THE SAYLOR FOUNDATION’S ARTH101: GUIDED OBSERVATIONS 3
THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
This assignment asks you to draw from what you have learned in this course and use
your critical thinking skills in order to analyze the way in which Eugène Delacroix uses
the elements of design in his painting Liberty Leading the People.
Introduction: Please revisit GUIDED OBSERVATION #2 above for some introductory
information pertaining to this painting.
Terms of Use: The image above is in the public domain.
Instructions: Please examine the elements of design as Delacroix uses them in his
Liberty Leading the People. Use the following questions to guide your reflection.
1. On Line:
 What types of lines do you see?
The Saylor Foundation 1
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Look at the bottom left corner of the painting. Imagine that the dead soldier’s
forehead and nose constitute the beginning of a diagonal line existing by
implication. Imagine that this line keeps moving upward and toward the right,
following the direction of the edge of the lit portions of the rocks of the
barricade, the rifle of the man wearing the top-hat, the arm and sword of a
man in the background, and the staff of the flag Liberty is holding. All of these
separate pieces of line together form an implied diagonal line. Can you
detect other implied lines within the artwork?
Can you detect actual or implied horizontal, vertical, and/or diagonal lines
throughout the artwork? What do these different types of lines seem to
suggest? Which ones seem to be associated with the idea of death? Which
ones seem to be associated with loftiness? Which ones seem to be
associated with movement?
2. On Form, Two-Dimensional Form, and the Two-Dimensional Illusion of ThreeDimensional Form:
 What forms and shapes are being emphasized?
 How does the figure-ground relationship make certain forms “pop out” and
others become less distinguishable? How do the bodies of Liberty and the
street boy stand out against the background? How do certain parts of the
bodies of the soldiers stand out against the background? Why are the
outlines of the bodies of the crowd on the left hand side of the painting
(beginning with the figure identified as Delacroix) less distinguishable? Is the
crowd in some ways being presented as one big form?
 Is hue a defining factor in distinguishing figure from ground?
 How are value and value contrasts creating form?
 How is Delacroix creating the illusion of three-dimensional form on a twodimensional surface? Is he using perspective? Is there a horizon line? How
are elements in the background represented?
 Does the fact that certain represented objects, such as the flag or one of the
soldier’s hands, are cut off by the frame have an effect on the illusionism of
the scene?
3. On Movement:
 What kind of compositional movement can you detect within the painting?
How are your eyes being led from one point to the next? What elements of
design (color, line, light, etc.) are leading your eyes to certain points within the
painting?
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What is the relationship between the movement of the crowd and the
movement of your eyes, as you look at the painting? Is meaning being
created through movement?
4. On Color and Light:
 Why do the colors of the flag stand out so well? Other than the patches of
blue, white, and red, what dominant hues are being used? Why do you think
the artist chose to use a relatively restrained color scheme? Could the
browns reflect something of the reality of the street fight? How does the
rather restrained palette affect the visual impact of the colors of the flag?
What is being symbolized by the colors blue, white, and red in this painting?
Can you detect the use of blue, white, and red in other parts of the painting?
 How is light/value leading your eye? How does it help emphasize certain
parts of the composition? Is there a lot of contrast in between light and dark
areas? Is light creating lines by implication? How is the artist using light and
darkness as symbols?
How is light contributing to the emotional impact the artwork has on the
viewer?
5. On Pattern:
 Can you detect elements of a grid underlying the structure of the painting?
What other geometric shapes are acting as a sort of “skeleton” to the
composition?
 Can you detect any repetitious use of elements of design in the painting? How
are the patches of color creating a pattern throughout the composition and
how do they lead your eye around the surface of the painting?
The Saylor Foundation 3