Image Essay #4

PRINCPLES OF GESTALT

Before an artist begins a piece of artwork, there are many things he or she considers. One of them are the Principles of Design. They are given names such as unity and variety, contrast, emphasis, balance, movement, repetition and rhythm, and economy. The principles of design are used by artists to organize the so-called visual elements(lines, tones, shapes, textures, and colors) into a unified drawing fore an artist begins a piece of artwork, there are many things he or she considers. One of them are the Principle of Design. They are given names such as unity and variety, contrast, emphasis, balance, movement, repetition and rhythm, and economy. The principles of design are used by artists to organize the so-called visual elements(lines, tones, shapes, textures, and colors) into a unified drawing.

The second thing that an artist considers before starting a piece of work are the Principles of Gestalt. Gestalt is the configuration of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts. There are six Principles of Gestalt. One is grouping. You naturally group elements by position, orientation, shape, and value. Second is containment which means when elements are enclosed or contained by the paper line or other elements on the page. Thirdly is repetition which is a pattern of elements. Fourth is proximity which is the distance between elements that increases visual unity. Fifth is continuity which is the the fluid connection among compositional parts. Lastly, is closure, which is when various specially formed or cut out bricks in an artwork that contains elements in themselves also.

In this piece by Malcolm Harding, unity and variety is prominent. The many shapes of color keep your eye on the piece, especially the random blue circles. Harding created unity not only by using mellow, soft colors like pink, yellows, reds, and oranges, but by his grid-making through out the whole artwork. The grid unifies every element so that it appears on one plane. This art piece contains many Principles of Gestalt. The first that I see is grouping. I naturally group the two pink circles together, and then the yellow circular elements. Secondly I see repetition in the background. Harding uses grid work to create a repetition of squares that takes your eye back into space. Lastly, I see continuity. Yellow shapes have a fluid connection among each other. They make your eye flow from one yellow, oval, element to the next one.