ORGANIZATION IN THE VISUAL
ARTS

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
 The organization of the various elements
of the visual arts is govern by different
principles of design.
 Through these principles the artist can form
more beautiful and interesting color harmonies
and more beautiful combinations of shapes,
texture and lines.
 Design makes it easier for an artist to express
his ideas in such a way that the observer
becomes interested in is work.

 It also makes objects in our environment
more comprehensible.
 The design of an art object makes it
possible for an observer to tell its
function.
 Through the combination of lines, colors
ad forms, an artist can give the observer
new, varied and satisfying experiences.

HARMONY
 Essential to beauty
Visual Arts: it is achieved by establishing a
pleasing relationship between the various
elements.
 There is harmony if the various parts of the
design will give an appearance of belonging
together. In other words there must be
UNITY.
 REPETITION of angles and curves, shapes,
lines and colours will give a harmonious
effect.

 To relieve monotomy, there must be VARIETY.
-the spice of life and of art.
-it may be achieved by the diversity of
materials used and slight contrast in color,
texture, shape and space arrangements.
Painting and interior decoration:
complementary hues when used will give contrast.
Sculptor: variety may obtain through the
use of contrast of texture, such as smooth and
rough, in his work.

Architect: instead of using a long line of
windows, may group the windows and introduce
space between the groups.
 Monotony produced by vertical lines of columns
in buildings may be relieved by transition lines.
 If the wall paper in room is figured, the use of
plain curtains will make it more beautiful and
restful .
 Artist must be careful that the variety he
introduces does not destroy the harmonious
effect.

BALANCE
 All parts are equally distributed around a
central point.
 Weights are equally distributed on each side
of a center of fulcrum, as in see-saw.
 Gives a feeling of stability and rest.
 Makes an object or room not only
interesting but also pleasant to look at.

FORMAL OR SYMMETRICAL BALANCE
 Achieved by making both sides exactly
alike.
 Objects of the same size and shape, when
arranged on two sides of a center, will
produce formal balance.
 Gives an atmosphere of dignity and
formality.

INFORMAL OR ASYMMETRIAL BALANCE
 Occult balance
 More difficult to achieved than formal
balance; however, the results are more
interesting.
 Achieved when objects of unequal weights or
unequal attractions are placed at the correct
distances from the center as when a large
object or an object of stronger attraction is
placed near the center, while the smaller
object or one with less striking attraction is
moved.

 Generally use when we want to attract the
attention of observers and set them thinking
about the object under observation.
-Active Balance: it suggests spontaneity
and movement and also gives an impression of
casualness.

PROPORTION
 Determined by a comparison of the sizes of
different parts of an object or of an
arrangement.
 Harmonious proportion achieved when one part
of an object does not seem too big or too small
for other parts.
 Painting: the principle of good proportion is
useful in combining colors successfully and in
determining the margins for mounting.

 To produce more pleasing harmony
here should be more of one color than
the others
 Avoid using equal amounts of two or
more colors
 Avoid also a great deal of one color
and only atiny bit of another.

RHYTHM
 Achieved by the regular or harmonious
recurrence of lines, forms, and colors.
 Organized movement, a beat, a repetition.
 Through the repetition of lines or forms, a
pattern is produced, which the eye follows
as it moves from the right to left.
 A series of units repeated one after another
also produced rhytmic.

 Through the use of color, charming patterns
will be formed that will carry the eye from one
part of a room to another. Repetition of color
in different parts of the room produces a
rhythmical effect which is not only charming
but pleasing.
 Rhythmical patterns help the eye to move
easily from one part of the room to another or
from one part of a design to another.

 Rhythm is used as the most effective way of
creating aesthetic unity in prose, music,
dance, painting, architecture, and sculpture.
 Space Arts: rhythm is used in repetition,
alternation, and gradation of the elements of art ,
line, form, color and texture.

EMPHASIS / SUBORDINATION
 Produced by the design or form that
catches our attention while the rest are
subordinated.
 The pattern emphasized usually forms
the center of interest.
 It may be defined by giving the proper
importance to the parts or to the whole.

 Emphasis is important in all art forms and this is
most noticeable in the art of advertising.
 Emphasis in the visual arts may be secured in
several ways. It may be secured through size
and position.
 Color is also used to create emphasis.
 Emphasis is important because it relieves
monotomy. It can also used to call attention to
pleasing centers of interest.