activity #3 Principles of design

Aside from the visual elements, art is built on principles of design. These two concepts support each other and examples of them can be found in “Baby at Play” and “The Shipwreck”. One principle of design is emphasis. This is the area of the artwork that commands attention. The baby is emphasized by the elements of shape, because it is the biggest shape and is placed in the center of the work. It is also emphasized by the color. It is the brightest area of the painting. Unity filtrates this piece while using green that complements the orange and red tones. There is a little variety in color with the small black doll to the side. The child’s building blocks create a rhythm because of their repetitive shapes and scattered positions. The picture is considered asymmetrical because the picture does not have the same size shapes on either side. The green vegetation in the background is subordinate in the painting. This is a part of the artwork that complements the emphasis to make it stand out more.
In “The Shipwreck” there is no clear emphasis. There is a lot of action going on throughout the whole scene: the storm in the sky, the waves crashing, the skip sinking, and the people. Unlike “Baby at Play”, this picture shows a lot of variety among the colors. The sharp contrast between the cool, blue sky and the warm orange sky is the best way to show variety. This is also an asymmetrical picture because the shapes are not equally balanced on each side. The subordinate areas are the rocks that frame the whole scene because it gives more emphasis to the shipwreck. There is rhythm among the waves because of their horizontal, contour lines which gives some balance to a chaotic scene.