Elements of art style
What is an art style?
What is art style and, more importantly, my art style? I have been asking myself this question for a long time as probably many artists do. The past years I’ve been mainly in the experimentation and exploration stage in my art practice, but this year I want to have more focus and start developing a more cohesive style.
An art style can be a somewhat ambiguous term and I think it is best understood as the visual appearance of an artist’s work that is associated with them. Importantly, style can perceived by the viewer and by the artist in a different way. As viewers we basically identify the artist by looking at their work, because we see recurring elements and a recognisable approach across the body of work. As artists we see our style emerging as a result of our artistic vision and a specific creative process we develop over time.
Elements of art style
Line, form and shape - representation of objects and subjects in the artwork.
Composition, space, balance - the placement of objects and shapes on the canvas.
Focal points and emphasis - the creation of a visual path to direct the viewer’s eye.
Colour, value and contrast - the creation of visual interest, excitement and drama.
Texture, layers - additional depth and visual interest, a tactile feel to the artwork.
Movement, rhythm - creating a dynamic visual experience through patterns and repetition.
Expression - an artist’s interpretation of the chosen subject matter, is unique to the individual artist.
In addition art style is affected by your individual “handwriting” (how you naturally move your hand, what shapes you seem to prefer, etc.) and by your “signature” artistic choices (media, substrates, tools, techniques, etc.). Hence style is very personal, it “finds you” through creating a lot of work and learning about your own preferences.
One of the common misconceptions is to equate style with genre. Although the choice of subject matter indeed can be a part of an artist’s style, genres are types of paintings (landscape, portrait, still life, etc.), whilst an art style is a combination of artistic choices unique to a specific artist.
At the same time your own style can be as broad or as narrow as you personally see it, depending on which elements of art you want to emphasise more. A style can have recognisable and “signature” elements within a great variety of artwork (think Pablo Picasso) and also when the work is very specific and focused, e.g. someone creating portraits working only in black and white using a pencil.
Finally, I want to point out, that you (and me) don’t have to stress about art style a lot, it comes naturally with creating a lot of art and understanding what you enjoy doing and repeating.
Most artists haven’t “figured it out” 100%, moreover, our artistic tastes and preferences change over time, and so do our creative process, our style and our artwork.
Additional inspiration
Sophie Vander of Curatorial + Co - The Artist/Gallery relationship - Podcast. I loved this discussion, because it delves into important questions - how style is perceived from a gallery standpoint and why creating a cohesive body of work can be important for your career.
Is It Okay to Have Multiple Art Styles? - Laura Horn. I love how Laura explains that it is important to be wary of trends and how it can be beneficial to have a variety in your work.
Thank you for reading and being here! You’re all very welcome in this space. Feel free to share this post with an art friend and I’ll be happy to hear from you in the comments! What are your thoughts on art style?
Until next time!
Lisa
This is the big question, what is ‘my art style’ isn’t it? Although I don’t feel obsessed to seek for an answer, it’s something that comes to mind quite often too! I tend to play and explore a lot but not reflect much about what I do, maybe this is the year I change this. One thing that I always find funny and curious is that other people see our style before we recognize it… I wonder why. Crossing fingers for us in finding our art style 🤞 or at least the art style that suits us in the present!
Thanks for the mention Lisa xx