Element of Art: Space

Overlapping is when shapes are in front of other shapes. If one shape overlaps another it communicates an illusion of depth.

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What is overlapping?

The area of the picture space nearest to the viewer, immediately behind the picture plane, is known as the foreground.

What is the foreground?

Middle ground is the space occurring between the foreground and background

What is the middle ground?

Background in art refers to the background space or setting that an image is placed within.

What is the background?

Positive space is best described as the areas in a work of art that are the subjects, or areas of interest

​What is positive space?

Negative space is the empty space around and between an image's subject(s).

​What is negative space?