Watch the videos to help you review, or read and look at examples to help your understanding! Remember, principles of art are what you would use to create your work of art. You can use as many or as few as you need to create. These principles help artists organize their ideas and create artwork that is interesting and beautiful. If you need more examples or have any questions, feel free to ask!
Click on the little Ms. Pham's to reveal the answers! See if you can locate different principles in the images!
Pattern is when shapes, colors, or lines repeat in a certain way. Think of how wallpaper has designs that repeat. Patterns can make art look organized and fun, and they create rhythm in the artwork.
Repetition is when an artist uses the same element over and over again. This could be a color, shape, or line. It helps to create unity and a sense of togetherness in the artwork, making it feel complete.
Rhythm is like a musical beat but in art. It’s when elements are arranged in a way that creates a sense of movement and flow. Repeating shapes or colors can create rhythm, making the artwork feel alive and energetic.
The pattern herecomes from the repeating design of the portraits sweater.
Gustav Klimt. Johanna Staude. Belvedere. Vienna, Austria. 1917/1918.
Joan Miró. Carnaval d'Arlequin (Carnival of Harlequin). Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Buffalo, New York, United States. 1924-1925.
The pattern or rhythm here can be found in the various objects. Their patterns, colours, and sometimes shapes repeat in a random order that creates a rhythm.
Movement is how the artwork guides your eyes to move around. Artists create movement by using lines, shapes, and colors that lead your gaze from one part of the artwork to another, almost like a dance. It makes the art feel alive and dynamic.
The movement here comes from the repeating design of the different squares. Their placements makes almost like an optical illusion that the art is moving!
Bridget Riley. Movement in Squares. Hayward Gallery. London, United Kingdom. 1961.
August Malmström. Dancing Fairies. Nationalmuseum Sweden. Stockholm, Sweden. 1866.
The movement here can be found in the fog that is painted to show the "fairies" as they are flying around and create a sense of movment.
Emphasis is about making one part of the artwork stand out more than the rest. It’s like shining a spotlight on the most important part. Artists use color, size, or placement to draw attention to that part, making it the main focus of the piece.
The emphasis here comes from the hands, as it bring the viewer to look closely at the vilalge inside.
Eduardo Kingman. Lugar natal. Inter-American Developmet Bank. Washington, United States. 1989.
Antonio Ligabue. Leopard attacked by a snake. Collezione Fondazione Cariparma. Parma, Italy. 1955/1957.
The emphasis here can be found in the expression of the tiger. There is a lot going on, but the tigers fear is obvious!
Unity is when all the parts of an artwork work together as a whole. It means that everything looks like it belongs together, creating a feeling of harmony. Artists achieve unity by using similar colors, shapes, and patterns throughout the piece.
The unity and harmony here comes from the serene setting and colours. The palette makes it feel like there is a peace.
Claude Monet. Cliff Walk at Pourville. The Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, United States. 1882.
Gene Pendon - Bryan Beyung. May an Old Song Open a New World. MU. Montreal, Canada. 2015-08-01/2015-08-24.
The unity and harmony here can be found in the asian inspired elements, from the main focus to the background flowers and expressions.
Proportion is about how different parts of an artwork relate to each other in size. It helps us understand how big or small something is compared to something else. For example, if you draw a cat next to a mouse, the cat should be much larger than the mouse to show that cats are bigger in real life.
Scale is similar, but it refers to the overall size of the entire artwork or the objects within it. For instance, if you create a big painting of a tiny flower, you are using a larger scale for the flower.
The proportion here comes from the scale and size of each elements. The shrimp is smaller than the fish, which is smaller than the cat. Which, is true in real life too!
Clara Peeters. Still Life of Fish and Cat. National Museum of Women in the Arts. Washington, D.C., United States. after 1620.
Jeff Koons. Tulips. Guggenheim Bilbao. Bilbao, Spain. 1995/2004.
The proportion and scale here can be found in the tulips created in the shape of balloons. This is an exaggerated version, as these are 2 meters tall and 5 meters across!
Balance is how things in a piece of art are arranged. It can be symmetrical (where both sides look the same, like a butterfly) or asymmetrical (where both sides are different but still look balanced, like a tree with branches on one side). Balance helps the artwork feel stable and pleasing to look at.
The balance here comes from the two hands, creating symetry and the village in the middle which makes the image have a sameness.
Eduardo Kingman. Lugar natal. Inter-American Developmet Bank. Washington, United States. 1989.
Claude Monet. Cliff Walk at Pourville. The Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, United States. 1882.
The balance here is an asymetrical balance, as the work is heavily to the right of the painting.
Contrast is when you put two different things next to each other to make them stand out. For example, putting a bright color next to a dark color makes both colors pop! Contrast helps create interest and excitement in art.
The contrast here comes from the use of complimentery colours. The blue background against the yellow orange shades make Vincent POP!
Vincent van Gogh. Self-portrait. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Washington, DC, United States. 1889.
Peter Doig. Girl in White with Trees. Bonnefantenmuseum. Maastricht, Netherlands. 2001/2002.
The emphasis here can be found in the creation of the girl in white, everything elese has strong details and rich colours and she is only a white shape. Which, brings the emphasis to her.