Midterms - Art

• Principles of Design


  Visual strategies used by artists, in conjunction with the elements of arts – for expressive purposes
• Principles of Design


  • Harmony
  • Balance
  • Rhythm
  • Emphasis
  • Proportion
  • Unity
  • Simplicity
  • Clarity
  • Contrast
  • Variety
• How we apply the principles of design determines how successful we are in creating a work of art
• Harmony


  All parts of the visual image relate to and complement each other. Harmony is the use of related elements
• Harmony is one of the most important aspects when it comes to principles of art
• Rhythm


  Organized movement, a beat, a repetition
• Rhythm


  • Created by repetition, and repetitive patterns convey a sense of movement
  • Viewer perceives rhythm by grouping elements such as color, line and shape
  • Can occur in slow, fast, smooth or jerky intervals, and this tells you something about the feelings invoked
  • Rhythmical patterns help the eye to move easily from one part of the room to another or from one part of a design to another
• Types of Repetition


  • Regular Repetition
  • Alternating Rhythm
  • Progressive Rhythm
• Regular Repetition


  A means of creating rhythm in which elements of a composition are duplicated at orderly or fixed intervals
• Regular repetition was a core property of Minimalist artists, of which Flavin was one
• Donald Judd's sculpture in particular was based on the repetition of simple geometric shapes mounted on walls or set on the floor in a steady, evenly spaced pattern
• Minimalism


  An abstract art movement begun in the 1960s that emphasizes the use of pure and simple shapes and materials
• Alternating Rhythm


  A type of rhythm in which different elements in a work repeat themselves in predictable order
• Progressive Rhythm


  Minor variations in rhythm can add interest to a composition. Such variations are seen in progressive rhythm, in which the rhythm of elements of a work of art such as shape, texture, or color change slightly as they move, or progress toward a defined point in the composition
• Balance


  The concept of visual equilibrium, and relates to our physical sense of balance. It is a reconciliation of opposing forces in a composition that results in visual stability
• Most successful compositions achieve balance in one of two ways: symmetrically or asymmetrically
• In architectural works like the United States Capitol – the house in which the laws of the land are created – repetition and symmetry can imply rationality and decorum, tying the structure of the building to a certain symbolic ideal

  
• Leonardo da Vinci. Study of Human Proportion: The Vitruvian Man (1492) Pen and Ink drawing (13 ½" x 9 ¾")
• Types of Balance


  • Symmetrical Balance
  • Asymmetrical Balance
• Symmetrical Balance


  The elements of a work are balanced by similarity of form or arrangement on either side of a dividing line or plane, or to correspondence of parts, as in size, shape, or position
• Asymmetrical Balance


  There are more than slight differences between the divided areas of a work, yet there is an overall sense of balance
• Bilateral Symmetry


  When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the axis may be horizontal or vertical
• Radial Symmetry


  When elements are arranged equally around a central point
• Balance in a three-dimensional object is easy to understand; if balance isn't achieved, the object tips over
• To understand balance in a two-dimensional composition, we must use our imaginations to carry this three-dimensional analogy forward to the flat surface
• Emphasis


  When contrast, placement, size, color, or other features are used to highlight one object, area, or other elements of the artwork
• "All emphasis is no emphasis"
• Emphasis by Directional Lines

  • Lines that lead the eye to a focal point
• Emphasis by Isolation


  • A group of performers is found standing silently within a barren landscape, drawing the viewer's eye to the delicately rendered woman in "street clothes" seated apart in the lower right
• Unity


  The overall cohesion of the work, suggesting the parts of a composition fit together to form a meaningful whole
• Unity is not to be confused with harmony
• Variety


  The sense of difference between elements of an artwork, the opposite of unity or harmony
• Variety in art, as in life, is seductive. It demands our attention, turns the predictable on edge
• Proportion


  The relative size and scale of the various elements in a design
• Contrast


  The disparity between the elements that figure into the composition, making one object stronger compared to others
• The use of negative and positive space, and complementary colors, are examples of contrast
• The Stone Age roughly spans the 14,000- 2,000 BCE
• Three Periods of Stone Age

  • Paleolithic
  • Mesolithic
  • Neolithic
• Paleolithic


  The late years of the old Stone Age, a product of climate change as early humans sought shelter in caves
• Paleolithic Art


  • Halls of Bulls found in the cave in Lascauz, France