Answer: Elements of content are the feelings your artwork has and gives off. They are what you want to show through your works of art. They are not as much physical things as they are elements you find more through interpretation. The elements of content are subject matter, theme, meaning, ideas, and symbols. We are going to go over these quickly, as we will dive into them more in later units.
Subject matter is what a piece of artwork is actually about. This may be a war scene or a portrait of your cat. Theme is the overall message you are trying to communicate. This could be obvious, such as the devastation littering causes to our wildlife, which may be easily shown in a painting of a duck caught in the plastic holdings made for pop bottles. Or it could be less obvious, like a simple picture of a woman crying. Ideas are shown in art through imagination. A cartoon drawing of the earth sweating from heat could be an artist showing the idea of global warming. A symbol is something that is usually easily recognized, something that the artist wants to stand in for something else. For instance, a person holding a heart in their hand while looking at another person can be showing a symbol for love.