Principles of Art

• The Principles of Art (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement,

pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety) represent how the Elements of
Art (line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space) are used by an
artist to create a painting, drawing, or other work of art.
Pattern
• Pattern is a very important design concept which refers to the visual
arrangement of elements with a repetitive form or intelligible
sequence.
• Pattern is not always obvious. It could be a simple underlying notan
 design which dances between light and dark in some kind of
sequence. Or it could be the use of similar color patterns throughout
your painting.
Pattern
• In the painting , notice how the
top arm of the subject almost
blends into the background, and
how the legs blend into the
cloth, and the cloth blends into
the rest of the foreground.
• This interlinking pattern drags
you through the painting and
creates a very interesting design.
• Joaquin Sorolla, Bacchante, 1886
Balance

• Balance is concerned with the visual distribution or weight of the

elements in a work of art.
• A painting could be balanced if one half is of the same visual weight
as the other half.
• Or, you could have a small area of heightened significance which is
balanced against a much larger area of less significance, like in the
painting below
Balance
•  In the painting , notice how the
dark areas used for the boat and
foreground appear balanced
against the much larger area of
soft, tinted colors.

• Efim Volkov, Seascape, 1895

Emphasis

• Emphasis is a way of using elements to stress a certain area in an

artwork.
• Emphasis is really just another way to describe a focal point in your
artwork.
• In the painting below, there is strong emphasis on the moon through
the use of color contrast.
George Henry, River Landscape By
Moonlight, 1887
Contrast

• Contrast is everything in art. Without it, an artwork would be nothing

but a blank surface. Contrast can come in many forms:

• Texture contrast: A contrast between smooth and textured. Many of

Vincent van Gogh's paintings are great examples of texture contrast in
action.
Contrast
• Texture contrast: A contrast
between smooth and textured.
Many of Vincent van Gogh's
paintings are great examples of
texture contrast in action.
Joaquin Sorolla, Father Jofre Protecting A
Madman, 1887
• Color contrast: A contrast
between light and dark,
saturated and dull or
complementary colors (hue
contrast). For example, in the
painting below, the highly
saturated red contrasts against
the relatively dull colors in the
rest of the painting.
Rudolf von Alt, View Of Ragusa, 1841
• Detail contrast: A contrast
between areas of detail and
more bland areas, like in the
painting below.
Willart Metcalf, Early Spring Afternoon,
Central Park, 1911
• Shape contrast:
• A contrast between different
shapes (rectangles and circles).
For example, in the painting
there are the curving shapes
created by the winding paths,
water and trees contrast against
the rectangular shapes of the
buildings.
Isaac Levitan, Oak Grove, Autumn, 1880
• Interval contrast: A contrast
between long and short
intervals. In the painting below,
notice the variation in the
lengths of the intervals between
the trees. The interval contrast
can be used to create a sense of
rhythm in your artwork.
Harmony And Unity

• Harmony is a bit vague compared to some of the other principles.

• Generally speaking, it refers to how well all the visual elements work
together in a work of art.
• Elements which are in harmony should have some kind of logical
progression or relationship.
• If there is an element which is not in harmony with the rest of an
artwork, it should stick-out and be jarring to look at.
• Kind of like an off-note in a song.
• You will usually be able to tell just from judgment if all the elements
are in harmony. It will just look right. However, if the painting looks
off, then it can be difficult to tell if that is because there is no harmony
between the elements or if there is some other issue.
When I think of harmony, I think of the peaceful
arrangements of color in Monet's series of water lilies.
• Unity refers to some kind of connection between all the visual
elements in a work of art.
• Like harmony, this is a bit of a vague term which is difficult to
objectively use to analyze art.
• The painting below demonstrates a strong sense of unity through the
use of a similar hues used throughout the painting.
• Even though there is a strong contrast between the light and dark
areas, there is a sense of unity created through the use of similar hues
(dark yellows, oranges and greens are used in the foreground and
light yellows, oranges and greens are used in the background).
George Henry, Noon, 1885
Variety (Tom Thomson, Maple Saplings, 1917)

• Variety refers to the use of

differing qualities or instances of
the visual elements. Variety can
be used to break up
monotonous or repetitive areas.
• Below is a painting with lots of
variation in color, shape and
texture, yet not so much that it
loses any sense of harmony.
Lake Keitele, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1905
• This painting with comparatively
less variance. The result is a
much calmer painting.
Movement (Joaquín Sorolla, Sea And Rocks - Javea, 1900

• Your paints cannot physically move,

but you can arrange the paints in a
way which gives the illusion or
suggestion of movement.
• One of the most effective techniques
for creating movement in your
painting is to use bold and directional
brushwork. By doing this, you can
suggestively push your viewer around
the painting as you please. You could
also suggest movement through
repetition or pattern.
Frederick Judd Waugh, Breaking Surf
Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night Over The
Rhone, 1888
Proportion
• Proportion concerns the relationship between the sizes of different
parts in an artwork. For example, the width compared to the length,
the area of the sky compared to the land or the area of
foreground compared to the background.
• Some proportions are considered to
be visually pleasing, such as the 
rule of thirds and the golden ratio.
• In the painting below by Giovanni
Boldini, notice how the proportions
of the female subject's hands, face,
feet and torso are all accurate. If
Boldini painted the hand too large
compared to the rest of the
subject's body, there would be an
issue of proportion.
Scale

• Scale refers to the size of an object

compared to the rest of the surroundings.
• For example, the size of a man compared
to the tree he is sitting under or the size of
a mountain compared to the clouds.
• Scale is different to proportion in that
scale refers to the size of an entire object
whereas proportion refers to the relative
size of parts of an object.
• For example, the scale of a man relative to
the rest of the painting may be correct,
but the proportion might be wrong
because his hands are too large.
Reference:
• https://drawpaintacademy.com/principles-of-art/