Chapter 8 & 9

"Self-Portrait, the Artist on the Road to Tarascon" by Vincent van Gogh above is an example of Asymmetrical Balance.  The painting remains balanced both the vertically and horizontally by the objects displayed given their weight and placement in the scene.  First, the trees on both sides of the painting and the man's position on the page relative to his shadow keep each side balanced, neither is more dominant.  Next, the painting remains balanced horizontally where the field and trees meet the stone path way and additionally the man's body and his shadow are balanced on the top and bottom of the picture as shown above.

Emphasis can be viewed in the above painting titled "The Baptism of Christ" which was a collaboration between Leonardo da Vinci and his apprentice Andrea del Verrocchio.  Christ is the primary character as all the other characters are looking at him; the halo around his head draws viewers attention; and his placement at the center of the picture all enforce the fact that he is the focal point.  The second focal point is John the Baptist as Jesus is looking towards him and he is the next largest character in the painting but he is off to the side suggesting that he was not meant to be the focus.  Lastly, the three children huddled in the corner are the third focus of the painting as they are smaller but still are a dominant presence in the picture.  All three subjects are focal points of the painting with their own level of importance. 

"Wheatfield and Cypress Trees" by Vincent van Gogh is a clear example of Repetition and Rhythm. He uses many curved, thick lines in similar color tones to give the essence that the trees are swaying, clouds are billowing along, the grass and shrubs are dancing, and the mountains are rolling.  When looking at the painting up close, viewers can see the thick lines that are similarly shaped. This technique makes the painting come alive almost as if viewers are standing in the field themselves, experiencing the nature.

Contrast and Variety are displayed in two ways above in "The Manneporte near Étretat" by Claude Monet.  The red arrows show bright and dull contrast in the sky, with the bright blue sky at the top right of the picture and a pale, dull blue lower in the sky.  The yellow arrows show light and dark used in the painting.  The yellow area on the left is darker casting the shadow of the rock into the water where as the yellow arrow on the right points of light blue waters where the sun is shining.  Contrast can also be shown by artists using thick versus thin lines or rough versus smooth textures.

"Virgin and Child with Saint Anne" by Leonardo da Vinci above shows Visual Movement throughout the painting where the viewers eye flows from image to image following subconscious movement of lines within the picture.  Starting with the red arrow at Saint Anne's eyes looking down to the Virgin.  The Virgin's arm and leg are parallel to each other directing our eye to the lamb.  From the lamb's eyes, viewers look at the child following the blue arrow.  By way of the orange line, the child looks to the Virgin.  Lastly, the Virgin's  eyes direct us back to the child as noted by the yellow arrow. This pattern was unique as the movement directs us to the child twice inferring that the child may be the focal point of the picture.

The above sculpture "Match Cover" by Claes Oldenburg shows Scale and Proportion.  Here, Oldenburg took an everyday object that all viewers know the relative size of and created it on a much larger scale which is not the normal proportion of the object.  There could be many symbols within this sculpture as matches are an everyday object but they can create the powerful element of fire.  Also, it is interesting to note that only one match is lit and standing straight while the others appear to be uses and bent.