In all the images below we see the artist playing with varying amounts of
similarity and difference among visual elements and forces to create particular
effects.
Hopefully you can begin to see that artworks are created out of a small
number of deliberately manipulated visual building blocks.
Every element of a design is important and contributes to the overall effect. A single horizontal line CENTERED on a white square creates a balanced, stable space.
Every element of a design is important and contributes to the overall effect. A single horizontal line PLACED LOW on a white square creates more contrast and a more DYNAMIC space than if the line were centered.
 |
| Oskar Schlemmer, Bauhaus Stairway, 1932. As we noted in class, this painting lends itself to a discussion of various important principles of design. It works with the idea of "focal point", and employs strong contrasts of direction, color temperature and color intensity to keep us looking. |
perfect SYMMETRY: a completely STABLE, BALANCED design with no tension and little movement.
early greek sculpture: a static, nearly symmetrical pose
Classical greek sculpture: A dynamic, ASYMMETRICAL pose.
As time went on, greek sculptors became interested in dynamism and
movement of the figure, and began working with ASYMMETRICAL, shifting
poses like this. This pose is called a contraposto.
Garry Winogrand photo: This photo functions through the OPPOSITION AND CONTRAST of two major lines; the horizontal thrust of the cars and the near-vertical path of the man's gaze.
Geoff Winningham photo: This photo functions largely through the OPPOSITION AND CONTRAST of two major lines; the opposing diagonals of the two wrestlers' gazes.
David Hockney: The NEAR-SYMMETRYof this image creates a sense of STILLNESS. However, the water creates a compelling contrast, its free, CURVILINEAR forms contrasting with the GEOMETRIC, RECTILINEAR forms of the building.
Romare Bearden: PRINCIPLES of DESIGN: the wide variety and direction of curved shapes and the strong diagonals make this a very ACTIVE image. The harmoniousness and QUIETNESS of much of the color serves to counterbalance this effect: if the colors were wild and contrasty, the image would be quite chaotic.
Wayne Thiebaud: The REPETITION of similar forms brings a fair amount of unity to the image; a clearly repeated VISUAL MOTIF. Having this strong structural unity allows Thiebaud to introduce a wide VARIETY of color and decoration to the cakes without having the painting lose a sense of structure.
Edgar Degas: The basic contrast between the two figures-- one upright and open, one closed, downturned, and tense--generates much of the interest in this painting.
This photo makes powerful use of size contrast to compel the viewer's
interest.
Edward Hopper: Like the Thiebaud painting (the one with all the round cakes), this
painting works through repetition of simple forms. Small changes
within each form keep the viewer looking.
James Rosenquist: An extreme example of the idea of contrast. Here the contrast is so strong as to be unharmonious and jarring, unlike the other examples of contrast seen in this set, which serve to create a more satisfying sense of balance.
