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The document discusses principles of visual organization in art such as shape, gestalt laws of grouping, figure and ground relationships, and achieving unity and variety. It specifically examines four gestalt laws - continuity, similarity, proximity, and closure - and how they influence human perception of patterns and objects. Additionally, it explores techniques artists use to create a sense of unity within a work such as repetition, continuation, color/value consistency, and use of line or a grid framework, while still incorporating sufficient variety for visual interest.
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- 1. Shape, Gestalt, FocalPoint, Unity and Variety 2D_Thomas Green
- 2. Piet Mondrian, Compositionwith Red, Blue and Yellow, 1930. Oil on canvas 18 1/8” x 18 1/8” (46 x 46 cm). SHAPE
- 3. 3.2. Helene Brandt.Mondrian Variations, Construction No. 3B with Four Red Squares and Two Planes (1996) Welded steel, wood, paint (22” x 19” x 17”). Courtesy Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, Florida. Form
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- 6. "geometric shapes Shapesfound in geometry, such as triangles and circles."
- 7. Frank O. Gehry.Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain (1997). © Eberhard Streichan/Zefa/CORBIS
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- 9. Robert Delaunay.Eiffel Towerwith Trees (Tour Eiffel aux arbres)
- 10. Amorphous Shapes Helen Frankenthaler.Before the Caves (1958) Oil on canvas (102 3/8” x 104 3/8”).
- 11. Judy Pfaff. 3-D(1983) See also Figure 6.27. Mixed media, installation in a 22’ x 35’ room
- 12. On Grouping • ThePrinciples of grouping (or Gestalt laws of grouping) are a set of principles in psychology, first proposed by Gestalt psychologists to account for the observation that humans naturally perceive objects as organized patterns and objects. Gestalt psychologists argued that these principles exist because the mind has an innate disposition to perceive patterns in the stimulus based on certain rules.
- 13. On Grouping • Itis a psychological fact that things do not always appear as they actually are, and that perceptual illusions are real phenomena. The basic problem of the psychology of perception, then, is to explain why things appear as they do.
- 14. • Continuity |Thislaw holds that points that are connected by straight or curving lines are seen in a way that follows the smoothest path. Rather than seeing separate lines and angles, lines are seen as belonging together. • Similarity | Suggests that things similar things tend to appear grouped together. Grouping can occur in both visual and auditory stimuli. • Proximity | According to the law of proximity, things that are near each other seem to be grouped together. • Closure | Things are grouped together if they seem to complete some entity. Our brains often ignore contradictory information and fill in gaps in information. Gestalt Principles- breaks down in four main points • Continuity |This law holds that points that are connected by straight or curving lines are seen in a way that follows the smoothest path. Rather than seeing separate lines and angles, lines are seen as belonging together. • Similarity | Suggests that things similar things tend to appear grouped together. Grouping can occur in both visual and auditory stimuli. • Proximity | According to the law of proximity, things that are near each other seem to be grouped together. • Closure | Things are grouped together if they seem to complete some entity. Our brains often ignore contradictory information and fill in gaps in information.
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- 26. Patterns | Figureand Ground Phenomenon • Ambiguous Figures | A picture of a subject which the viewer may see as either of two different subjects or as the same subject from either of two different viewpoints depending on his interpretation of the total configuration.
- 27. Patterns | Figureand Ground Phenomenon • Alternating Figures | Ambiguous images which serve in the psychology of perception to demonstrate the way the mind habitually tries to achieve a coherent Gestalt. These are often seen as optical illusions.
- 28. Patterns | Figureand Ground Phenomenon • Alternating Figure and Ground |Patterns that are achieved when the parameters that distinguish figure from ground are of almost equal prominence which in effect produces a duality of perception for both figure and ground.
- 29. Patterns | Figureand Ground Phenomenon • Embedded Figures | Figures that are at first obscure because of very little dissonance between figure and ground.
- 30. Patterns | Figureand Ground Phenomenon • Impossible Figures | A type of optical illusion consisting of a two- dimensional figure which is instantly and subconsciously interpreted by the visual system as representing a projection of a three-dimensional object although it is not actually possible for such an object to exist (at least not in the form interpreted by the visual system).
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- 37. Unity and Harmony •Unity, the presentation of an integrated image, is perhaps as close to a rule as art can approach. Unity means that a congruity or agreement exists among the elements in a design; they look as though they belong together, as though some visual connec- tion beyond mere chance has caused them to come together. Another term for the same idea is harmony. • In art, unity also implies harmony. It sug- gests that the parts of a composition are not there by happenstance; rather, they fit together to form a meaningful whole.
