ILTS Visual Arts (214) Content Area Practice Exam

Color, line, shape, texture, form, space, and value are the basic building blocks artists use to describe and analyze a visual work. These are known as the elements of art because they are the fundamental components that you manipulate to create composition and meaning. The other terms refer to different ideas: the principles of design describe how those elements are arranged (balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, etc.), media means the materials used (paint, clay, digital tools), and techniques are the specific methods for applying or working with those materials. So, the term that refers to the building blocks is the elements of art.