The Artist's Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
Explore the Toolkit
See Artists In Action
Encyclopedia
 

Line
Shape
Color
Space
Texture

Balance
Emphasis
Movement/
Rhythm

The Artist's Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
EncyclopediaEmphasis

 

Not all artists choose to create a center of interest: In this sculpture all elements receive equal emphasis. The composition retains its visual interest through the satisfying arrangement of shapes and the use of slightly varied neutral colors.

Jannis Kounellis, Untitled, 1982, Feather River travertine, cast plaster, steel, Walker Art Center, Walker Special Purchase Fund

Jannis Kounellis
Untitled
1982
Feather River travertine, cast plaster, steel
Walker Art Center
Walker Special Purchase Fund
Enlarge

 

At first glance this arrangement of worn pieces of wood also appears to be without emphasis. On closer inspection we find traces of blue and red that move the eye across the composition, creating rhythmic emphasis.

George Morrison, Collage IX: Landscape, 1974, Wood, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Francis E. Andrews Fund

George Morrison
Collage IX: Landscape
1974
Wood
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Francis E. Andrews Fund
Enlarge

Center of Interest  | Overall Emphasis  | Contrast and Emphasis

 
Walker Art Center The Minneapolis Institute of Arts ArtsConnectEd