Elements and Principles of Art

Line: M.C. Escher's Tower of Babel is a great example of the usage of lines. In order to give the illusion of the height of the tower, Escher changes the distance between the lines on the tower. He also outlines the tower with many intricate lines which show a vary precise order to the construction of the tower.

Value: Again Escher demonstrates an element of art: value. In his self portrait Hand with Reflecting Sphere (a very creative title btw) is a great example of value. Within the sphere, you can see the many details of Escher and his surroundings. Not only that, he also shows the three dimensional aspect of the orb. This is all done with the different shadings seen in the sphere. 








Color: Now on to a different artist. After suffering a paralyzing seizure, Chuck Close had to create a new way to paint. He uses a type of dot painting technique, similar to that of pixels. By using different colors, he is able to paint the image in his head. The Lucas Woodcut is one of Close's most recognizable pieces and it demonstrates his colorful art style.

Movement: Jason Pollocks' Painting 1948 is all movement. Each line of paint moves from one side to another. Because of the many colors, the observer's eyes are drawn all over. I feel that this is what movement is. When an artist can make their audience look in a direction (for this it's all over) then that is movement. 

Variety:  A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat is a simple but effective example of Variety. By having the people in his painting do different things, he is showing variety. Had he not did that, he would have had a a picture of everybody sitting or everybody standing or he could have had everybody look alike. That would have made for a very boring picture. Instead, Seurat showed that people aren't the same, and, even though everybody is on La Grande, they are relaxing by partaking in different activities.

Space: The Vietnam Memorial by Maya Lin uses space very well. Is is long, black and from a distance, looks like a scar. Instead of having a vertical memorial, Lin decided to go into the earth to represent that Vietnam will not be forgotten, like a scar.