DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Artist / Origin	Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848–1894) Region: Europe

1. HOW DOES AN ARTIST CREATE ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE? 

What is asymmetrical? A Symmetrical balance is when everything is perfectly and evenly balanced out. For example if you were to fold a picture in half you'll see that the other side is exactly the same. However what is interesting is that a asymmetrical balance refers to a design that has dissimilar elements but still appears balanced. Now dividing a picture in half won't have the exact same elements however the elements they do have are varied and seem to balance one another out.  As you can from this painting, "Paris Street, Rainy Day 1877" by Gustave Caillebotte. Caillebotte brings the photo to life by careful manipulation of angles, cropping of figures, and placement of objects. Following the asymmetric rhythm of the umbrellas Caillebotte has scattered throughout the scene. Although we don't see a symmetrical balance within the painting, the colors, the geometric order, monumental figures and the dramatic perspective employed by Caillebotte seem to offer a very unique image, as if we can easily step right into the photo. 

2. DESCRIBE SEVERAL WAYS USED TO UNIFY AN ARTWORK?

Unity is when elements of a piece is combined with an overall texture, pattern, repeated theme, shapes and contrast. Unity occurs when all of the elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole.  This painting "Going Home" by Jacob Lawrence balanced the quality of unity and variety. If you look closely Lawrence established visual themes with the lines, shapes, and colors of the train seats, figures, and luggage, and then he repeated and varied those themes. You can notice a varied repetition in the green chair seats and window shades. This piece uses the quality of unity and completes a whole  through the effective use of the elements and principles of design.

3. HOW DOES SCALE CHANGE THE MEANING OF AN ARTWORK?

The Scale size of an artwork can change the dynamic's and intensify the meaning behind it. Scale art is an art form in which artists actually can create artistic pieces that are either miniature in size or larger than life. Just like this recent new amazing artwork called "EYE" in Chicago, Milwaukee  done  by artist  Tony Tasset. It is about 25-feet foot tall! Large pieces of public art like this artwork EYE are a breath of fresh air in large cities. They’re often capable of evoking a sense of place on their own which is pretty awesome. Size always matters! When scale is used in an artwork, it can greatly influence the meaning of the work.