Chapter 1.8 Emphasis and Focal Point PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

Chapter 1.8

Emphasis and Focal Point

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 1.8 Emphasis and Focal Point

Introduction

Emphasis is the principle by which an artist draws attention to particular content in a work of art or design

A focal point is a specific place of visual emphasis

An artist can emphasize focal points through the use of line, implied line, value, color—any of the elements of art

Emphasis and focal point usually accentuate concepts, themes, or ideas the artist wants to express

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Emphasis and Subordination

When an artist emphasizes different elements in a work of art, he or she creates visual relationships and connections between them

The opposite of emphasis is subordination Subordination draws our attention away from certain areas of a

work

1.141 Double-chambered vessel with mouse, Recuay, Peru, 4th–8th century. Ceramic, 6” high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

1.142 Jules Olitski, Tin Lizzie Green, 1964. Acrylic and oil/wax crayon on canvas, 10’10” x 6’10”. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts

1.143 Mark Tobey, Blue Interior, 1959. Tempera on card, 44 x 28”

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Focal Point

A focal point is the specific part of an area of emphasis to which the artist draws our eye

1.144 slide 1: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, c. 1555–8. Oil on canvas, mounted on wood, 29 x 44⅛”. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium

1.145 Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Decapitating Holofernes, c. 1620. Oil on canvas, 6’6⅜” x 5’3¾“. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

1.145 slide 2: Directional lines in Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Decapitating Holofernes

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Emphasis and Focal Point in Action

Artists can use direction, dramatic contrasts, and placement relationships to organize the elements in a work and draw our attention to areas of emphasis and focal points

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Emphasis and Focal Point in Action:Line

Line is an effective way to focus a viewer’s attention in an artwork

1.146 slide 1: The Emperor Babur Overseeing his Gardeners, India, Mughal period, c. 1590. Tempera and gouache on paper, 8¾ x 5⅝”. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

1.146 slide 2: Detail of The Emperor Babur Overseeing his Gardeners, showing directional lines

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Emphasis and Focal Point in Action:Contrast

Artists look to create effects of contrast by positioning elements next to one another that are very different

For example, areas of different value, color, or size

1.147 Francisco de Zurbarán, The Funeral of St. Bonaventure, 1629. Oil on canvas, 8' 2” x 7' 4”. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

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Emphasis and Focal Point in Action:Placement

The placement of elements within a composition controls rhythm and creates multiple focal points

1.148 Ando Hiroshige, “Riverside Bamboo Market, Kyobashi,” from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1857. 15 x 10⅜”. James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii

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Conclusion

All the elements and principles of art can serve to create emphasis

Both actual and implied lines shape our examination of a work of art by directing the movement of our gaze

Contrasts between different values, colors, or textures can sometimes be so dramatic and distinct that we cannot help but feel drawn to that area of a work

Click the image above to launch the video

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Diego Velázquez: Las MeninasFor two videos that explore emphasis and focal point further, click to watch:

Click the image above to launch the video

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Sandro Botticelli: The Birth of Venus

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PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios


This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for Chapter 1.8

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

PART 1FUNDAMENTALS

PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios


1.141 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Nathan Cummings, 1966, 66.30.2. Photo Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource/Scala, Florence

1.142 Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Courtesy Jules Olitski Warehouse LLC. © Estate of Jules Olitski, DACS, London/VAGA, New York 2011

1.143 © Estate of Mark Tobey, ARS, NY/DACS, London 2011. Courtesy Sotheby’s

1.144 Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels

1.145 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1.146 Victoria & Albert Museum, London

1.147 Musée du Louvre, Paris

1.148 James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts

Picture Credits for Chapter 1.8

Documents

Chapter 1.8 Emphasis and Focal Point PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson