A) From Augusta College
The following content (as is) is from an Augustana College page: http://augustana.net/users/arwalters/design/components.htm
Components of an art work
| Subject | the depicted object(s) |
| Form | visual organization |
| Content | impact or meaning |
Works of art have subject, form and content. We often identify a work by its subject: a landscape painting, a sculpture of a young woman, a lithograph of a cat. Form (or design), is the visual organization of the art work -how the artist has used line, shape, value, color, etc. Content is the impact or meaning of this work.
A horse’s head is the subject of both works (below). However, the artists have used form very differently. Picasso’s painting (left) has gestural lines, high value contrast, and exaggerated proportions to create a highly emotional content. Conversely, the harmonious rhythms and more naturalistic proportions in the ancient Greek sculpture create a very different feeling. The differences in content were created by the differences in form, not the subject matter. The decisions you make regarding form (type of line and shape; selection of value and color; size of the work; type of balance, etc.) shape the work’s impact and meaning.
B) From UT Dallas
https://personal.utdallas.edu/~melacy/pages/2D_Design/Components_of_Art/Components_of_Art.html
The Three Components of Art
Subject, form, and content have always been the three basic components of a work of art, and they are wed in a way that is inseparable. In general, subject may be thought of as the “what” (the topic, focus, or image); form, as the “how” (the development of the work, composition, or the substantiation); and content, as the “why” (the artist’s intention, communication, or meaning behind the work).
Subject (or Subject Matter)
The subject of visual art can be a person, an object, a theme, or an idea. Though there are many and varied ways of presenting the subject matter, it is only important to the degree that the artist is motivated by it.
Form
As a component of art, the word form refers to the total overall arrangement or organization of an artwork. It results from using the elements of art, giving them order and meaning through the principles of organization. When studying a work’s form, we are analyzing how the piece was created. More specifically, we are examing why the artist made certain choices and how those choices interact to form the artwork’s final appearance. In this sense, the word form may actually be thought of as a verb rather than a noun.
The elements of art, which include line, texture, color, shape, and value, are the most basic, indispensable, and immediate building blocks for expression. Their characteristics, determined by the artist’s choice of media and techniques, can communicate a wide range of complex feelings. All artists must deal with the elements singularly or in combination, and their organization contributes to the aesthetic success or failure of a work.
Based on the intended expression, each artist can arrange the elements in any manner that builds the desired character into the piece. However, the elements are given order and meaningful structure when arranged according to the principles of organization, which help integrate and organize the elements. These principles include harmony, variety, balance, proportion, dominance, movement, and economy. They help create spatial relationships and effectively convey the artist’s intent. The principles of organization are flexible, not dogmatic, and can be combined and applied in numerous ways. Some artist arrange intuitively, and others are more calculating, but with experience, all of them develop an instinctive feeling for organizing their work. So important are these concepts of elements and principles that they are studied separately.
Content
The emotional or intellectual message of a work of art is its content – a statement, expression, or mood developed by the artist and interpreted by the observer. Of the three components of art, content may be the most difficult to identify, because the audience, without direct communication with the artist, must decipher the artist’s thoughts by observing the work’s subject and form. For example, in Young Girl in the Lap of Death, the striking emphasis of the left-to-right diagonals, the sharp contrasts of light and dark values, and the aggressive and powerful drawing strokes give us some insight into Kathe Kollwitz’s concern for life, though we may not understand the depth of her passion.
C) From UMBC.edu