Green 2 d_wk2_lwtech

Unity and Variety

Shape, Gestalt, Focal Point, Unity and Variety2D_Thomas Green

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow,1930. Oil on canvas 18 1/8 x 18 1/8 (46 x 46 cm).SHAPE

Shapes are distinct areas on a twodimensionalsurface that are formedwhen intersecting or connected linesenclose space.2

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

The word form is often used to speakabout shape in sculpture or architecturethree-dimensional works. HeleneBrandts Mondrian Variations, ConstructionNo. 3B with Four Red Squaresand Two Planes3

VOLUME

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, thevolume of a rectangular solid is computed as its length times its width times its height,4

MASS

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 tomove it. In other words, objects that have more mass are harder to budge5

"geometric shapes Shapes found in geometry, such as triangles and circles."

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 toform them. Geometric shapes can also be curvilinear6

Frank O. Gehry. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain (1997). Eberhard Streichan/Zefa/CORBIS

Organic shapes are derived from those found in naturethe 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.7

Abstract Shapes

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 nonobjective8

Robert Delaunay.Eiffel Tower with Trees (Tour Eiffel aux arbres)

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 Delaunays Eiffel Tower with Trees (Fig. 3.14) is an example of what type ofabstracted art?9

Amorphous Shapes

Helen Frankenthaler. Before the Caves(1958) Oil on canvas (102 3/8 x 104 3/8).

The shapes of some works are, ironically, amorphous, meaning literally without shape. In Helen Frankenthalers 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.10

Judy Pfaff. 3-D (1983) See also Figure 6.27.Mixed media, installation in a 22 x 35 room

there is probably no better way to characterize Judy Pfaffs 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 shape11

On GroupingThe Principles 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.

On GroupingIt is 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.

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.

Gestalt Principles-breaks down in four main pointsContinuity |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.

Gestalt-law of continuity

Gestalt-law of continuity

Gestalt-law of Similarity



Gestalt-law of Proximity



Gestalt-law of Closure



Patterns | Figure and Ground PhenomenonAmbiguous 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.

Patterns | Figure and Ground PhenomenonAlternating 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.

Patterns | Figure and Ground PhenomenonAlternating 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.

Patterns | Figure and Ground PhenomenonEmbedded Figures | Figures that are at first obscure because of very little dissonance between figure and ground.

Patterns | Figure and Ground PhenomenonImpossible 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).

CREATING FOCAL POINT--VIDEO

----- Meeting Notes (9/8/14 09:54) -----contrastisolationplacement-convergence=lines of compositionanomoly-unusual31

FOCAL POINT_WHERE AND HOW?





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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 suggests that the parts of a composition are not there by happenstance; rather, they fit together to form a meaningful whole.

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

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VarietyUnity 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

Two artists argue over a painting: This painting is great because of the unity of similar shapes, says the first. Youre crazy! It is the variety and contrasts that make it great! says the second. And both might be right.

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Harmony and Variety

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.

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Unity

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.

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Unity

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 its four girls, but The repetition of white smocks and a white dress tie the figures together. A recurring blue-gray also unifies the composition.

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Gestalt

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.

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Positive Negative space

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.

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Avoiding Chaos

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 .

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Ways to achieve Unity_Proximity

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Ways to achieve Unity_Proximity

Thomas Eakinss 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.

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Ways to achieve Unity_Repetition

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.

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Ways to achieve Unity_Repetition

In the ink drawing shown in C we see many marks of a similar fast and dynamic LINES

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Ways to achieve Unity_Continuation

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 continuesusually a line, an edge, or a direction from one form to another. The viewers eye is carried smoothly from one element to the next.

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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. 50


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Ways to Achieve Unity_color and value

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. 52

Ways to achieve Unity_Color

The degree to which unity can be perceivedwith the aid of colorin what otherwise may seem an absolute jumble is evidenced in Fernand Legers Contrast of Forms

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Color and value

Unity through Line

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. 55

The GRID

The grid is the ultimate unifying device. If adhered to unwaveringly, almost no other compositional or design element can override its visual impact.

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Back to Continuation --- continuation is the arrangement of various forms so that their edges are lined uphence, forms are continuous from one element to another within a design

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Unity with Variety

The checkerboard pattern in A has complete unity. We can easily see the constant repetition of shape and the obvious continuation of lined-up edges. Unhappily, the result is also quite boring. The design in B has the same repetitive division of space, but it doesnt 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

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Using the grid

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 59

Using the grid

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

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Unity with Variety

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.

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Unity with Variety

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.

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Things to consider_variety or Unity?

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, variety 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

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Motif

A surefire way to create variety within unity is to build a work around variations on a motif or theme

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Emphasis on Unity

Here, Judd is more concerned with Unity in his metal fabricated boxes. 65

Emphasis on Unity

Also66

Emphasis on Variety

Here there are a number of varying colors and shapes, but the grid helps them to achieve unity67

Emphasis on Variety

Ellen Gallaghers 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.

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Art & Photos

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