Principles of Design Design or composition is a process- the act of organizing the visual elements to effect a desired aesthetic in a work of art. When artists create compositions, they consciously draw upon design elements such as unity, variety, balance, emphasis, focal point, rhythm, scale and proportion. Not all artists use these principles, in fact, some prefer to purposefully violate them.

Unity and Variety Unity- is oneness or wholeness. A work of art achieves unity when its parts seem necessary to the composition as a whole. Extreme Unity- Unity of shape, by color contrast, even unity between the figure and the ground. Absolute Unity- exaggerated extreme unity- everything is the same. This can become bland or tedious, but can be use to comment on mass production, mass marketing of products. Conceptual Unity- uses similarity of ideas rather than visual similarities to hold a design together

And silkscreen ink on canvas. “ 200 Campbell’s Soup Cans”, 1962, Andy Warhol, Synthetic polymer paint And silkscreen ink on canvas. http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/visualarts/Image-Library/Warhol/Warhol-200_Campbells_Soup_Cans-1962-NGA-MI-lg.jpg

“Saturday Night”, 1935, Archibald J. Motley, Jr., Oil on canvas http://www.uwrf.edu/~rw66/minority/minam/afr/oxford/60.jpg

Balance People respond positively to some degree of visual balance in a work of art. We all prefer to have stability in our lives, balance is about how weight is distributed. In art, balance refers to the distribution of weight- of the actual or apparent weight of elements used in the composition.

“Woman shaving her leg”, 1963, George Segal, Plaster, metal, porcelain, Masonite http://www.abbeville.com/ Products/InteriorImages/1558592555Interiors.htm

Actual Balance and Pictorial Balance Actual balance- is a state of stability in an object that has weight Pictorial balance- refers to the state of visual stability created in a work of art. The “Spearbearer” by Polykleitos of Argos is a good example of both actual and pictorial balance

Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, Horizontal, Vertical and Radial Symmetrical balance-occurs when there is approximate symmetry in a work of art. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” is an example of this.

Asymmetrical Balance- occurs when the visual “weight” of one side of a work is “heavier” than another. Horizontal balance occurs when the right and left of a work have great similarities. Vertical balance occurs when the top and bottom of a work have great similarities. Radial balance- occurs when there are similar characteristics that exist equidistant from a center point. Imbalance is used by an artist to make a viewer uneasy with the image

Lucas II, Chuck Close, 1987, acrylic on canvas

Emphasis and Focal Point Emphasis- is the visual amplification of areas in a work to draw more of a viewer’s attention Focal Point- is one area that has been emphasized to a greater extent than others Linear perspective can be a tool used to create a focal point.

Target With Four Faces, 1953, Jasper Johns http://news.oboe.ru/news.php?y=2004&w=13

Rhythm Rhythm- is the presence of orderly progressions in a work Regular repetition is the reuse of the same or similar elements to create a visual rhythm. The interior of the Sanctuary of the Mosque at Cordoba Spain is an example of regular repetition.

The Mosque at Cordoba, Spain, 786-987 (Islamic)

Scale Scale- is the relative size of an element compared to others like it. Hierarchical scaling is the use of scale to show a relative importance. Most Egyptian artwork relied heavily on this attribute of scale. In work like this, the most important figures in the political and social order of ancient Egypt are shown larger than ones of lesser importance.

Scale and Proportion Ice Cream, Claes Oldenburg http://www.biologie.de/biowiki/Bild:Oldenburg_claes_eist%C3%BCte_k%C3%B6ln.jpg Scale and Proportion Swiss Army Knife, Claes Oldenburg http://www.scottzagar.com/arthistory/images_gallery/210_swiss_t.jpg

Distortion of scale Is a process where the artist uses an unfamiliar scale on a familiar object or image. Claes Oldenburg’s artwork is a great example of this. He makes everyday objects seem important and even heroic by using large scale. Clothespin, Claes Oldenburg, 1976, Cor-ten steel and stainless steel http://faculty.evansville.edu/rl29/art105/img/oldenburg_clothespin.jpg

The Parthenon Acropolis, Athen, Greece 448-432 B. C The Parthenon Acropolis, Athen, Greece 448-432 B. C. architecture (Classical Greek) http://faculty.evansville.edu/rl29/art105/sp04/art105-3.html

Proportion Proportion is the comparative relationship between things Canon of proportions “Keeping things in proportion” is a set of rules that propose ideal proportion in common objects. Greek art- especially statues- use such a canon of proportions. (See the “Spearbearer”) The Golden Mean- is a set of ratios that a dependent on one another.

Golden Mean Using the Golden Mean allows an artist to set up logical proportional relationships in a work of art or architecture. The Parthenon uses this proportional model. The Greeks found that the ratio of 1 : 1.618 occurred in nature and it reflected their philosophical belief that Man, a natural form, is also an ideal form. The spiral shows the attributes of the Golden mean as it occurs in nature.

“Personal Values”, 1952, Rene Magritte, oil on canvas, 31” x 39” http://www.hopkinsfan.net/ld/nook/PersonalValues.jpg

“The Annunciation to the Shepherds, From the Lectionary of Henry, II, 1002-1014 Hierarchical Scaling Notice how the Angel Gabriel towers over the rocky mound and appears to be almost twice the size of the shepherds. The shepherds, in turn, are depicted as far larger than the animals they tend. This hierarchical scaling implies that the humans are less significant than celestial beings and that animals are lower than humans.