- 38. Variety • Unity ispowerful, but, as the British writer Aphra Behn said, “Variety is the soul of pleasure.” Without variety, life would comprise a bland sameness, a cookie-cutter existence from which we all shrink.Variety in art, as in life, is seductive. It demands our attention, turns the predictable on edge • Two artists argue over a painting: • “This painting is great because of the unity of similar shapes,” says the first. • “You’re crazy! It is the variety and contrasts that make it great!” says the second. • And both might be right.
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- 45. Ways to achieveUnity_Proximity
- 46. Ways to achieveUnity_Proximity
- 47. Ways to achieveUnity_Repetition
- 48. Ways to achieveUnity_Repetition
- 49. Ways to achieveUnity_Continuation
- 50. Ways to achieveUnity_Continuation
- 51. Ways to achieveUnity_Continuation
- 52. Ways to AchieveUnity_color and value
- 53. Ways to achieveUnity_Color
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- 57. Ways to achieveUnity_Continuation
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- 63. Things to consider_varietyor Unity?
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Editor's Notes
- #3 Shapes are distinct areas on a twodimensional surface that are formed when intersecting or connected lines enclose space.
- #4 The word form is often used to speak about shape in sculpture or architecture— three-dimensional works. Helene Brandt’s Mondrian Variations, Construction No. 3B with Four Red Squares and Two Planes
- #5 The word volume refers to the mass or bulk of a three-dimensional work. The volume of a work is the amount of space it contains. In geometry, the volume of a rectangular solid is computed as its length times its width times its height,
- #6 Like volume, the term mass also has a specific meaning in science. In physics,the mass of an object reflects the amount of force it would require to move it. In other words, objects that have more mass are harder to budge
- #7 Shapes such as rectangles and circles are called geometric shapes. They may be made up of straight (rectilinear) or curved (curvilinear) lines, but they have an unnatural, mathematical appearance. Geometric shapes can be rectilinear when straight lines intersect to form them. Geometric shapes can also be curvilinear
- #8 Organic shapes are derived from those found in nature—the world of living things. Because straight lines are somewhat of a rarity in nature, organic shapes tend to have a curvilinear quality that suggests growth and movement.
- #9 The term abstract is used variously. It sometimes refers to works that have no reference to reality. Such works do not represent objects and are therefore considered to be nonrepresentational or nonobjective
- #10 the word abstract can also refer to works of art whose subjects are abstracted from reality. Such abstracted art can distort or convert shapes into patterns that may be read by the viewer as interesting. Robert Delaunay’s Eiffel Tower with Trees (Fig. 3.14) is an example of what type of abstracted art?
- #11 The shapes of some works are, ironically, amorphous, meaning literally “without shape. In Helen Frankenthaler’s Before the Caves (Fig. 3.19), the “contents” of the loosely defined shapes spill beyond their boundaries, filling the canvas with irregularly shaped pools of poured paint.
- #12 there is probably no better way to characterize Judy Pfaff’s multimedia installations than as amorphous. When the viewer mingles among the elements of installations such as 3-D the overall impression is one of shape spilling over upon shape
- #32 ----- Meeting Notes (9/8/14 09:54) ----- contrast isolation placement- convergence=lines of composition anomoly-unusual
- #38 Unity is powerful, but, as the British writer Aphra Behn said, “Variety is the soul of pleasure.” Without variety, life would comprise a bland sameness, a cookie-cutter existence from which we all shrink.Variety in art, as in life, is seductive. It demands our attention, turns the predictable on edge
- #40 What are some of the ways we are achieving harmony here? This harmony, or unity, arises not merely from our recognition that all the objects are paint cans. Unity is achieved through the repetition of the oval shapes of the cans. Linear elements such as the diagonal shadows and paint sticks are also repeated. The subtle grays of the metal cans unify a composition accented by a few bright colors. Such a unity can exist with either representational imagery or abstract forms.
- #41 An important aspect of unity is the whole must predominate over the elements: you must first see the whole pattern before you notice the individual elements. We all know these are irises, but they are all different.
- #42 Unity of design is planned and controlled by an artist. Some- times it stems naturally from the elements chosen, as in these examples. But more often it reflects the skill of the designer in creating a unified pattern from varied elements. Unity here is not because it’s four girls, but The repetition of white smocks and a white dress tie the figures together. A recurring blue-gray also unifies the composition.
