Principles of Design•Balance• Emphasis

• Proportion

• Pattern

• Rhythm

• Unity

• Variety

Balance is an equal arrangements of specific elements within a composition deliberately organized by the artist. Elements could include color, line, shape, or texture. There are three types of balance; symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial.

Hawk maskNuna peoples, Burkina Faso

Wood, pigment

Symmetrical Balance

Joseph Stella, Bridge, 1936, WPA Federal Arts Project

Informal Balance is created when an asymmetrical layout is used.

James Whistler (American)1834-1903, Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother , 1871; Oil on canvas, 144.3 x 162.5 cm; Musée d'Orsay, Paris  

George Seurat, (French) 1859-1891, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte, 1884, oil on canvas, 81 x 120 inchesThe Art Institute of Chicago, USA

Rose window, Notre Dame Cathedral

Radial Balance starts from the center of the design and goes out.

Can you think of something in nature that

has a radial balance?

Rosette from the ancient Temple of Jupiter,

Emphasis is used by artists to create dominance and focus in their work. The focal point may be the largest, brightest, darkest, or most complex part of the whole, or it may get special attention because it stands out

for some other reason.

At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance, oil on canvas by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1890; in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Ambassadeurs, Poster

Toulouse Lautrec

What is the

emphasis?

Andrew Wyeth.

Cristina’s World,1948

thisisniceyeah.blogspot.com/2010/08/andrew-wy...

Leonardo da Vinci - Lady with an Ermine in Cracow

What is the

emphasis?

Concerned with the size relationship of one part to another.

Diego Rivera's "Richest of California"

Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1988Stainless steel and aluminum painted with

polyurethane enamel29 ft. 6 in. x 51 ft. 6 in. x 13 ft. 6 in. (9 x 15.7 x 4.1

m)Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center,

MinneapolisPhoto courtesy of Walker Art Center

What is out of proportion?

What is out of proportion?

What do you notice about

the proportions of these figures?

The General And His FamilyArtist:Fernando

BoteroCountry of Origin:ColombiaDate of

Creation:1977 ADTagged With:N/A

A sense of visual or

actual motion in an

artwork created by

repeating an element of

artMC Escher

refers to a regular repetition of

elements of art to produce the look and feel of movement.

Piet Mondrian (Dutch, 1872-1944), Broadway Boogie Woogie. 1942-43, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 inches (127 x 127 cm), at the Museum of

Modern Art, New York

Rhythm

Giacomo Balla (Italian, 1871-1958), Street Light (Lampada

— Studio di luce), 1909, oil on canvas, 68 3/4 x 45 1/4 inches (174.7 x 114.7 cm), Museum of

Modern Art, NY. An extra-large image of this painting.

Regular Rhythm

Alternating Rhythm

Progressive Rhythm

Marcel Duchamp. Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912). Oil on canvas.

57 7/8" x 35 1/8". Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Is the use of different lines, shapes, textures, colors, and other elements

of design to create interest in artwork.

Kazimir Severonic Malevich (Russian, 1878–

1935)The Knife Grinder (Principle

of Glittering), 1912–13Oil on canvas, 31 5/16 x 31

5/16 in. (79.5 x 79.5 cm)Gift of Collection Soci 鴩

Anonyme1941.553

What gives this piece variety?

a way of combining

elements of art to accent their

similarities and bind the picture

parts into a whole. It is often achieved through the use of

repetition and simplicity.

Kazimir Severonic Malevich (Russian, 1878–

1935)The Knife Grinder (Principle

of Glittering), 1912–13Oil on canvas, 31 5/16 x 31

5/16 in. (79.5 x 79.5 cm)Gift of Collection Soci 鴩

Anonyme1941.553

What gives this piece

unity?

Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de." Online Photograph. Britannica Student Encyclopædia. 27 Jan. 2008  <http://student.britannica.com/eb/art-16801>

http://pictures.polandforall.com/images/leonardo-da-vinci-lady-with-an-ermine.jpg

http://www.artsology.com/gfx/african_masks/benin_ivory_mask.jpg

http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/websites/ARTiculationFinal/myimages/myimages/aaapoppies.gif

http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/websites/ARTiculationFinal/MainPages/PrinciplesMain.htm

http://www.pueblopotteryme.com/acoma2.htm#

Thomas Eakins American, 1844 - 1916Baby at Play, 1876oil on canvas, 81.9 x 122.8 cm (32 1/4 x 48 3/8 in.) John Hay Whitney Collection1982.76.5

2

By Sandra M.

Victorino 3

Georgia O'KeeffeJack-in-the-Pulpit No. IV,

1930Alfred Stieglitz Collection,

Bequest of Georgia O'Keeffe

1987.58.3

1

How is this

painting balanced?

4

How is this painting

balanced?

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