Week Five*~ Balance

Assignment - This week you are going to create 2 black and white compositions from found objects:

Week Four*~ Scale and Proportion Assignment

Create a collaged still life that has a sense
of Surrealism because of shifting scale:

Absence of Focal Point~

"Untitled No. 3," Jackson Pollock
This Jackson Pollock Painting is an example of emphasis with no focal point. This work is even, layered, and meant to be looked at as a whole. No particular section is meant to draw our attention or stand out over the rest of the composition. Pollock's paintings were about the experience of creating the art, not about what the art would represent once completed. Painting was his way of letting his subconscious come alive and his work was a result of that "coming alive" state, not a product of it.

One Element~

The Old Guitarist, Pablo Picasso
This painting by Picasso in an example of emphasis by one element. The guitar is a strong focal point in this piece. The dark colors that are used blend together, making the brown and tan of the guitar really pop off the page. At the same time, it is not too much and does not take away from the unity of the piece as a whole. It almost appears that the man is dead and the only thing "alive" is the guitar. The only change in color pallette for the entire picture is that which was used in the guitar. Picasso must have wanted out eyes to see that guitar, and not see the man right away.

Placement~

Madame Monet and Her Son, by Claude Monet
The focal point of this piece is an example of emphasis by placement. Madame Monet is centered in the image, and she is in the foreground. Her son, in the background looks toward her, leading our eyes back to her. This painting has equal balance on both sides of the focal point, giving further emphasis to Madame Monet as the centerpiece. The umbrella works as a flag almost, to create even more emphasis on Madame Monet.

American Gothic, Grant Wood.
The focal point of American Gothic illustrates another example of emphasis by placement. The focal point is placed in the center of the image, and both sides of the focal point are equally balanced. The house and window in the background help to keep our eyes on the center of the image as well.

Isolation~

Picasso, The Blue Room, 1901 © Estate of Pablo Picasso / ARS, New York

In Picasso's painting, the focal point is the woman, an example of emphasis by isolation. The figure repeats the light value of the bed, and the posters on the wall. These figures stand out to grab our attention from the other objects in the room. The circular object that she is standing in keeps her isolated from the rest of the picture. The light color of her hair also creates emphasis on her. All of the objects in the room are clumped close together, helping her figure to stand out even more from the rest of the piece.

Week Three: Emphasis and Focal Point~

Contrast~


Chinese Artists Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi, and Zhang An, 2006, oil on canvas , Famous People Painting - Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante

In this painting, the focal point is the round red table near the center. The painting is rather dark, and the red table stands out amongst the other colors being used. There are other spots where red is being used, but it dominates here because of the large amount of it in the one area. This area of high contrast is what grabs the eye first, separating it from the rest of the painting.