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Chapter Eight: The Principles of Design
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
• Symmetrical Balance
• Asymmetrical Balance
• Radial Balance
Works in Progress
Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas
The Critical Process
Thinking about the Principles of Design:
Claude Monet’s Railroad Bridge, Argenteuil
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
This Chapter Will:
• define and identify the principles of design and demonstrate how artists use
them to organize the elements within a composition.
KEY TERMS
design symmetrical balance cruciform
actual weight golden section absolute symmetry
scale asymmetrical balance focal point
MyArtsLab RESOURCES
Closer Look: The Taj Mahal
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Closer Look: The Stained Glass at Chartres
LECTURE AND DISCUSSION IDEAS
1. The Principles of Design
Discuss the word design both as a verb and a noun, comparing the action of making
decisions with the object that results. Compare the way an artist designs a composition to
the daily activities a student undertakes, evaluating choices and creating a whole from
2. Balance
Describe how artists learn to use design principles early in their formal training.
Undergraduate art students learn in foundation courses about specific factors and
strategies for creating dynamic compositions. Figure 185 illustrates different methods of
creating asymmetrical balance. This diagram is typical of those found in instructional
materials for foundation programs. Would the student find this type of study of interest?
3. Emphasis and Focal Point
Describe a dramatic performance, or read from a script to show how theatrical
performances rely upon emphasis and focal point. Then present a dramatic “reading” of
4. Scale and Proportion
Discuss scale and proportion using Do-Ho Suh’s Public Figures (fig. 199) and Claes
Oldenburg’s Spoonbridge and Cherry (fig. 200). Discuss the intimacy of miniature
sculptures and the commanding presence of monumental sculptures. Stress that scale
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5. Repetition and Rhythm
While discussing Barber Shop (fig. 207) by Jacob Lawrence, show other examples of his
works, such as the Migration Series or The Harriet Tubman Series. Relate his various
series to the time frames and racial concerns they reflect, evaluating how Lawrence
6. Unity and Variety
Compare sports shoes (sneakers and tennis shoes) to elucidate the design principles of
unity and variety. All shoes serve the same purpose and most shoes appear to have the
same form and proportions, which unify them. However, the different kinds of materials,
CRITICAL THINKING: More Opportunities to Think about Art
1. Works in Progress: Judith Baca’s La Memoria de Nuestra Tierra
Since 1976, Judith Baca has served as the Founder/Artistic Director of the Social and
Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Venice, California. She has taught studio art as
a Professor of Fine Arts for the University of California since 1980. As of 1996, she
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2. Works in Progress: Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas
Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (figs. 197 & 198) is a wonderful example of using composition
to provide intrigue and interest, both visually and conceptually. An interesting website that
3. Works in Progress: Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa
Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa (fig. 201) is an interesting exercise in scale, with
the boatsmen and their crafts dwarfed by the scale and the immensity of the sea. In the
4. Thinking about Claude Monet’s Railroad Bridge at Argenteuil
Chapter 9 ends with The Critical Process, an analysis of Claude Monet’s Railroad Bridge
at Argenteuil (fig. 215). In this analysis, the author has identified how the artist
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
1. Now I Know My Elements and Principles
As a journal exercise, and study guide, assign students to make an outline of all the
elements and principles, and define each one, interpreting the text’s definition of each
2. Just What Is Postmodernism?
Contemporary artists (such as Elizabeth Murray) and architects (Robert Venturi or Frank
Gehry) have begun to explore the notion of a new set of principles, based upon the
eclectic sum of our modern, complex, visual world of neon signs and fast sound bites.
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HANDS-ON PROJECTS
For additional project ideas, remember to investigate the Hands-On Projects found on
MyArtsLab.
1. Historical Series
Have students create a series of postcard-size drawings or paintings that documents an
2. Intimate Amulet/Monumental Sculpture
Using spirituality as thematic inspiration, have students create a miniature sculpture with
polymer clay. Ask them to consider the sculpture a good luck charm that will assist them
3. Pastel Like Degas
Have students use pastels to draw a figure in motion, in an appropriate setting. Ask
students to consider how Degas often preferred asymmetrical balance when placing the
figure in the composition.
4. My Ideal Self
On an 8 1/2 x 11” piece of paper, assign students to draw an ideal self-portrait, using the
ancient Greek Canon. Remind them that the height of the head needs to be one-eighth of
the full figure height, and the shoulders one-fourth of the full figure height. The top of
5. Afocal Collage
Using colored paper, have students place repetitive shapes on a solid ground of color.
Have them consider rhythm in their design, but be conscious to avoid any sense of
6. A Mural of My Heritage
Working in the manner of Judy Baca, have students design a mural describing their
heritage. Have them complete the preliminary drawing using colored pencils on white
paper. Find a building or site in the community to paint the mural and have students take
Other Suggested Websites:
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Art 21: Art in the 21st Century is an excellent website and video/DVD series produced
by PBS that profiles diverse work by many established and emerging contemporary
Suggested Videos and DVDs:
A World of Art: Works in Progress, Judy Baca (30 minutes)
Elements of Art and Principles of Design, 1996 (46 minutes)
Degas: Beyond Impressionism, 1998 (30 minutes)
