Transcript Jackson Pollock Template

Chapter 3
The Principles of Design
Balance
Contrast
Emphasis/Focal Point
Variety
Unity/Harmony
Scale/Proportion
Rhythm
We will not do in-depth study of all of the Principles of Design
NOTE: “Principles of Art” means the same as “Principles of Design”
What are The Principles of
Design?
The Principles of Design are
the ways that artists use the
Elements of Art to create good
Compositions (or artwork)
Composition means the same
as Design
There are 11 Principles of Design
Balance
Contrast
Emphasis
Variety
Unity/Harmony
Proportion
Rhythm
Movement
Pattern
Repetition
We will not do in-depth study of all of the Principles of Design
NOTE: “Principles of Art” means the same as “Principles of Design”
Balance:
This principle of design refers to
the visual equalization of the
elements in a work of art.
Actual Balance
means that the actual piece of art is literally balanced by
physical gravitational force . It is usually 3D and can
stand upright on its own, such as a sculpture.
Pictorial Balance
1.
Refers to 2D works
2.
Equilibrium is created by
an even distribution of
visual weight on each
side of a central axis
3.
It also refers to an even
distribution of weight
among all elements of a
composition
Visual Weight
refers to the relative visual attraction or visual
weight of elements in a composition
The are three major types of pictorial
balance
Horizontal balance - elements on the left and
right side of the composition seem to be about
equal.
Vertical balance - the elements at the top and
bottom of the composition are in balance.
Radial balance - design elements radiate from
the center point. Frequently used in ceramics,
jewelry, basketry, stained glass, and other
crafts.
Horizontal Balance
Balance on left and right sides of the of the image.
Axis
Vertical Balance
We also have to consider vertical balance. (Balance on the
top and bottom of the image.)
The Viewer is more
comfortable when there
is more visual weight at
the bottom of the composition.
It gives a feeling Stability,
calmness, balance.
Radial Balance
The elements radiate or
circle out from a common
central point.
• Radial balance is common
in nature.

Imbalance
Occurs when opposing forms are out of
equilibrium in a composition
An
artist may chose to
use imbalance in a
composition to enhance a
theme or topic, or to
elicit a response.
Imbalance
can create
shock and discomfort.
It
can be used to
capture a sense of
movement.
More
visual weight
on top elicits a feeling of
instability.
Marc Chagall - The Flying Rabbi
Imbalance
Sometimes artists aim to shock the viewer or to play into
the viewer’s discomfort by creating works with imbalance
By allowing the composition to remain unbalanced, or weighted on the
left, the drama of the moment is intensified. The long shadow seems to
pull the soldier to the ground, as he stumbles from the impact of the
bullet. The imbalance of the composition is a response to the imbalance
of the soldier.
Using Imbalance to Create Tension
The further up in the
format the main visual
interest occurs, the
more unstable and
dynamic the image
becomes.
Tightrope Walker W. Kandinsky
Symmetrical Balance
• Also called bilateral or formal balance
• Shapes or forms repeated in a similar position on either
side of a central axis
• Mirror image
• Can be static or even boring
• Can create a feeling of calmness, and stability
• Used for a formal or dignified feeling
Symmetrical Balance is a response to the design
of our own bodies
Vertical Axis and the
Body
(The body is
symmetrical.)
Symmetrical or Formal Balance

Dignified

Stiff

Proper

Strict
Symmetrical or Formal Balance
Has a classical feel
Creates a feeling of
permanence, strength
order, predictability, and
stability.
Also considered sedate,
calm and dignified.
Used a lot in architecture.
Sometimes we want to use symmetrical
balance to imply formality and dignity
2. Asymmetrical Balance or Informal Balance

When the right and left sides of a
composition bear visibly different
shapes, colors, textures, or other
elements, and yet they are
arranged or “weighted” in such a
way that the work feels balanced.

Appears casual and less planned,
but in fact, is harder for the artist
to create.
2. Asymmetrical Balance or Informal Balance

a way of organizing the
parts of a design so that
one side differs from the
other without destroying
the overall balance and
harmony.

