Principles of Design

Proportion Proportion is the principle of art concerned with the relationship of certain elements to the whole and to each other. It looks at the relative sizes or amounts of things in a composition.

Ron Mueck - Boy

Andrew Wyeth - Soaring

Parmigianino The Madonna with the Long Neck

Rene Magritte – The Listening Room

Francisco Goya - Giant

The Principle of Movement Movement is the principle of art used to a) create the look and feeling of action and b) to guide the viewer’s eye throughout the work of art.

Giacomo Balla – Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash

Marcel Duchamp Nude Descending a Staircase

Winslow Homer – Fog Warning

Vincent Van Gogh – The Starry Night

Eugene Delacroix Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains

The Principle of Rhythm Rhythm is created by the careful placement of repeated elements in a work of art to cause a visual tempo or beat.

Giacomo Balla Little Girl Running on a Balcony

Navajo Rug Tree of Life

Navajo Rug

Roman Aqueduct – Segovia, Spain

Balance Balance is a way of combining elements to create a feeling of equilibrium or stability in a work of art.

Balance There are 3 types of balance: Symmetrical Asymetrical Radial

Symmetrical Balance This is also known as formal balance. Two halves of a work are identical; one half mirrors exactly the other half. An example would be the two wings of a butterfly, or the façade of a Greek temple.

Symmetrical/Formal Balance

Asymetrical/informal Balance Asymetrical balance is also known as Informal Balance Two halves are not the same, but they have approximately equal visual interest or visual “weight.”

Five O’Clock Tea – Renoir (example of informal balance)

Asymmetrical/Informal Balance

Asymmetrical/Informal Balance

Radial Balance Radial balance occurs when objects are positioned around a central point so that there is an equal distribution of visual interest or visual weight on all sides of the central point. A clock face is a good example of radial balance.

Radial balance – Rose window of Chartres Cathedral

Harmony and Variety Harmony combines similar elements in an artwork to accent similarities. It is accomplished through the use of repetitions and subtle, gradual changes. Variety is the opposite; it emphasizes differences, change, contrast, diversity. It creates more intricate and complicated relationships between elements in the work.

Barns – A.Y. Jackson (example of harmony)

Botticelli’s Primavera (example of harmony)

Hieronymous Bosch – The Garden of Earthly Delights (example of variety)

Luncheon of the Boating Party - Renoir (example of variety)

Emphasis Emphasis is a way of directing or focusing the viewer’s attention on the most important parts of a design.

Night Shadows – Edward Hopper (example of emphasis)

Leonardo Da Vinci – The Last Supper (example of emphasis)

Rembrandt – The Supper at Emmaus