Principles of Design:
Unity and VarietyBalanceEmphasis and SubordinationScale and ProportionRhythm
Henri MatisseMemory of Oceania1953Gouache on paper, cut and paster, and charcoal on white paper, 9'4” by 9'4”The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Shapes consist of three families:rectanglessimple curveswaves
Unity and Variety
Unity – sense of things working as a whole
Variety – difference, provides interest
Colors are limited to six plus black and white and many of them repeat (yellow, purple)
Memory of Oceania comes from Matisse's voyage to Tahiti, from his native France, to gain different inspiration for his painting.
Matisse, Henri. Memory of Oceania. 1953. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Jackson PollockShimmering Substance (Sounds in the Grass series)1946Oil on canvas 30 by 24”The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Takes unity and variety to the extremes so that they merge
Small patches of color everywhere that speak to variety
But the whole piece comes together into a unity, where the eye flows freely across the surface
All of the similar brush strokes create unity
Pollock, Jackson. Shimmering Substance (Sounds in the Grass series). 1946. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Annette MessagerMes Voeux (French for “My Wishes”)1989Framed photographs and handwritten texts, suspended with twine59 by 15”Marian Goodman Gallery, Paris
Conceptual Unity – the unity of ideas
Photographs that portray different body parts – knee, throat, mouth, ear,
Parts that are handwritten and placed in parts where we conceive of the body as being ...
Consolation at the headTenderness at the armsShame at the genitalsLuck at the legs
Repeating shapes and restricted color palette give a visual unityMessager, Annette. Mes Voeux (French for “My Wishes”). 1989. Marian
Goodman Gallery, Paris. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Joseph CornellThe Hotel Eden1945Assemblage with music box15 by 15 by 4”National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Places disparate-seeming objects into boxlike structures
Collects odd objects and puts things together based on his dreams, nostalgia and fantasies
Gets the viewer to imagine how they all might work together
Cornell, Joseph. The Hotel Eden. 1945.National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Isamu NoguchiRed Cube1968Steel painted redThe Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
Balance
Its weight is distributed evenly around a central axis.Visual balance occurs because the red pops against a dark backgroundThe writing and the letters in the background all help to direct our eye around the image so it is not stuck in one placeVisual weight – sense of lightness or heaviness of the forms – here it is seems well balanced
Noguchi, Isamu. Red Cube. 1968. The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Symmetrical Balance
Central axis – an imaginary straight line that divides the composition in halfreflectwo has a Horizontal axisInspired by a late night walk where the artist saw a reflection in the water and she felt lost in space, like a dreamPetals are hung in depth so that their relationships shift as you walk around it
Haruka Kojinreflectwo2006Artificial flowers and acrylic, dimensions variable
Kojin, Haruka. Reflectwo. 2006. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Georgia O'KeefeDeer's Skull with Pedernal1936Oil on canvas30 by 36”Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The skull itself is symmetricalSet on vertical accessSubtle shift in balance, top and bottom of the tree branches to the rightTwig and cloud are slightly on the leftthe branches mimic the horns of the deer skull
O'Keefe, Georgia. Deer's Skull with Pedernal. 1936. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Newar artists at Densatil Monastery, Central TibetThirteen-Deity Jnanadakini Mandala1417-47Opaque watercolor on cotton cloth33 by 28”The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Uses symmetrical balanceA mandala from Tibetan Buddhism
Depicts cosmic realm emanating from the female buddha Jananadakini
Mandala means “circle” in Sanskrit
Uses geometry and symmetry to communicate that there is a logic and order to the universe, even if we don't see itNewar artists at Densatil Monastery. Central Tibet
Thirteen-Deity Jnanadakini Mandala. 1417-47.The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Asymmetrical Balance – has two sides that do not match.
A large form is visually heavier than a smaller formA dark-value form is visually heavier than a light-value formA textured form is visually heavier than a smooth formA complex form is visually heavier than a simple formTwo or more small forms can balance a larger oneA smaller dark form can balance a larger light one
Larger mass of humans who push past the center of the image and symbolize life, and death is a skinnier figure on the left.The gaze between the woman on the left and death help to pull our eyes and create a relationship between life and death.
Gustav KlimtDeath and Lifebefore 1911, finished 1915Oil on canvas5'10” by 6'6”Museum Leopold, Vienna
Klimt, Gustav. Death and Life. before 1911, finished 1915. Museum Leopold, Vienna. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Tawaraya (Nonomura) Sotatsu.The Zen Priest Choka.Edo period, late 16th-early 17th century.Hanging scroll, ink on paper37 by 14”The Cleveland Museum of Art
Forms almost off the page they are so far to the left
An implied line exists because we naturally look up to the buddha because he is the only figure on the page.
