What is Space in Art? 2 Types, Art Examples

Let’s discuss Space – an element of art responsible for depth, distance and composition.

Key Takeaways:

• Space is an element of art that refers to the area within and around a work of art, creating a sense of distance and depth.
• Space can be positive (occupied by objects) or negative (empty areas around objects).
• A flat surface can convey two types of space: tree-dimensional space and two-dimensional space.
• Techniques to create the illusion of space include perspective, overlapping, size, placement, color, and detail.

Space in Art – Definition

Space in art refers to the area within and around a work of art. It is the distance or gap between different elements, shapes, colors, and lines.

It creates a sense of depth, volume, and perspective in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional artwork.

Space in art can be either positive or negative, depending on whether it refers to the areas occupied by the objects or the areas around them.

• Positive space in art is occupied by the object or objects and shaped by its contours.
• Negative space in art refers to the empty or unoccupied areas surrounding and between the main subjects or objects.

Space is one of the most important elements of art, which contributes to the overall appearance of a particular work and the impression it leaves on a viewer.

The illusion of space can make the work look completely realistic, or puzzle the viewer’s eye, blurring the boundaries between an artwork and reality.

Why do Artists Need Space in Art?

Artists need the element of Space in art because it works together with other art elements to create an illusion of a real-life three-dimensional space, balances the composition and makes the work visually appealing.

The three-dimensional effect of implied space can be completely realistic or can puzzle the viewer’s perception.

Space can evoke feelings of calm and serenity, or fear and claustrophobia, depending on how an artist manipulates it.

The 7 Elements of Art

Space is one of the elements of art, not the principles of art. You can learn about each principle of art and element of art in the linked articles below:

1. Line
2. Color
3. Form
4. Shape 
5. Value
6. Texture
7. Space (we are learning about space now!)

The 7 Principles of Art

1. Balance
2. Contrast and Emphasis
3. Movement and Rhythm
4. Unity and Variety
5. Harmony
6. Pattern 
7. Proportions and Scale

The Two Types of Space in Art

Space in art is generally divided into two concepts: positive and negative space.

Both can contribute to a realistic depiction of objects in the artwork, as well as optical illusions. However, artists usually pay more attention to the rendering of positive space.

A proper balance between positive and negative space is crucial when trying to achieve the visual integrity of the work.

Positive Space

Positive space in art refers to the actual contours of the depicted object – the space it occupies in the artwork’s plane.

Any artwork you can think of on the spot is an example of positive space used.

In the example image below, notice how the basket of fruits has a clear contour throughout the space it occupies.

In this case, each fruit does not have a separate negative space around it, but the combination of all of them together is what creates a positive space.

In reverse, everything not occupied by the contours of the fruits and the basket is considered negative space.

Negative Space

Negative space in art means everything that surrounds the main subject(s).

Negative space is as important as positive space. Just like in jazz, notes that are not being played matter as much as those that are played.

To create negative space, artists manipulate space around their depicted objects. Sometimes, artists hide other images or messages in the negative space of their works.

René Magritte’s artworks are perfect examples of how artists use both negative and positive space. He often cut out silhouettes of humans or objects in negative space next to their positive space variations.

3D VS. 2D Space

A flat surface of a painting or a drawing can convey two types of space: tree-dimensional space and two-dimensional space.

Three-Dimensional Space

In a painting, three-dimensional space, or deep space, refers to the illusion of depth and the portrayal of objects or elements as if they have spatial depth and exist in a realistic, three-dimensional environment on a two-dimensional surface.

This 3D space is achieved through techniques such as perspective, shading, and overlapping.

All realistic paintings utilize three-dimensional space.

For instance, The Milkmaid painting below uses three-dimensional space to imitate the real world. There’s a wall of negative space that we can tell is in the background due to the artist’s use of perspective.

Overlapping of the table in front of the maid, who is in front of the wall, also helps sell the three-dimensionality of the piece. And, of course, realistic shading ties it all together.

Two-Dimensional Space

Two-dimensional space in art is the flat surface where artists work with shapes, colors, and forms that are arranged to create a composition without the perception of depth or volume.

Two-dimensional space does not try to appear realistic but rather uses the possibilities of a picture plane to convey an artist’s message.

To define two-dimensional space, artists often use the term shallow space.

Shallow space is used by many artists in abstract art, with its geometric or organic forms disconnected from reality.

