Includes bibliographical references (p. 343-344) and index.

Introduction : The vocabulary of introductory terms ; The need and search for art ; The ingredients for art ; The ingredients assembled -- Form : The vocabulary of form ; Form and visual ordering ; Form unity: a summary -- Line : The vocabulary of line ; Line: the elementary means of communication ; The physical characteristics of line ; The expressive properties of line ; Line and the other art elements ; The spatial characteristics of line ; Line and representation -- Shape : The vocabulary of shape ; Introduction to shape ; The definition of shape ; The use of shape ; Shape and content -- Value : The vocabulary of value ; Introduction to value relationships ; Descriptive uses of value ; Expressive uses of value ; Compositional functions of value -- Texture : The vocabulary of texture ; Introduction to texture ; Texture and the visual arts ; The nature of texture ; Types of textures ; Texture and pattern ; Texture and composition ; Texture and space ; Texture and art media -- Color : The vocabulary of color : The characteristics of color ; The role of color in composition ; Color balance -- Space : The vocabulary of space ; Introduction to space ; Spatial perception ; Major types of space ; Spatial indicators ; The spatial properties of the elements ; Recent concepts of space -- The art of the third dimension : The vocabulary of the third dimension ; Basic concepts of three-dimensional art ; The components of three-dimensional art -- Content and style : Introduction to content and style : Nineteenth-century art ; Early-twentieth-century art ; Late-twentieth-century art ; New global art.