Back to the BasicsElements of Art

Principles of Design

February 2014

Principles of DesignHow the Build Blocks are usedBalanceContrast and ProportionEmphasisRhythm or MovementPatternUnityVariety

Contrast / Proportion / Scale Contrast occurs when two related elements are different.

Proportion is the size relationship of parts to a whole and to one another. Scale refers to relating size to a constant, such as a human body.

Contrast / Proportion / Scale Contrast occurs when two related elements are different.

Proportion is the size relationship of parts to a whole and to one another. Scale refers to relating size to a constant, such as a human body.

Contrast adds variety to the total design and creates unity. It is what draws the viewer’s eye into the painting and helps to guide the viewer around the art piece.Contrast adds visual interest. Most designs require a certain amount of contrast. Too much similarity of the components in any design becomes monotonous, bland or uninteresting. Too much contrast can be confusing.

Contrast / Proportion / Scale Contrast occurs when two related elements are different.

Proportion is the size relationship of parts to a whole and to one another. Scale refers to relating size to a constant, such as a human body.

Proportion is the comparative harmonious rela-tionship between two or more elements in a composition with respect to size, color, quantity, distribution, setting, ratio, etc. Proportion is usually not noticed until something is out of proportion. When the relative size of two elements being compared seems wrong or out of balance it is said to be “out of proportion” – for example a person’s head being larger than the body.

Proportion - relative size of objects within the work of art. In this painting, Rene Magritte has created a surreal situation simply by manipulating the proportions of common objects. He fills a room with familiar things, but he gives human proportions to these regular items of everyday life, creating a sense of disorientation and incongruity.

Personal Values, 1952Rene Magritteoil on canvas, 31½ in. x 39½ in.San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Proportion: relative size of objects within the work of art. Andrew Wyeth has used the proportion very differently - the small farmhouse against the largeness of the field creates a sense of isolation.

Christina’s World, 1948Andrew WyethTempera on gessoed panel; 32¼ in × 47¾ inMuseum of Modern Art, New York

Among the Sierra Nevada, California, 1977Albert Bierstadtoil on canvas; 72 x 120 1/8 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Wash DC

Without the effective use of the principle of proportion you would not experience the

majesty of the mountain. Also, notice the size of the canvas. Bierstadt purposely wanted the

viewer to feel the grandeur of the scene.

Using colors that are subtly graded from red, though oranges to yellow, she captures the ephemeral quality of this springtime bloom. By enlarging the petals to larger than life size proportions, O'Keeffe forces the viewer to study what might otherwise be overlooked and, in turn, elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Oriental Poppies, 1928Georgia O’KeeffeOil, 30’ x 40”Univ. of Minnesota Art Museum, Minneapolis

Emphasis / DominanceEmphasis refers to the center of interest,

the place in an artwork where your eye first lands.

The Great Black Woodpecker, 1892-94Akseli Gallen-Kallela Oil on canvas, 145 x 90 cmPrivate Collection

The leafless limbs of the dead trees and branches create lines that all point toward the woodpecker. The tree limbs are larger and lighter in color than the surrounding trees, creating a stark contrast which emphasizes their "path" to the woodpecker. The tallest tree disappears into the sky, but its branches lead to the river, which in turn leads to the bleached branches of the dead tree in the foreground.

The woodpecker, unlike anything else in the painting, is portrayed using bold and intense hues of black and red. It appears to be the only animated form in the painting, as if all of the surrounding landscape has paused for a moment as a tribute to the woodpecker.

The emphasis in de Toulouse-Lautrec's painting is on the atmosphere and the strange lighting & color in a Paris cabaret. We are meant to be drawn into the five-member group of people seated at the table, where emphasis is on conversation among friends.

At the Moulin Rouge, 1892-95Henri de Toulouse LautrecOil on canvas, 48 ½ x 55 ½ in (approx)Art Institute of Chicago

The Figure 5 in Gold,1928Charles DemuthMetropolitan Museum of Art, NY

The Great FigureAmong the rainand lightsI saw the figure 5in goldon a redfire truckmovingtenseunheededto gong clangssiren howlsand wheels rumblingthrough the dark city

By William Carlos Williams