Design Elements and Principles

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The Assembly of Gods Around Jupiter’s Throne c. 1532-34
Giulio Romano 
     
        A centralized subject in a painting can be used to unify various components of the composition.  Unity is the appearance or condition of oneness, which can be utilized as a key principle in design to convey the feeling of togetherness between every aspect in a particular painting. When executed correctly the unification of subjects in a composition exhibit a coherent and harmonious image. Furthermore, the illusion of depth is achieved by using contrast of scale. This is also known as amplified perspective. Repetition is also a reoccurring theme in regards to unification. The painting shown above masterfully encompasses all of the aforementioned characteristics of unity. Jupiter’s throne at the center of this piece is representative of the focal point used to unify the surrounding illustrations. Romano also perfectly exhibited the illusion of depth by decreasing the size of the throne in scale and increasing the size of the gods surrounding it, making them appear closer and the throne farther. Finally, the painting is unified entirely through a repetition of circular patterns beginning at the clouds, on to the gods, and ultimately to Jupiter’s throne, therefore creating a unified structure.



The Great Wave c. 1829-32
Katsushika Hokusai


       Asymmetrical balance is characterized by various elements such as the left and right sides of a painting not mirroring each other exactly. They are balanced by the visual weight of colors and forms. For example, a form larger in scale is “heavier” or draws the attention of the viewer more, as opposed to a smaller form, which usually does the contrary. However, two smaller forms have the ability to balance a larger form. A form accumulates visual weight as it approaches the edge of the painting, therefore a small form along the outer perimeter is able to balance a centered large form. Katsushika Hokusai was able to convey these characteristics in the legendary painting shown above. The tsunami towering over Mt. Fuji exemplifies the basis of asymmetrical balance. The larger form overtakes the left side of the painting while the mountain on the right simultaneously creates a secondary focal point. A majority of the attention is drawn towards the wave; however, the mountain and ships strewn about the currents balance the larger form. 





The Colossus of Rhodes c. 1954
Salvador Dali


       When planning a work of art one of the grandest decisions made at the inception of a composition is its scale. This is the determination of how big the painting is going to be. Scale is the size relation of one object to another. The human perception of scale is experienced through our relationship with it through our own size. This experience merits our response to how we perceive certain works of art involving scale. A myriad of artists since the start of the 20th century have distorted scale for visual effect. One such artist was Salvador Dali. In the painting shown above he illustrated the awe inspiring Colossus of Rhodes (One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World). It was a statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes, Greece. While this is a rather accurate depiction of the statues actual size, Dali was still able to capture the essence of a work of art on a gargantuan scale by placing smaller objects in close proximity to it. This gives the viewer an idea of how truly massive this structure once was.  





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