What is the difference between contrast and variety

Please note, this post includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This pack of printables was designed to work in a variety of ways in your classroom when teaching the elements and principles of art. Scroll below for each element or click the link to be taken to the appropriate principle of design:.

As a principle of art, contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements and effects. For example, light and dark colors, smooth and rough textures, large and small shapes. Contrast can be used to create variety, visual interest, and drama in an artwork. Rhythm is a principle of design that suggests movement or action. Rhythm is usually achieved through repetition of lines, shapes, colors, and more.

In this rhythm example, the artist uses pattern, repetition of line, and contrast between curved and straight lines to create rhythm in art. In this fun rhythm in art examples video, the differences between pattern, repetition, and rhythm are described and put to music. Proportion is the size relationship between the various parts of an artwork. Artists can use the scale and proportion to create sensations such as depth, realism, disorientation, and drama.

The human figure is scaled to appear larger than the city skyline. The proportions could indicate depth of perspective or could symbolize the relationship of laborers in building a city. In this example of proportion in art, the artist manipulates the individual proportions of the child as well as create varying size relationship scale between the objects in the painting and the child to create meaning in the artwork.

In this proportion in art example, the artist make the hands out of proportion with the rest of their bodies to enhance the meaning of the artwork. These men work with their hands, and their hands are exaggerated to show how important their hands and work are to all the people of France. Looking for more examples of proportion in art? Scale in art describes the size of one object in relation to another and also refers to our perception of perspective and proportion.

Artworks that look realistic are scaled similarly to real world objects. Scale in art can also refer to the overall size of the work. In this scale in art example, the artist uses scale to show the space or depth between the girl and the house in the background. Hierarchical scale is a technique used in art, most often in sculpture and painting, in which the artist depicts objects with an unnatural scale to show their importance or lack thereof.

Ancient Egyptian artists are well-known for their use of hierarchical scale. In this example of hierarchical scale in art, the artist shows the man as largest most important and the child smallest least important. The figures are in proportion within the figure but out of proportion with the other figures in the picture.

For more examples of scale in art, check out our proportion and scale in art blog post! As a principle of art, balance refers to the distribution of weight in a composition. While actual weight is a factor in sculpture and architecture, the principle of balance most often refers to the visual heaviness of shapes and forms in an artwork.

An artwork with symmetrical balance is well-balanced and looks even and stable. When one side of an artwork mirrors the other, it has absolute symmetry. When the symmetrical balance is not exact, it is called bilateral symmetry. In this example of symmetrical balance in art, each animal on the left has its equal counterpart on the right. The colors are not exact, but it is still considered symmetrical balance. But more importantly, it helped the painters research the notion of darkness helping them to build certain narratives.

This helped painters present different religious ideas or bring the mysterious world of dreams closer to the public. The tradition of the Op art movement , is possibly the best-known arena where many artists, such as M. Escher explored and played with the pattern designs and the world of the black and white contrast. Such sharp contrasts often explored the idea of the movement within a static image, making the still image appearing to vibrate.

This stark difference in contrast, along with the experimentation with horizontal or vertical line and geometrical shapes, denies the eye a resting place. This is also visible if one plays with color , specifically complementary color combinations.

As they are located directly opposite of each other on the color wheel, they are the best examples to help illustrate color contrast. The red and green , blue and orange , yellow and purple , [2] are often put next to each other to help make the image pop, or to play with the image size.

The contrast of red and green, if attention is not placed on the value of the color and by this, we refer to the darkness or the lightness of the color is often very disturbing for the eye and it is one of the combinations that would appear slightly blurry on a digital screen.

Often, this trickery of the eye inspired painters and printmakers to play with bold color combinations in order to achieve different contrast in art. We have some of the best examples of this in the works of the famous painter Henri Matisse , not to mention his fellow painters of the Fauvism movement. The true value of the contrast in art lies in the building of the concept or the idea of the work. The opposite is important not only as a tool to define the focus but the various combinations can suggest the idea of the contrasts of the subject matter [3] , various realities, such as the idea of the real world and imagination, or point to highly constructed situations which will help to reflect certain beliefs within one society.

Asymmetrical informal 3. One side is not heavier visually than the other. Jay Mohler, mandala made of sticks and yarn Artworks with radial balance can be divided vertically, horizontally and diagonally and you will always see the mirror image.

Balance The resolution of interacting forces, attractions or weights. Also known as equilibrium. The resolution of interacting forces, attractions or. Principles of Art. The Principles of Art are basically rules or guidelines that govern the way in which the Art Elements go together. Chapter 1: Shape. Similar presentations. Upload Log in. My presentations Profile Feedback Log out.