Some of the great art examples are Hilma af Klint’s large abstract compositions: they rely on two-dimensional space and are not trying to create depth.

Hilma af Klint’s main subject was the invisible world, which did not have to depend on the laws of perspective.

How to Create the Illusion of Space in Art

The most common ways to create the illusion of space in art are perspective, overlapping, size, placement, color, and detail.

All these instruments significantly contribute to creating space, yet all have disadvantages. Artists often use several at once to achieve the desired result.

1. Perspective

One of the most popular ways to imply space in art is the use of perspective.

Perspective is a distortion of an object’s contours in a way that implies real three-dimensional space in which the object is present.

Andrea Mantegna’s painting The Lamentation of Christ is an excellent example of using perspective to imply space.

To create an illusion of deep space on the flat surface of a canvas, Mantegna is radically distorting and shortening Christ’s body. He is positioned with His feet to the viewer, with the rest of His body rapidly receding in size.

Although the body looks square and disproportionate in two dimensions, our brain recognizes the perspective it’s in.

2. Overlapping

Overlapping is one of the easiest ways to create space for an artist.

To create the illusion of three-dimensional space, the positive space of object A needs to be positioned on top of object B, partially covering it. Thus, object B would seem further from the viewer’s eye than object A.

The Dutch artist M.C. Escher frequently used overlapping in his works to create confusing and complicated images of buildings, stairs, and mechanisms visible from several points of view at once.

3. Size or Scale

This method of giving your art space is also intuitively understandable. Typically, the human eye recognizes the smaller objects as being further from us and the bigger ones as closer.

Artists deliberately make some shapes smaller – or, on the contrary, blow them out of proportion – to manipulate their distance from the viewer and create a deeper three-dimensional space.

The anonymous fifteenth-century work The Ideal City is one of the oldest and most well-known examples of a one-point linear perspective and a perfect example of scale used to imply depth.

Notice how the buildings in the back look smaller than the columns in front of us. And how the size of humans shrinks as they move further into space.

It’s a great example of using perspective, overlapping, size or scale, and placement to create an illusion of three-dimensional space.

4. Placement

Objects that are placed higher on a two-dimensional plane are usually perceived as being further.

You can see it as early as in medieval painting, where the scale of objects is similar, but their position indicates physical space.

In the famous painting Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte, you can notice how the buildings and people in the background are positioned much higher than the figures of people in the foreground.

5. Color and Value

Color and value are essential in creating a credible sense of space on a flat picture plane.

To achieve the illusion of depth, you can use atmospheric perspective, value, contrast, and saturation.

Atmospheric Perspective: Use cooler and lighter colors for objects or elements in the background to make them appear more distant, with warmer and darker colors on objects in the foreground to make them seem closer.

Value Contrast: Increase the contrast between light and dark areas in the foreground to make objects appear closer and reduce the contrast in the background to push objects farther away.

Color Contrast and Saturation: Increase the saturation and contrast of colors in the foreground and desaturate and decrease contrast in the background to emphasize depth.

In the work of the famous American realist Edward Hopper, you can see the use of all three principles mentioned above.

6. Detail

Another option to manipulate space in art is by correctly using details and textures of the subjects depicted.

Take a look at objects around you: even if you have perfect eyesight, you will notice may more details on a book cover next to you and much fewer on one located a hundred meters away.

To replicate it in your art, add more detail and texture to objects in the foreground and reduce it as you move into the background.

Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Red Vineyard at Arles, for instance, manipulates detail to create the illusion of depth and make smaller figures appear further from the viewer’s eye.

The figures in front of us do not have facial features, but nevertheless, you can see their heads and clothing in much greater detail compared to stick figures in the background.

Space Element- Key Takeaways

Space in art refers to the area within and around a work of art. It is the distance or gap between different elements, shapes, colors, and lines.

It’s one of the seven elements of art.

There are two types of space in art: positive and negative space.

Positive space refers to the space inside the object contours, while negative space in art is everything left outside them.

Negative space is frequently used to create optical illusions and create a second image on a picture plane, which exists simultaneously with the one created with positive art space.

Shallow space in art can be found in flat depictions with little to no implied space, while deep space appears more realistic by creating an optical illusion of depth.

You can create and manipulate space by using various instruments such as perspective, color, overlapping, detail, placement, or size.