He looks at nothing, which symbolizes his meditation on emptiness
Tawaraya (Nonomura) Sotatsu.The Zen Priest Choka. Edo period, late 16th-early 17th century. The Cleveland Museum of Art. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Turner was an eye witness to this event from a boat on the Thames river in London
The flames are large and bright and colorful on the left side, but our attention is balanced with the bridge to the right, which our eye follows, leading us ultimately to the crowd standing in the foreground.
The street light is the lightest part of the piece, which draws our eyes to the left, and then they circle back to the fire. The cycle continues.
Joseph Mallord William TurnerThe Burning Houses of Parliament1835Oil on canvas36 by 48”Philadelphia Museum of Art
Turner, Joseph Mallord William. The Burning Houses of Parliament. 1835.Philadelphia Museum of Art. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Eduoard ManetA Bar at the Folies-Bergère1881-82Oil on canvas37 by 51”The Samuel Courtlauld Trust, Courtarld Institute of Art Gallery, London
Implied depth – the reflection of the mirror creates an interior that stretches far back, but really the barmaid is wedged in a small place. Large dark reflection of the barmaid,The oranges, champagne bottles, chandeliers, all play a role in balancing the composition
Manet, Eduoard. A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. The Samuel Courtlauld Trust, Courtarld Institute of Art Gallery, London. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Henry Ossawa TannerThe Banjo Lesson1983Oil on canvas49 by 35”Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia
Emphasis – a part of the composition made to stand outSubordination – a part of the composition that hangs in the background
Uses size and placementThe figures are in the foreground and their visual weights form a single massDark skin against pale background creates visual contrastDirectional lines of sight down the neck of the banjo to emphasize the circular body of the banjo and the boy's hand on itThe background is subordinated: the detail is blurred to draw less attention to itself
Tanner, Henry Ossawa. The Banjo Lesson. 1983. Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Paul CézanneStill Life with Compotier, Pitcher, and Fruit1892-94Oil on canvas28 by 36”The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
The white napkin creates a central focal area, and subordinates the rest of the image that is formed of earth tones
Each piece of fruit, as bright colored objects popping out against the white, is a focal point to draw your eye
Cézanne, Paul. Still Life with Compotier, Pitcher, and Fruit. 1892-94. The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Francisco de GoyaExecutions of the Third of May, 18081814-15Oil on canvas, 8'9” by 13'4”Museo Del Prado, Madrid
White yellow and red demand our attention as a focal point
Lantern sets light on the figures being slaughtered too
Faces are natural focal points ... the victims have faces, and the soldiers do not
The guns create directional lines as well as the movement of the soldiers toward them
Goya, Francisco de. Executions of the Third of May, 1808. 1814-15. Museo Del Prado, Madrid. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van BruggenPlantoir2001Stainless steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, painted with polyurathane enamelheight 23'11”Collection Fundação de Serralves, Porto.
Scale – size in relation to a standard size
Coosje van Bruggen surprises us by playing with scale and making the gardening tool so huge, like a monument
Reminds us of fairy tales with fairies and giants
Oldenburg, Claes and Coosje van Bruggen. Plantoir. 2001. Collection Fundação de Serralves, Porto.Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
René MagritteDelusions of Grandeur II1948Oil on canvas39 by 32”Hirshhorm Museum and Sculpture GardenSmithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Shifts in scale, with the woman being broken up into several different sizes
Magritte liked to transform objects into like objects, as here with the sky becoming blue blocks
Proportion is the size relationships between the parts and the whole
The proportion of each section of the body is naturalistic
Magritte, René. Delusions of Grandeur II. 1948. Hirshhorm Museum and Sculpture Garden Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Stela of the sculptor Userwer, detailEgypt, Dynasty 12, 1991-1783 B.C.E.The British Museum, London
Different cultures developed fixed sets of proportions for depicting a “correct” human form.
Ancient Egyptians had a squared grid created with the palm of the hand, and had specific measurements for how to map out bodies within that grid
Stela of the sculptor Userwer, detail.Egypt, Dynasty 12. 1991-1783 B.C.E.The British Museum, London. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
A royal altar to the hand (ikegobo)Benin, 18th centuryBrassheight 18”The British Museum, London
Benin is in West Africa
Dedicated to King's hand, a symbol of physical prowess
Hands around the base
Composition expresses a social hierarchy The king at the center and is the largest, showing he is the most important.