Comfortable

Casual

Easy
Asymmetrical Balance in Sculpture.
Fig. 3.13, p.74: DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD. Verde (1990). Found steel. 79” x 108” x 31”.
What type of balance is shown here?
George Seurat, (French) 1859-1891, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte
Here the larger figures to the right are balanced by the many smaller
figures to the left. Also, Seurat added additional "light" to the left. How
does this add balance to the painting?
Contrast
A design principle that emphasizes differences between the art elements.
For example, a painting may have bright colors that contrast with dull colors or
angular shapes that contrast with rounded shapes.
Sharp contrast draws attention and can direct a viewer to a focal point within a
work of art.
The bright, angular shapes of this boat are a sharp contract to the muted,
organic shapes in the background.
In this work we see sharp lines and shapes
against softer lines and shapes. We also
see sharp contrast between colors.
Marlene Healey, Sections of my Destiny
Focal point or Area of Emphasis
1.
Area where the eye tends
to center. It is the focus of
the viewer's attention.
2.
A focal point is created by
making one area or
element most important
visually with all other areas
contributing but
subordinate.
Ways to Achieve Emphasis:
1.
Emphasis by Contrast
2.
Emphasis by Isolation
3.
Emphasis by Placement or Central
Placement

Strategically placing objects and images
Ways to Achieve Emphasis: 1. Contrast
Emphasis by contrast of Color (& size)
Most visually dominant
Ways to Achieve Emphasis: 1. Contrast
Emphasis by contrast of Style, or Technique
This head stands out because the
style in which it was rendered is
realistic, while all of the other heads
were rendered in an abstract style.
This head is the focal point of
the painting
Ways to Achieve Emphasis: 1. Contrast
Emphasis by contrast of Shape
This football player stands out because the numeral
shapes are different from all of the other shapes in the
photo
Ways to Achieve Emphasis: 2. Isolation
If an element is set apart from a
group of elements, that isolated
element attracts more attention
and is the focal point.
Ways to Achieve Emphasis: 2. Isolation
Ways to Achieve Emphasis: 2. Placement

In the Dining Room
by Berthe Morisot

The young woman
appears to be in the
center of this
painting. A lot of
times, we naturally
look in the center of
the picture
In Francisco Goya’s, The Shootings of May
Third 1801, where is the area of emphasis?
Goya "lights" up the painting in much the same way a spotlight lights up
the actors on a stage. Goya creates a very light value around the area he
wants you to see. The man in the white shirt is the focal point of the
painting. He uses value contrast to emphasize this area. The bayonets act
as directional lines to point the viewers eye to the man under fire.
Variety
Variety is achieved when the art elements are
combined in various ways to increase visual
interest.
For instance, an assortment of shapes that are
of a variety of sizes attracts more attention than
an assortment of shapes all the same size.
How is the artist showing variety in
this work?
Kandinsky used a variety of lines, shapes and colors to give
this painting interest.
Unity/Harmony
This principle refers to the visual quality of wholeness or
oneness that is achieved through effective use of the elements
of art and principles of design
Repetition of a color, shape, or other element is one way to
create unity in and artwork
By repeating horizontal and vertical
geometric shapes, Frank Lloyd
Wright has achieved a high degree
of unity in this architectural design
Unity

Unity – Means that there is a
consistency or agreement
among the elements in
design; they look as though
they belong together.

How is unity achieved in this
painting?

Stir sticks , & ellipses repeat

Vertical lines on the cans and in the
reflections repeat

Shadows all point the same direction

The gray reflective texture of the
cans is repeated
Unity means the same as Harmony
What do you think Cezanne used to keep this painting, Mt.
Victoria,
unified or working together?
Cezanne used blues, yellows and greens. By using related colors
(remember blue and yellow make green), the piece appears to
work as a whole.
Angular shapes are repeated throughout the painting. The
repetition of shapes also helps unify the painting.
Ways to Achieve Unity and
Variety with Unity

Grid

Color harmony

Keeping one or more aspects of the work constant

Continuity
Unity with Variety
Fig. 3.1, p.68 ANDY WARHOL Ethel Scull Thirty-Six Times (1963). Synthetic
polymer paint silkscreened on canvas. 79-3/4” x 143-1/4”.
Unity is created by using a grid, photos of the same person, and the
same size rectangles throughout
Variety is created by contrast of position or poses of the person.
Various different colors.
Types of Unity

Visual Unity - Artwork that is unified by color, shape,
composition or some other visual design principle.

