Works Inspired by the Four Elements

The four elements of nature, otherwise known as the classical elements, typically refer to Air, Earth, Fire and Water and (later) aether, which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India have similar lists. Local languages refer to "air" as "wind" and the fifth element as "void". These different cultures and individual philosophers had widely varying explanations concerning their attributes and how they related to observable phenomena as well as cosmology. What united them, however, was an awareness of these different altering states being used to explain our planet.  Sometimes these theories overlapped with mythology and were personified in deities. 

While the classification of the material world in ancient Indian, Hellenistic Egypt, and ancient Greece into Air, Earth, Fire and Water was more philosophical, during the Islamic Golden Age in the Medieval era we can mark a clear scientific interest in proving a concrete delineation between the elements. Modern day science has given rise to atomic theory which proves this phenomena. Yet still to this day, humans are engrossed in the aura of the natural elements and we can see this in art. The four elements of nature have inspired art since the beginning of its creation. If we date art back to the point of cave man drawings, fire imagery appears alongside symbolic drawings to the other elements such as water and wind. Since this time, the four elements have not ceased to provide inspiration to artists. Perhaps this is down to the ephemeral nature of the subject that attunes so well to the inner spirit of the artist.

Artsper has many artistic interpretations of the classical elements inspired by nature's core. Discover the work of Ana Daganzo, Futura 2000 and Zin Taylor to name a few artists who follow in this line of work.

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Painting, Fire, Anne Authier

Anne Authier

Painting - 80 x 100 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 inch

$3,073

Print, Untitled, Craig Costello

Craig Costello

Print - 101.6 x 67.31 x 2 cm Print - 40 x 26.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,067

Fine Art Drawings, Layers, Antonietta Valente

Antonietta Valente

Fine Art Drawings - 15.2 x 10.2 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 6 x 4 x 0.1 inch

$590

Painting, Askjer, Eva Ullrich

Eva Ullrich

Painting - 74 x 64 x 3 cm Painting - 29.1 x 25.2 x 1.2 inch

$2,581

Photography, We are fire 3, Raul Diaz

Raul Diaz

Photography - 10.7 x 16.5 x 0.1 cm Photography - 4.2 x 6.5 x 0 inch

$738

Painting, Skyfall, Paresh Nrshinga

Paresh Nrshinga

Painting - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$3,651

Painting, Sunny, Gaëlle Wagner

Gaëlle Wagner

Painting - 180 x 300 x 0.1 cm Painting - 70.9 x 118.1 x 0 inch

$14,751

Painting, Apnoe, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

Painting - 120 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$4,056

Painting, Explosion, Enric Correa

Enric Correa

Painting - 90 x 60 x 1.5 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.6 inch

$922

Painting, Storm, Anna Privaloff

Anna Privaloff

Painting - 90 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

$2,458

Fine Art Drawings, Abstract I, Wissam Beydoun

Wissam Beydoun

Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 28 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 11 inch

$650

Painting, La Manche, Alexei Lantsev

Alexei Lantsev

Painting - 120 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

$5,532

Painting, Aqua 3, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$983

Painting, Britany, Anna Privaloff

Anna Privaloff

Painting - 55 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,106

Painting, Aqua 2, Gina Vor

Gina Vor

Painting - 80 x 60 x 0.4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch

$983

Sculpture, Caraïbes, Marion Clavier

Marion Clavier

Sculpture - 63 x 45 x 0.4 cm Sculpture - 24.8 x 17.7 x 0.2 inch

$1,352

Painting, Elements, Sandrine Belmont

Sandrine Belmont

Painting - 38 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch

$492

Painting, Archipelago, Chelsea Davine

Chelsea Davine

Painting - 110 x 110 x 4 cm Painting - 43.3 x 43.3 x 1.6 inch

$5,355

Painting, Gratitude, Milada Dureckova

Milada Dureckova

Painting - 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$1,020

Painting, Natural, Romina Schimpf

Romina Schimpf

Painting - 90 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$2,581

Painting, Every Rung, Emily Berger

Emily Berger

Painting - 35.6 x 27.9 cm Painting - 14 x 11 inch

$2,147

Painting, Midi, Egor Plotnikov

Egor Plotnikov

Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$2,458

Design, Flux - 1, Marion Clavier

Marion Clavier

Design - 26 x 21 x 0.3 cm Design - 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch

$289

Painting, Leaves, Adel Mikaelyan

Adel Mikaelyan

Painting - 19 x 25 x 0.3 cm Painting - 7.5 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch

$148 $133

Painting, Cloud, Jordi Sàbat

Jordi Sàbat

Painting - 65 x 50 x 5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 2 inch

$1,967

Painting, Submergence, Uliana Sal

Uliana Sal

Painting - 20 x 40 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

$500

Painting, Untitled, Ani Qananyan

Ani Qananyan

Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$3,565

Painting, Untitled, Ani Hovak

Ani Hovak

Painting - 95 x 73 x 0.3 cm Painting - 37.4 x 28.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,352 $1,217

Painting, Inception, Lisbeth Buonanno

Lisbeth Buonanno

Painting - 130 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 0.8 inch

$6,146 $4,302

Photography, Rebirth I, Shine Huang

Shine Huang

Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch

$1,800

Painting, L'île, Cécile Labonne

Cécile Labonne

Painting - 50 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch

$860

Painting, Now, Petya Deneva

Now

Petya Deneva

Painting - 125 x 150 x 2.8 cm Painting - 49.2 x 59.1 x 1.1 inch

$9,729

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