and multimedia works of art. A sculpture of an elephant and its calf, for example, seems to possess genuine volume and weight—the essential features of mass—even when rendered in a relatively static pose. The viewer intuitively senses the gravitational presence of the forms.

Light and Color Value in Painting

Light can perhaps be no better illustrated than through the works of the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. In St. Joseph's Dream, an angel hovers at the center of the composition and functions as a source of light—light appears to emanate directly from the figure. Rembrandt achieves this effect through the strategic use of color. The dark areas of the painting, especially those farthest from the angelic source of light, are rendered in monotonous shades of brown. Shades of white depict the illuminated source, while progressively darker browns convey the portions of the scene untouched by it. St. Joseph's Dream therefore demonstrates how artists use both light and color simultaneously to organize a composition and direct the viewer's attention.

The concept of color value—the relative lightness or darkness of a hue—may be more clearly illustrated by Impressionist artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In The Skiff, Renoir depicts a boat on a placid pond using different shades, or values, of blue. Capitalizing on color value in this way adds considerable depth, nuance, and texture to the painting, transforming what might be a flat decorative surface into a shimmering, luminous scene.