WORLD OF ART EIGHTH EDITION CHAPTER The Principles of Design World of Art, Eighth Edition Henry M Sayre Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliates All rights reserved Learning Objectives of Define symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance Explain the relationship between emphasis and focal point Differentiate between scale and proportion Describe the relationship between pattern, repetition, and rhythm Learning Objectives of Discuss the traditional relationship between unity and variety, and why postmodernist artists have tended to emphasize variety over unity Introduction of • Leonardo da Vinci's Study of Human Proportion: The Vitruvian Man embodies all the qualities of design Symmetry, proportion, and ratio derive from the perfection of the human figure The figure's limbs fit perfectly within their frame Leonardo da Vinci, Study of Human Proportion: The Vitruvian Man ca 1492 Pen-and-ink drawing, 13-1/2 × 9-5/8" Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice CAMERAPHOTO Arte, Venice [Fig 7-1] Introduction of • In contrast, the Rasin Building in Prague seems to teeter in its playfulness It is nicknamed "Fred and Ginger" for its seemingly dancing frame However, both parts of the building balance each other out like a dialogue Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić, Rasin Building (a.k.a the "Dancing House" or "Fred and Ginger"), Prague, Czech Republic 1992–96 © Curva de Luz/Alamy [Fig 7-2] Introduction of • In the creative process, even such "rules" as created by the Vitruvian Man are meant to be broken so that artists can discover new ways to express themselves • Media are the materials that artists use to create their works Balance • Balance refers to even distribution of weight in a composition In works, balance can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial • In sculpture, actual weight is the physical weight of materials in pounds • All art deals with visual weight, or the apparent "heaviness" or "lightness" of the forms in the composition Symmetrical Balance of • Symmetrical representations recall Leonardo's Study When each side is exactly the same, it is called absolute symmetry When there are minor discrepancies but the overall effect is symmetrical, it is called bilateral symmetry Auguste Rodin, The Gates of Hell with Adam and Eve 1880–1917 Bronze, 20' 10-3/4" × 13' 2" × 33-3/8" Stanford University Museum of Art Photo: Frank Wing [Fig 7-29] Auguste Rodin, The Three Shades 1881–86 Bronze, Coubertin Foundry, posthumous cast authorized by Musée Rodin, 1980, 6' 3-1/2" × 6' 3-1/2" × 42" Iris & B Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University Pattern, Repetition, and Rhythm of • Layla Ali's Greenheads series features brown-skinned, gender-neutral "Others" that appear at once alien and familiar In this piece, three nearly identical Greenheads have been hanged in front of a fourth victim • It symbolizes that such a horrifying act can inevitably happen again, though the place could be anywhere Laylah Ali, Untitled, from the series Greenheads 2000 Gouache on paper, 13 × 19" Courtesy of the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery [Fig 7-31] Unity and Variety of • In Barber Shop, Lawrence kept his figures consistent, yet unique • If every subject or figure were the same, there would be no need to discuss the unity of diversity that makes a work "complete." Generally, variety must coexist with unity in order for the work to succeed Unity and Variety of • Louise Lawler's Pollock and Tureen brings seemingly contradictory objects in a state of opposition and tension The Pollock painting is transformed into a decorative object that seems as marketable and empty of its original meaning when placed by the tureen Louise Lawler, Pollock and Tureen 1984 Cibachrome, 16 × 20" Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York [Fig 7-32] Unity and Variety of • A sense that parts can never form a unified whole is commonly called postmodernism • Robert Venturi wrote in Learning from Las Vegas that a collision of styles, signs, and symbols such as those seen on an American "strip" can be seen as a new kind of unity; anything can be put next to anything else Las Vegas, Nevada ca 1985 Vidler/Mauritius [Fig 7-33] Unity and Variety of • Elizabeth Murray's Just in Time appears at first to be abstract, but reveals a teacup split in half Its ordinary subject matter is monumentalized by a height of feet Animal forms and pop lyrics also inspire interpretations The work is rich in meaning, each fragment unifying the whole Elizabeth Murray, Just in Time 1981 Oil on canvas in two sections, 8' 10" × 8' 1" Philadelphia Museum of Art Purchased: Edward and Althea Budd Fund, the Adele Haas Turner and Beatrice Pastorius Turner Memorial Fund, and funds contributed by Marion Stroud and Lorine E Vogt, 1981 The Critical Process Thinking about the Principles of Design • Claude Monet's The Railroad Bridge, Argenteuil employs line in a number of ways Opposition is apparent in the two diagonals as well as opposing directional lines of the train and boat • What appears to be a simple landscape of a newly-built bridge is fraught with complexities Claude Monet, The Railroad Bridge, Argenteuil 1874 Oil on canvas, 21-4⁄5 × 29-2⁄5" Philadelphia Museum of Art John G Johnson collection, 1917 © 2015 Photo Philadelphia Museum of Art/Art Resource/Scala, Florence [Fig 7-35] Thinking Back of Define symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance Explain the relationship between emphasis and focal point Differentiate between scale and proportion Describe the relationship between pattern, repetition, and rhythm Thinking Back of Discuss the traditional relationship between unity and variety, and why postmodernist artists have tended to emphasize variety over unity ... the overall effect is symmetrical, it is called bilateral symmetry Symmetrical Balance of • The Taj Mahal is one of the most symmetrically balanced buildings in the world Each facade is identical... Common • Tension between light and dark as well as the open Common and the street reinforce asymmetrical balance Childe Hassam, Boston Common at Twilight 1885–86 Oil on canvas, 42" × 5' Museum... Bridgeman Images [Fig 7- 4] Symmetrical Balance of • Frida Kahlo's Las Dos Fridas is symmetrically balanced A Frida dressed in native Tehuana costume is connected to the mirrored Frida rejected by