Activity #4 Priciples of Design

The principles of design in both paintings are easy to identify. Hayeden uses colors in this painting to create unity, we know this because they are all similar tones. They are warm and analogous, for example the reds, oranges, and yellows. They are analogous since they are next to each other in the color wheel. The balance shown is asymmetrical because most of the weight is in the lower portion. Rhythm plays a major role since the presence of people create it by repeating themselves constantly throughout the painting.

On the other hand in Avercamp's painting there's is no rhythm at all. Avercamp’s painting has asymmetrical balance since most of its weight is on the right. We know this is true because there are large scale images on that side of painting. The emphasis is what you see the most when you observe a painting, in this case it is the palace that stands out the most. There are other elements that allow you to see this palace, this is called subordination. The statue on the left of the palace points toward it making our eyes focus on it. The colors also create variety, the different tones are complimentary like red and green, from the trees and the main gate, also yellow and blue, from the sky and buildings.

Activity #2 Visual Elements

“An Architectural Fantasy” was created by Jan van der Hayeden in the year 1670. Its medium is oil on panel. This painting shows various types of lines that play with ones imagination to create movement and direction. This is shown in the slanted path at the entrance; it invites us to enter this area, since most diagonal lines are an indication of action. The gate which is conformed mainly by horizontal lines does not allow those who are outside to enter this area. Horizontal lines are lines that seem to block off entrance and are uninviting to viewer’s eyes. Hayden uses complimentary colors such as red and green tones to create contrast. We know these are complimentary because they are opposite from each other on the color wheel. The brick pattern formed in the entrance wall is created with amazing detail; you can almost imagine the roughness of the surface. The linear perspective of this painting is shown in the both building shapes; they create a sense of reality. Hayden also uses a visual element called atmospheric perspective; one can conclude this by looking in the far distance of the painting and noticing that as the farther the object is, the harder it is to distinguish it. On the left side of the palace we can observe a receding landscape of trees that indicate this perspective. If we take a closer look at the entrance we can see men leaving out to the street, this indicates motion of the characters in the painting. A woman with her infant is begging the men, in my opinion this shows the poverty of those outside these nice walls.

“A Scene on the Ice” was created by Hendrick Avercamp in the year 1625. The artist also used oil on panel. The first thing that you notice when you see this painting is the atmospheric perspective, the people are harder to distinguish as they get father away. We can see the images in the distance although the have faded showing depth. The light in the background suggests a sunset. Like the painting shown before this one, it also has many lines present. The clothes of the people have black contour lines; these lines create a boundary from other colors. The implied line in this painting is shown going towards the far end. It suggests the direction of travel which also shows movement and direction. There are diagonal lines present in the distance, they point toward the sky almost as if the artist were trying to point out the sunset. Motion is obvious since the people are gliding thru the ice. We can observe children enjoying themselves by playing games, this also indicates motion. The colors present are warm, such as reds, browns, and yellows. Avercamp has used analogous harmonies; this is true since the colors are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.

Both paintings I selected were created in the 17th century by Dutch artists. Both artists used oil on panel to create their art work. Also as mentioned before, many visual elements were used by both in similar ways. These paintings were selected by me from the National Gallery of Art.

Activity #1

Jan van der Heyden, "An Architectural Fantasy", c. 1670, oil on panel, 49.7 x 70.7 cm, National Gallery of Art, D.C.

Hendrick Avercamp, "A Scene on the Ice", c. 1625, oil on panel, 39.2 x 77 cm, National Gallery of Art, D.C.

1st day of class

Today I had my first class of Art 101 with Brew. Most of the students didn't know much about Art, and I could relate to them. As the class progressed we learned about Lines, Movement, Direction, and light in paintings. After today I finally understand why people stare at pictures for a long period of time. Brew told us that the average person stares at a painting for approximately 3 seconds, I believe this is due to lack of artistic knowledge.
Brew told us to search information about Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who was an Italian painter known for creating portraits of people made of fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books. In my opinion he was very artistic and talented. I'm hoping that in future classes we are able to create portraits using techniques like his.