How an Artwork Is Built Chapter 3  

Design ¡  The act of

organizing the visual elements to effect a desired aesthetic in a work of art.

¡  The principles of design are a natural part of our perception; i.e. good taste.

¡  Design is also known as composition.

 

Charles Demuth, The Figure 5 in Gold, 1928.

The 6 Major Categories of Design

¡  Unity and Variety

¡  Balance

¡  Emphasis and Subordination

¡  Contrast

¡  Repetition and Rhythm

¡  Scale and Proportion

UNITY and VARIETY

¡  Unity is oneness or wholeness, of things belonging together to create a coherent whole.

¡  Unity is achieved by maintaining a constant visual element.

¡  Variety is diversity, which provides visual interest.

Tony Smith, Die. Figure 3.2

UNITY and VARIETY

¡  Unity is oneness or wholeness, of things belonging together to create a coherent whole.

¡  Unity is achieved by maintaining a constant visual element.

¡  Variety is diversity, which provides visual interest.

     

Robert Rauschenberg, Gift for Apollo, Figure 3.5

UNITY and VARIETY

¡  What visual elements have been used to create unity? To create variety?

Jacob  Lawrence.  Going  Home.  1946.  21  1/2"  x  29  1/2".  

UNITY and VARIETY ¡  “In his painting Going

Home, Jacob Lawrence balanced unity and variety. He established visual themes with the lines, shapes, and colors of the train seats, figures, and luggage, and them he repeated and varied those themes. Notice the varied repetition in the green chair seats and window shades. As a unifying element, the same red is used in a variety of shapes. The many figures and objects in the complex composition form a unified design through the artist’s skillful use of abstraction, theme, and variation.”

Jacob  Lawrence.  Going  Home.  1946.  21  1/2"  x  29  1/2".  

Balance: Formal Symmetry ¡  Formal symmetry

occurs when everything on the left and right side of the artwork is the same.

¡  In architecture formal symmetry is associated with unity, formal grandeur, and a sense of permanence and stability.

US Capitol Building, 19th century.

¡  Balance is the achievement of equilibrium in art.

Damien Hirst. Posterity—The Holy Place. 2006.

89 5/8" x 48".

Asymmetrical Balance

¡  Asymmetrical balance: when the two sides of the composition do not match.

¡  Nonetheless, there is still an equal distribution of visual weight.

¡  How is this achieved? PRACTICE. It is balanced when it looks balanced.

 

Lavinia Fontana, Noli Me Tangere, Figure 3.9

Asymmetrical Balance: Please see pages 64 and 65 for these guidelines

1. Larger forms are heavier and more attractive than smaller forms.

2. Forms have more visual weight at the edge of a picture.

3. Complex forms are heavier than a simple form.

4. Warm colors are heavier than than cool colors.

5. Warm colors advance and cool colors recede.

6. Saturated colors are heavier than tints/shades.

EMPHASIS and Subordination ¡  Emphasis focuses the

viewer’s attention on one or more parts of a composition.

¡  Achieved through shape, intense value/color, contrast, and/or directional lines.

¡  Subordination is when an artist creates neutral areas of little interest.

¡  Using emphasis and subordination the artist shows us where to look in a work.

Dynamic Balancing

Edgar  Degas.  Jockeys  before  the  Race.  c.  1878–1879.  42  1/2"  x  29".  

Structural Balance  

Mark  di  Suvero  Declara'on  1999-­‐2001  

The  ar9st  described  the  work  as  “a  pain9ng  in  three  dimensions  with  the  crane  as  my  paintbrush.”  

Contrast ¡  Contrast: the

juxtaposition of strongly dissimilar elements. Contrast draws our eyes in.

l  Thick and thin lines l  Organic and

geometric shapes l  Sharp and blurred

edges l  Complimentary colors l  Light and dark Luster Painted Bowl,

Hispano-Moresque, Spain, Figure 3.14

RHYTHM ¡  Rhythm is an orderly progression, usually based in

Repetition. Rhythm can be present even if there is a slight variation in repetition.

Ogata Korin, Cranes, Japanese Edo Period. Figure 3.16

RHYTHM

José  Clemente  Orozco.  ZapaJstas.  1931.  45"  x  55".  

SCALE and PROPORTION ¡  Scale: Refers to

Size      

¡  We experience scale in relation to our own size.

¡  Proportion: the size relationship or ratio of parts to a whole.

¡  When the size of any art work is modified for reproduction its character changes.

 

Claes  Oldenburg  and  Coosje  van  Bruggen.  ShuQlecocks.  1994.  

215  3/4"  x  209"  x  191  3/4".  

After this lecture you should be able to:

¡  Define the 6 major principles of design and identify them in the works presented.

¡  Discuss the principles of design that make an artwork easy to read.

         

¡  ***Be sure to review the information on Matisse in your text.