Design Terms
Differences in how artists approach their subjects Realism – recognizable objects and figures, with attempt at spatial illusion through shading and perspective devices Abstraction- elimination of detail & flattening of images in relation to the picture plane Non-objective – no recognizable imagery or “things” that can be named
El Greco, Madonna and Child with St. Martina and St. Agnes Realism
Fernand Leger, Three Women, 1921 Abstraction
Harvey Quaytman, Full Day, Pompeii, 1991 Non-objective
Piet Mondrian, Red Tree, 1908 Over several years, Mondrian distilled his imagery towards what he considered pure art, “purged from all but the elements of art structure”
Piet Mondrian, Horizontal Tree, 1908
Piet Mondrian, Flowering Apple Tree
Piet Mondrian, Square Composition, 1925 This non-objective abstract art came to be known as De Stijl
Balance A feeling of equilibrium in weight, attention, or attraction that is achieved by using the various visual elements within an artwork to accomplish organic unity.
Erte, Twin Sisters, serigraph, 1982 Symmetrical Balance: mirror image balance on either side of an implied center vertical axis
Artist unknown. Annunciation, 1481, tempera on wood The architectural details converge on a common point, and the subjects , of similar size, are centered around an implied vertical axis; but they are not the same. The structural elements also differ. The dark in the upper left balances the dark of Mary’s cloak. As the elements are not identical, this is Approximate Symmetry
Approximate symmetry
Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930., oil on beaver board The two figures create repetitious relationships so that the implied axis vertical is strong. But note in the picture at the right, the actual center is not aligned with the center of the upper window or the tines of the pitchfork! Approximate Symmetry
Richard Diebenkorn. Man and a Woman in a Large Room.1957 oil on canvas The figures here are located on one side of the composition, close to the left edge. The color in the narrow slit of doorway and the yellow border of the carpet help to restore a sense of equilibrium. This is Asymmetrical balance
Directional Movement A two dimensional work is static Artists create the illusion of leading the viewer’s eyes through all parts of the composition by creating major and secondary visual paths The goal is to create a constantly renewing interest, drawing the attention back into the picture or design
George Tooker. The Subway. 1950, egg tempera on composition board Tooker has used repetition of related color and diagonal lines of the railings and walls to direct the eye through the composition. The expressions on the faces give the emotional impact of paranoia of being in a confined space with a lot of strangers.
The diagram at the right indicates the major focal areas and their direction in the composition by solid lines. The dotted line follows the shadow cast on the wall through the line of the front legs of the bull. It is a secondary path through the composition.
Meg a Whatcom 2D student. Reform Equality Poster, acrylic on paper The sweep of the rainbow colored arc takes your eye from bottom left to upper right, while the similar-in-style abstracted figures diminish in size, suggesting spatial depth. The central triangle is parallel to the picture plane, bringing the eyes back to the center and the “front” of the image.
Below the Degas painting is a diagram of the visual alignments, paths of directional movement. Notice how many are determined by value contrasts.
Henri Matisse, The Piano Lesson Henri Matisse, The Piano Lesson. The darkest value shapes anchor the painting. The metronome aligns with the teacher sitting in the back. The repetition of verticals separates the sides of the composition, but the strong green diagonal sweeps the eye down to one of Matisse’s sculptures in the corner. The focal point, the boy’s head, at the bottom of the light orange vertical. is across from the top of the railing, the upper edge of the scrolling pattern that is repeated in the music rest.