Movement and rhythm are principles of art that refer to a feeling of organized movement achieved through repetition of elements like line, shape, color, and texture. There are several types of movement and rhythm in art: 1. Regular movement involves exact repetition of elements in an evenly spaced arrangement. 2. Random movement has no particular order but maintains unity through balanced repetition of elements. 3. Progressive movement changes elements in size, shape, or color to give the appearance of progression. 4. Flowing movement uses curved, organic shapes and lines to direct the eye in a swirling pattern. 5. Alternating movement repeats more than one element or motif in a pattern.

1. Movement and
rhythm
by
Bernard E. Richardson
Master Teacher|Visual Arts Educator|2023
PRINCIPLE OF ART:

2. Movement and Rhythm
Movement/Rhythm is the principle of art and design that indicates
movement by the repetition of the elements such as line, shape, colour and
texture.
• One or more elements of art and design are used repeatedly to create a
rhythm or feeling of organized movement.
• This movement is the path which the viewer’s eye takes through the art
work.

4. 1. Regular movement/rhythm
Regular movement/rhythm in art is characterized by simplicity and ease,
• It involves the use of elements which are repeated exactly in an evenly
spaced arrangement.
Artist: Donald Judd
Title: ‘Untitled (stack)’
Year: 1967
Size: Twelve units, each 9 x 40 x 31" (22.8 x
101.6 x 78.7 cm), installed vertically with 9" (22.8
cm) intervals
Medium: Lacquer on galvanized iron

5. Regular movement/movement example
Artist: Bernard Richardson
Title: ‘Perched’
Year: 2011
Size: 17 ins x 22 ins
Medium: Photograph on canvas
Regular movement/rhythm is captured in this photograph through the repetition
of the rectangular shapes in the design of the roof and the windows of the
building. The shapes making up the roof and the windows have equal amounts
of space between them.

6. 2. Random movement/rhythm
Random movement/rhythm in art refers to the random repetition of art
elements in an art work.
• There is no particular order or sequence or pattern placed in the
composition.
• Even though it might not appear ordered the disorder has some unity and
balance to it to make the composition pleasing to look at.
• Example of Random movement/rhythm Art includes the work of famous
Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock with his large canvases of splashed
and dripped paint.

7. Random movement/rhythm examples
Jackson Pollock, “Number 14”, 1951, Oil on Canvas
• He used various colours of paint splashed onto the canvas in what appears to be
lines of varying thicknesses and length (long, short, thick, thin, curved, swirly etc.
Also there are several blobs/dots of paint make up the artworks adding interest.
Jackson Pollock, “Blue Poles or Number 11”, 1952, Oil on Canvas

8. Progressive movement/rhythm
Progressive movement/rhythm in Art occurs:
• when any art element, for example, color, shapes, or form that arranged in
a sequence or pattern is changed.
This change can occur in size, shape or colour; or they can remain the same
but viewed from different angles to give an appearance of progression or
changing movement.

9. Progressive movement/rhythm example
Progressive movement/rhythm is created by the arrangement and
changing movement of the flying object through a series of movements
from a man-made object (fighter jet) into a natural object (bird)

10. 4. Flowing movement/rhythm
A Flowing movement/rhythm in Art occurs when:
• There is a swirling, undulating movement/rhythm created by using repeated
elements used to direct the eye through the art work.
• This flowing movement/rhythm in Art is mostly shown with the use of curved,
circular and wavy lines and organic shapes.
• It can also be emphasized using
color, texture, value, size and so on.
.
Artist: Bernard Hoyes
Title: ‘Sweeping Rhythms’
Size: 53 ins X 35.5 ins
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

11. Flowing movement/rhythm example
• The swirling, wavy undulating brush strokes
shown in the sky and in the landscape in the
background and surrounding the bridge.
• The ‘organic’ shape and smooth wavy brush
strokes used in painting the screaming figure
standing on the bridge
Artist: Edvard Munch
Title: ‘The Scream’
Year: 1983
Size: 36 ins X 28.9 ins
Medium: Oil, tempera, pastel and crayon on cardboard
In this painting flowing movement/rhythm is created by:

12. 5. Alternating movement/rhythm
Alternating movement/rhythm in art occurs
• When an Artwork is made up of a repetition of more than one element or motifs
arranged in a repeating pattern or used alternately.
• A common example of an alternating rhythm in art is that of a chessboard with its
black and white squares.
• Alternating movement/rhythm in art is like a regular rhythm, but it is more
intricate since it is created using more that one element or motif which are
sometimes placed in different directions.

13. Alternating movement/rhythm example
The cubes create an alternating rhythm as the shapes and colours used
are repeated to create a pattern.

14. • https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Edvard-Munch-The-Scream.jpg
• http://isb-visualarts.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/9/5/5495691/8447541_orig.jpg
• https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f5/14/d8/f514d825bcd4bbf3fef6700ef9b78df3.jpg
• https://www.architonic.com/en/product/marimekko-hevoskastanja-f-196/1022876
• http://www.bernardhoyes.com/images/bh-Sweeping%20Ribbons.jpg
• http://murrayparkphotography.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23798812/8167643.jpg
• https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b7/fd/b1/b7fdb12298ff626c80cd4af90bcb399b.jpg
Image courtesies

15. Internet resources
• Artincontext, 2022, Rhythm in art – what exactly is rhythm in art,
https://artincontext.org/rhythm-in-art/
• Art Class Curator, 2019, Rhythm in art: the ultimate list of rhythm in art
examples. https://artclasscurator.com/rhythm-in-art-examples/

16. The end