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06 PRINCIPLES OF ART
Mr. Victor Felicia || October 2022 ARTA111
Transcribers: Kathleen Venus

OUTLINE pattern you naturally respond to. The important

I. PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN part isrecognizing the relationship between the
A. HARMONY objects
B. RHYTHM
C. BALANCE i. REGULAR REPETITION
D. EMPHASIS ▪ A means of creating rhythm in which elements of a
E. UNITY composition are duplicated at orderly or fixed intervals
F. VARIETY ▪ The easiest and most precise way to create rhythm
G. PROPORTION ▪ Regular repetition was a core property of Minimalist
H. CONTRAST artists, of which Flavin was one

➢ Dan Flavin. Untitled

I. PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN (To Jan and Ron
o Refer to the visual strategies used by artists, I Greenberg),
conjunction with the elements of arts – for installation view at the
expressivepurposes (Fichner-Rathus, 2008) Dan Flavin Art Institute,
o It draw and hold the viewer’s eye on certain parts Bridgehampton, NY.
of awork (1972-73) Flourescent
o It brings visual stability light
o It adds visual interest to a competition
o It convey a sense of orderly progression
o How we apply the principles of design determines ii. ALTERNATING RHYTHM
how successful we are in creating a work of art. ▪ A type of rhythm in which different
elements in a work repeat
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN themselves in predictable order
Harmony Unity
Balance Simplicity
Rhythm Clarity iii. PROGRESSIVE RHYTHM
▪ Minor variations in rhythm can
Emphasis Contrast
add interest to a composition
Proportion Variety ▪ Such variations are seen in
progressive rhythm, in which
A. HARMONY the rhythm of elements of a
• In visual design means all parts of the visual image work of art such as shape,
relate to and complement each other. Harmony is texture, or color change
slightly as they move, or
the use of related elements.
progress toward a defined
• In follow on from variety, harmony is the use of point in the composition
related elements.
• This might be similar colors, shapes, sizes of C. BALANCE
objects, etc. It’s about repetition and a relationship • Is the concept of visual equilibrium, and relates to our
between elements. This creates a sense of physical sense of balance. It is a reconciliation of
opposing forces in a composition that results in visual
connection between the objects, creating a sense of
stability.
flow. • Balance refers to the weight of objects and their
• Harmony is one of the most important aspects when placement in relation to each other.
it comes to principles of art • Balance in a three dimensional object is easy to
• Harmony is the visually satisfying effect of combining understand; if balance isn’t achieved the object tips
similar or related elements. over.
• To understand balance in a two dimensional
composition, we must use our imaginations to carry
B. RHYTHM
this three dimensional analogy forward to the flat
• Is organized movement, a beat, a repetition surface.
• Is created by repetition, and repetitive patterns • Most successful compositions achieve balance in one
conveya sense of movement of two ways: symmetrically or asymmetrically
• In the visual arts, the viewer perceives rhythm
i. SYMMETRICAL BALANCE
bygrouping elements such as color, line and
▪ The type of balance in which the elements of a work
shape are balanced by similarity of form or arrangement on
• This can also be thought of as a kind of either side of a dividing line or plane, or to
relationshipbetween patterned objects. correspondence of parts, as in size, shape, or position
• Rhythm is often the use of regular, evenly ▪ refers to the exact mirroring of objects across an axis
distributedelements – they could occur in slow, ▪ Can be described as having equal “Weight” on equal
sides of a centrally placed fulcrum.
fast, smooth or jerky intervals, and this tells you
▪ It may also be referred to as formal balance
something about thefeelings invoked.
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▪ When the elements are arranged equally either side of

• Like listening to an upbeat pop song versus a slow
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a central axis, the result is bilateral symmetry. This

ballad, the arrangement of notes creates a kind of axis may be horizontal or vertical. It is also possible to
[ARTA111] 1.06 PRINCIPLES OF ART – Mr. Victor Felicia
build formal balance by arranging elements equally • Variety is a sense of the difference between elements
around a central point, resulting in radial symmetry. of an artwork – the opposite of unity, or harmony.
• Variety adds a sense of chaos to a work, and this is
ii. ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE often used to highlight certain powerful emotions.
▪ The type of balance in which there are more than • Salvador Dali is one of the artists who have
slight differences between the divided areas of work, experimented with chaos and variety in his paintings,
yet there is an overall sense of balance yet achieved a great sense of perfection.
▪ when objects do not mirror each other perfectly, • When unity is used instead, it immediately calms –
shifting the balance to one side or the other of the though this can also lead to being boring!
axis.
G. PROPORTION
D. EMPHASIS • Refers to the relative size and scale of the various
• Emphasis is an extension of these first two principles: elements in a design.
it is when contrast, placement, size, color, or other • The issue is the relationship between objects, or parts,
features are used to highlight one object, area, or of a whole. This means that it is necessary to discuss
other elements of the artwork proportion in terms of the context or standard used to
• This is used to draw attention – a focal point – or determine proportions.
accentuate a feature. • Proportion is the size of objects in relation to each
other, or within a larger whole.
i. EMPHASIS BY DIRECTIONAL LINES • This could be natural (e.g. a nose which fits onto a
▪ An object placed in the face the way you would expect it), exaggerated (e.g. a
center will often be nose that is vastly over or undersized), and idealized,
perceived as a focal in which parts have the kind of perfect proportion that
point. you just don’t see occurring naturally.
▪ If all eyes in the painting
or if an object is placed at H. CONTRAST
the center of the lines of • Is the disparity between the elements that figure into
perspective, the object the composition.
will be perceived as the
• One object may be made stronger compared to other
focus of the eye.
objects (hence, emphasis).
• This can be done in many ways using the elements of
ii. EMPHASIS BY CONTRAST
art.
• In realistic art the focal
• For instance, specifically, the use of negative and
point is usually quite
positive space, is an example of contrast. Another
easy to spot. Larger
example is the use of complementary colors in a work
figures, usually found in
art.
the foreground, provide
a focal point.

iii. EMPHASIS BY ISOLATION

• If most of the elements in a work of
art are grouped closely together, an
object by itself stands out as a focal
point.

E. UNITY
• In art, unity implies harmony
• It suggests that the parts of a composition are there by
happenstance (a circumstance especially that is due
to chance, an unexpected random event : accident,
chance)
• They fit together to form a meaningful whole
• Not to be confused with harmony, unity is the overall
cohesion of the work.
• You might achieve this through any kind of grouping of
objects.
• Any kind of similarity will help to strengthen the sense
of unity you feel when looking at a series of objects.

F. VARIETY
• Unity is powerful, but, as the British writer Aphra Behn
said, “Variety is the soul of pleasure.”
• Without variety, life would compromise a bland
sameness, a cookie-cutter existence from which we all
shrink
• Variety in art, as in life, is seductive.
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• It demands our attention, turns the predictable on

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edge.