The Principles of Design

Asymmetrical balance is when the objects on one side of the work seem to have approximately the same amount of weight as the objects on the other side.  Asymmetrical balance is also called "informal balance".

Symphony in White No. 2: The Little White Girl 

Symphony in White No. 2:  The Little White Girl,
by James McNeill Whistler, 1864, oil on canvas

James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) was an American-born, British-based artist. Whistler's art was characterized by a subtle delicacy.  The model in Symphony in White is Joanna Heffernan, Whistler's mistress.  As seen in Symphony in White, the artist places objects in the painting in a way that will allow objects to balance each other around a focal point, the woman.  Note the woman's left arm is extended horizontally following through her fingers to the vase on the fireplace mantle. Similarly, her right arm is extended vertically with her fingers coming to a point to the fan which she is holding.  The tips of both her fingers end at the point of an object, i.e. the fan and the vase, which are both similar in size and blue in color. Even though each side of the painting has different elements, it appears balanced. 

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Emphasis is a principle of art which occurs any time an element of a work is given dominance by an artist.  In other words, the artist makes part of the work stand out, to draw the viewer's eye to a focal point. There are many ways to create a focal point, contrast; isolation; grouping, direction; and scale.  

The Third of May, 1808

The Third of May 1808, by Francisco de Goya, 1814, oil on canvas

Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) was a Spanish painter. de Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was a chronicler of his era. The Third of May 1808  is a good example of emphasis, as de Goya uses 1) contrast to give light to the focal point of the painting, which is the man dressed in white and yellow with his arms held up waiting to be executed (shown with a red arrow); 2) grouping of the men on the right to gain attention as they are clustered together (shown with a yellow arrow); and 3) direction by the vertical pointing of the bayonets which draw your attention to the focal point.  

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Pattern or Repetition is a repetitive motif or design.  Rhythm is an effect achieved when shapes, colors or a regular pattern of any kind is repeated. 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread, by Rene Magritte, 1942, oil on canvas

Rene Francis Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist.  Magritte's early paintings were Impressionistic in style, but he become bored with the style and from 1918-1924 his paintings were influenced by Futurism. His illusionist dream-like quality is a characteristic of the artist's version of Surrealism.  Magritte was known for his witty and thought provoking images which challenged viewer's perceptions of reality. Our Daily Bread is a beautiful  surreal painting, the repetitive white clouds roll vertically to create the effect of rhythm.  The naked woman at the top of Our Daily Bread gives the illusion of walking down the clouds as if they are stairs from above. The clouds inside the rock formation in Our Daily Bread gives the illusion of a loaf of bread.  For Magritte, the final painting was not an end but rather was the means of formulating an awaited response so that objects could exist with maximum impact.  He gives a unique presentation of the world.  

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Contrast is created when an artist uses elements that conflict with one another to add visual interest to the work of part, i.e. light and dark; thick and thin; big and small.  Contrast is used to make a painting more visually interesting.  Variety is the quality of having different forms or types of notable use of contract, emphasis, different sizes and colors. 

Still Life with Fruit Dish

Still Life with Fruit Dish, by Paul Cezanne, c. 1879-1880, oil on canvas

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) was a French artist and Post Impressionist painter.  Cezanne's paintings are often repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes and clearly recognizable.  Cezanne had an intense study of his subjects.  In Still Life with Fruit Cezanne uses many design elements and principles to make a unified composition.  Cezanne uses 1) texture to smooth and rough areas of the work (as shown by white arrows); 2) shapes with various sizes of fruit in the painting (as shown by purple arrows); 3) pattern contract by the course brushstrokes on the wall and tablecloth; 4) edge contrast by having a hard edge where the table meets the wall and the soft edges of the tablecloth and fruit; 5) intensity in colors (as seen by the yellow arrows) using bright and dull or muted colors.  Still Life with Fruit is a beautiful representative painting. 

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Visual Movement/Continuation is when the work causes your eye to find a path of movement (continuous flow) around the artwork, front one point to another. 

The Tub (Bathing Woman)

The Tub (Bathing Woman), by Edgar Degas, 1886
pastel on card

The Tub (Bathing Woman), by Edgar Degas, 1886
arrows added for emphasis

Edgar Degas(1834-1917) was a French Impressionist who became renowned as a stellar portraitist. His work frequently included the female body.  Degas was also an avid collector of art. In Degas' The Tub the line starts at the women's left out-stretched arm to where the round tub meets at the woman's hairline, the line continues where her fingers meet her hair and joins the vertical line of her back to the shelf where the brush handle overlaps.  The objects on the shelf barely touch and carry the eye from one object to the other. The Tub with its style perspective, and its plunging view, make this pastel one of the most audacious and accomplished of Degas' works on the modern theme of the woman in the bath.

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Scale is the term used when an artwork has a physical size.  Scale is not only the size of the object, but the size of the object in relation to another object.  Proportion is the relationship between the parts of each other and to the whole work. 

David

David, by Michelangelo 1501-1504

marble sculpture

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni "Michelangelo" (1475-1564), was an Italian artist.  Michelangelo is regarded as the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance.  Michelangelo took over the sculpture of David after two prior sculptors had attempted and abandoned the project.  Michelangelo turned the 17-foot marble piece in a dominating figure.  David represents the ideal portrayal of perfection in the human body. The proportions of the body are based on the ancient Greek mathematical system which defines perfection of the human body.  The scale David is overwhelming at over 13 feet tall and sits on top of a pedestal, which is taller than an average human, the sculpture stands high above its viewers.  This gives the sense of grandeur.  The sculpture is a representation of the story of David in the Bible, a shepherd boy who defeated the giant Goliath with one slingshot.