Conceptual Unity - artwork that has a common theme
or concept throughout it.

Sometime an artwork will have both conceptual and visual
unity.
Conceptual Unity vs. Visual Unity
Conceptual unity Example – elements have common theme; they have unity of
idea or concept.
Example: a family album
There is unity of theme
Example of Visual Unity
means that the visual elements of design are seen a cohesive whole
(The Design Works)
The repetition of similar colors, shapes, & textures
help to create the visual unity in this painting
“The whole must be predominant over
the parts. You must first see the whole
pattern before you notice the individual
elements.”
Conceptual Unity Example
A stamp collection has unity of theme
Is there Visual Unity?
Is there Intellectual unity?
Both have been used.
Scale is essentially another word for Size
Large Scale is a way to say Big
Small Scale is a way to say Little
Human Scale Reference
One way to think of artistic scale is to consider the scale of the work in
relation to human size.
12’ x 12’ 6”
Aluminum
Robert Indiana
Distortion of Scale
Proportion
Is the comparative relationship, or ratio of things to one an other.
When comparing the size
of the objects in this
composition, you see
that the objects are not
too large or too small for
each other. They are of a
realistic size.
Remember:






Proportion is a matter of comparisons
Proportion = the relative size of an object in comparison to another object or
in comparison with some mental norm or standard.
(The term proportion is often used with math and ratios.)
1:2 ratio, or 1: 1 ratio
Can we tell how big this painting is?
We need to have a familiar object or a “mental norm in order to judge the
size of the painting
The quarter is a “mental norm” that we can use for comparison
Distortion of Scale

Altering the viewer’s sense of scale can create visual shock and
humor.

Can challenge the viewer to rethink the subject and the historical
aspects of the object.
Distortion of Scale
Sometimes artists chose to distort or exaggerate the
proportions of the subjects involved.
In this case the artist chose to
use these "puffed up forms" to
exaggerate the size of the
people. By showing the figures
larger than life size, he is
attempting to celebrate the life
within, and perhaps to mock their
role in the world.
Fernando Botero, A Family
Hierarchal Scaling

Large scale can make for a very
obvious focal point, or create visual
emphasis.
Hierarchal Scaling = in art history,
visual scale (how big something is in
a painting) was often directly related
to the importance of the subject.
For Example: A King, Jesus, or the
Pope would be bigger than
surrounding people.
C Fra Filippo Lippi. Saint Lawrence Enthroned with Saints and
Donors. c. late 1440s. Altarpiece from the church of the Villa
Alessandri, Vincigliata Fiesole, central panel only. Tempera on wood,
gold ground; overall, with added strips: 3ﾕ 11 3/4ﾓ 3ﾕ 9 1/2ﾓ (121.3
115.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Rogers Fund,
1935, 35.31.1a).
Rhythm in Visual Art?
1.
Rhythm is a design principle based on repetition.
2.
It involves a repetition of elements that are the same or only slightly
different.
3.
Rhythm refers to a way of utilizing the art elements to produce the look
and feel of rhythmic movement with a visual tempo or beat
Undulating rhythm of lines

Visual rhythm refers to the beat
marking the movement of the
viewer’s eye through the work.

What words describe the mood
of this rhythm?
Soft, flowing

How is the rhythm in the two paintings below different?
1
2
•Louder
•More dramatic
•Crescendo
•Decrescendo
Rhythm and Motion
Here tree trunks
produce a sinuous
and graceful rhythm
Rhythm in visual art is related to movement

The movement of the viewer’s eye
across recurrent motifs. (shapes,
lines, texture, etc.)
The Canon of proportions
A mathematical system developed by the Greeks for depicting
the ideal human body.
Alexandre Cabanel, The Birth of Venus (1863), oil on
canvas, 130 x 225 cm. Paris, Musée d'Orsay
Michelangelo’s David
Violating the Canon of Proportions for Expressive Purposes
Alice Neal has intentionally distorted the proportions of these
figures in order to create an emotion or effect.
The End