- #43 So, your job as a designer slash ORGANIZER to create visual unity and this is made easier by the fact that the viewer is actually looking for some sort of organization, We already talked about Gestalt principles, and these psychological phenomenon are the result of us as viewers trying to arrange and make sense of designs. Look at these four compositions. In the upper right, we have proximity, in the second composition we have proximity, but also are creating closure mentally to form the line, in the third composition, we see a cross in the center and for sections of dots (through similarity), and finally, the circles form lines through what is known as continuity.
- #44 For Example: Postitive and Negative (or empty) spaces will likewise appear organized. Because we as viewers immediately see the many elements as two groups. This particular image has two obvious organizations, but we tend to see one before we see the other.
- #45 This structure is the pompidou center in Paris. It could easily become a chaotic mess, but designers knew this and so through organizing these into colors, the verticles of the pipes and horizontal .
- #47 Thomas Eakins’s painting (C) of bathers at a swimming hole shows the idea of proximity in composition. The lighter elements of the swimmers’ bodies contrast with the generally darker back- ground. However, these light elements are not placed aimlessly around the composition but, by proximity, are arranged carefully to unite visually.
- #48 Repeating something is an easy way to imply a unity across the picture plane. And, you can do this with anything. The element that repeats may be almost anything: a color, a shape, a texture, a direction, or an angle.
- #49 In the ink drawing shown in C we see many marks of a similar fast and dynamic LINES
- #50 A third way to achieve unity is by continuation, this is a more subtle device than proximity or repetition, which are fairly obvious. Con- tinuation, naturally, means that something “continues”—usually a line, an edge, or a direction from one form to another. The view- er’s eye is carried smoothly from one element to the next.
- #51 Notice the curvature of the lines in the car. Notice how the sweeping lines of the chassis carry the viewer across and tie the front end to the small lip of the trunk.
- #53 Picassos Guernica is a protest against the bombing of a civilian population. The entire painting is predominantly void of color, the repetition of value unifies the composition. What might be another reason that he is only using the black and white.
- #54 The degree to which unity can be perceived—with the aid of color—in what otherwise may seem an absolute jumble is evidenced in Fernand Léger’s Contrast of Forms
- #56 Textures and similarity of line can create unity. What are some of the similarities in line, what are some of the ways you can create variety through line? What are some of the properties of line? Width, length, weight, curvilinear, rectilinear, direction or orientation.
- #57 The grid is the ultimate unifying device. If adhered to unwaveringly, almost no other compositional or design element can override its visual impact.
- #58 Back to Continuation --- continuation is the arrangement of various forms so that their edges are lined up—hence, forms are “continuous” from one element to another within a design
- #59 The checkerboard pattern in A has complete unity. We can eas- ily see the constant repetition of shape and the obvious con- tinuation of lined-up edges. Unhappily, the result is also quite boring. The design in B has the same repetitive division of space, but it doesn’t seem quite as dull. Some changes (or variations) now make this design a bit more interesting to the eye. In C the variations have been heightened, so we can almost forget the dull checkerboard in A
- #60 Here we see a couple of uses of the grid in art. Klee uses the grid, varying color throughout. On the right, collage elements are combined in the grid to create unity
- #61 Here we have these animal designs that are organized in a grid but they do not resemble a checkerboard. Each design is unique but is unified by similar style and the compositional structure of the grid. A point to remember is that, with a great variety of elements, a simple layout idea can give needed unity and be very effective
- #62 variety within unity A technique in which an artist consciously interrupts a work with a strong sense of unity by using an element that diverges from the dominant compositional scheme.
- #63 variety within unity A technique in which an artist consciously interrupts a work with a strong sense of unity by using an element that diverges from the dominant compositional scheme.
- #64 Artists highlight differences in the physical structure of a work, but unify these works in other ways. Here, the artist has limited the palette to gray and beige, and con- fined himself to organic shapes to create Unity, vari- ety comes in the intricate pattern of ridges and valleys that might resemble the topography of a strange planet as viewed from space, or perhaps some sort of swarming microscopic life
- #65 A surefire way to create variety within unity is to build a work around varia- tions on a motif or theme
- #66 Here, Judd is more concerned with Unity in his metal fabricated boxes.
- #67 Also
- #68 Here there are a number of varying colors and shapes, but the grid helps them to achieve unity
- #69 Ellen Gallagher’s is an exercise in “forced” variety, so here the images come from clippings of magazines that featured wig advertisements, arranged on the original page in a grid pattern. The artist uses the deliberate unifying structure of the grid, but despite this we are drawn to difference, to variety.