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. 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.