4 Parts of Art

Join us as we discuss the foundations of what makes a painting a painting. We will base our four categories off Vasari’s 4 Parts of Art which he elucidated in his major work

“Le Vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architettori”

(“The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects”)

This was the first true history of art — Vasari analyzed what makes art great, and he kept returning to four interdependent qualities every master must perfect.

Join us as we sit down and explore these 4 part together with Shmuel and Joel Gluck

The 4 part of Art which we will now go into individually

  1. Drawing
  2. Color
  3. Composition
  4. Emotional Content

Drawing & Color

The First of the Four principles

1. Drawing gives a painting its framework. It sets the composition, defines edges, and establishes where everything sits on the canvas. Good drawing keeps proportions accurate and space believable — it’s what makes the painting hold together.

2. Color brings that framework to life. It creates depth, light, and contrast, guiding how the eye moves and what it notices first. Through shifts in hue and value, color controls mood and focus — turning structure into a complete visual experience.

Composition

An Allusive but important category

3. Composition is how all the elements of a painting fit together. It decides the flow — where the eye moves, where it rests, and how balance is achieved. Strong composition gives purpose to every line and shape, making the painting feel intentional and complete. It’s the silent structure that makes everything else work.

Emotional Content

The Principle

4. Emotional Contentgives a painting its voice. It’s the feeling that lives beneath structure — carried through color, rhythm, and contrast. But emotion in art could also be subjective; it depends on who’s looking. The same image can calm one person and unsettle another. That’s the power of emotion in art — it can’t be measured or fixed, only felt and interpreted.

To Continue exploring Art Continue onto the next discussion

Braking The Rules