Hierarchical scale
The king's head takes up one third of his height – head symbolizes wisdom and judgment, with which he rules his subjectsA royal altar to the hand (ikegobo). Benin,
18th century. The British Museum, London. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
The Golden Section – divides a length into two unequal segments so that the larger segment has the same ratio to the larger segment that the larger segment has to the whole.
In counting, it goes like this 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 etc.
The ratio of the two segments is approximately 1 to 1.618
The Greeks used these measurements in architecture and thought of it as a mathematical ordering of the universe
Leonardo da VinciStudy of Human Proportions according to Vitruvius1485 – 90Pen and ink13” by 9”Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Da Vinci saw the ideal male form as being measurable within a square and a rectangle (where the belly button is the center)
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Study of Human Proportions according to Vitruvius. 1485 – 90. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Le CorbusierThe Modulor1945Courtesy Fondation Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier was a French architect who put human proportions into a tool he called “The Modular” It is based on two overlapping golden sections
first – feet to the navel second – the navel to the top of the headthird – top of the head to the tip of the raised hand
Le Corbusier. The Modulor. 1945.Courtesy Fondation Le Corbusier. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
He used The Modular in:Le CorbusierNotre-Dame-du-HautRonchamp, FranceExterior view from southeast1950-55
Le Corbusier said that there are no absolutes, only relationships, and we experience the world in proportion to ourselves.
Le Corbusier. The Modulor. 1945.Courtesy Fondation Le Corbusier. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Rhythm
Maya LinStorm King Wave Field2007-08Earthwork at Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York
Modelled on a naturally occurring water-wave formation called the Stokes wave
Lin learned about it when studying fluid dynamics
Grass covered earthern wave reaches heights of 12 to 18 feetSeven rows over eleven acres of land
Through repetition this work creates a visual rhythm
Lin, Maya. Storm King Wave Field. 2007-08.Earthwork at Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Kaiho YushoFish Nets Drying in the Sunday17th centuryOne of a pair of six-panel screens, color and gold on paper5'3” by 11'6”The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan
Two contrasting rhythms:Long, swooping lines of the drying nets at the leftAnd the short straight lines of the leaves on the trees to the right(Try imagining them as representing music!)
Yusho, Kaiho. Fish Nets Drying in the Sunday. 17th century. The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Paul KleeLandscape with Yellow Birds1923Watercolor and gouache on paper13 by 17”Private Collection
Organized around several rhythms:
Bulging silvery forms
Yellow birds forming an implied oval that directs our eyes through the landscape
Red circles, including silver moon, create an implied arc
Klee, Paul. Landscape with Yellow Birds. 1923. Private Collection. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Leon Battista AlbertiFacade of Sant'Andrea, MantuaDesigned 1490
Repeating vertical rhythm of pilasters (flat ornamental columns)
Evenly spaced, there would be five if the arch entryway weren't there
The arch of the large entryway repeats in the smaller arches on either side
Door entryway repeats in smaller doors on either side too
Alberti, Leon Battista. Facade of Sant'Andrea, Mantua.Designed 1490. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Hans Baldung GrienThe Three Ages of Woman, and Death, 1510Oil on limewood, 18 1/2 by 12 3/4”Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Vanitas:
In the tradition of western art
A work of art that reminds us that life passes and that death is inevitable
Many Vanitas have used the image of a beautiful woman looking at herself in the mirror, so to say that she will age and her beauty will not last
Grien, Hans Baldung. The Three Ages of Woman, and Death. 1510. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
TitianVenus with a Mirrorc. 1555Oil on canvas, 49 by 41 1/2”National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Sometimes in this tradition:
Artists choosing to depict beautiful Women admiring themselvesIn the mirror simply as an excuse to Paint this subject
Here Venus admires herEternal beauty
Titian. Venus with a Mirror. c. 1555. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Pablo PicassoGirl Before a Mirror1932Oil on canvas5'4 by 4'3”The Museum of Modern Art, New York
The largeness of the piece when seen in person gives it a strong impression
Symmetrical balance with the left post of the mirror on the vertical access
The two sides are set in opposition and we notice their difference, warm colors are reflected as cool colors (ex. Yellow and purple in the face)
The red striped shape on the girl's chest, and her outstretched arm link the two sections of the piece together
The curves and circles of the girl and the oval of the mirror help to unify the piece with similar round shapes
Suggestion of the womb in her bodyPicasso made many adjustments to a piece as he worked
Picasso, Pablo. Girl Before a Mirror. 1932. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Living with Art, Tenth Edition. By Mark Getlein. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Fin