1. ARTTALK Chapter 9 Rhythm and Movement

2. Before we get started, here is a video about an artist that used rhythm and movement a lot in his work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Gcz9FIB4w

3. Objectives for Chapter 9: Identify rhythms occurring in the world around you. Understand how rhythm adds a sense of movement to a work of art. Identify and explain motif and pattern. Name and identify the types of rhythm. Use the principle of rhythm to create your own works.

4. The Principles of Design Rhythm Movement Balance Proportion Variety Emphasis Harmony Unity

5. Rhythm and Movement Life is full of rhythmic events. People like the dependable rhythms of life. Rhythms are comforting. The rhythmic routines of daily living give your life a sense of stability and security. How many different repetitions do you see in this story cloth? Chaing Xiong. Hmong Story Cloth. 1987. Pieced and embroidered polyester, cotton blend. 56” x 58”.

6. How We Perceive Visual Rhythm Rhythm is the principle of design that indicates movement by the repetition of elements. The principle of rhythm is used in every art form. Charles Burchfield. October Wind and Sunlight in the Woods. C. 1962-63. Watercolor on paper. 40 x 54”. Visual rhythm is rhythm you receive through your eyes rather than through your ears. Visual rhythm is created by repeated positive shapes separated by negative spaces.

7. Everywhere you look you can see visual rhythms. The books in a bookcase and the cars in a parking lot show visual rhythms. They are positive spaces surrounded by negative spaces. Notice the visual rhythm created by these lily pads. Notice how values change, and how the negative space varies. Visual rhythms create a sensation of movement as the viewer’s eye’s follow the visual beats through the work.

8. Which way has the artist pulled you through the work? How have they done it? Rosa Bonhuer. The Horse Fair. 1853-55. Oil on canvas. 97 x 200”. Visual rhythms create a sensation of movement as the viewer’s eye’s follow the visual beats through the work. Visual movement is different from real action, which involves a physical change in position. Notice the rhythm as your eyes move through this painting. Notice the positive and negative spaces, and their relation.

9. Repetition Rhythm results from repetition. Motif – a unit that is repeated in visual rhythm. Sometimes every motif is an exact duplicate of the first unit, and sometimes the repetitions vary from the original. Module – a three dimensional motif. Used in sculpture and architecture. Mantle fragment. Peru, 8-10th century. Tapestry woven cotton, camelid hair.

10. Pattern is a word to describe a decorative surface. Pattern – A two-dimensional decorative visual repetition. Some patterns are functional; others are used only in decoration. Pattern is intended to be flat and decorative. It has no movement. Louis Sullivan, Elevator Grille, 1893-94. Bronze-plated cast iron. 73 x 31”.

11. Types of Rhythm Different visual rhythms are created with different arrangements of motif and space. Bowl. Sundi group. Congo. Before 1910. Fired clay and natural pigment. Random rhythm – Visual rhythm in which a motif is repeated in no apparent order, with no regular spaces. Notice the random rhythm created by the potter splashing vegetable juices on this bowl before firing.

12. Regular rhythm – visual rhythm achieved through repeating identical motifs using the same intervals of space between them. Regular rhythm has a steady beat. Regular repetitions are used to organize things. Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe's Lips, 1962. Synthetic polymer, enamel, and pencil on canvas.

13. A grid is based on a regular rhythm. Grid - Pattern of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines. Notice the regular rhythm of the various motifs on this grid pattern. This elaborate grid pattern fits together perfectly because the weaver has memorized the whole plan through many years of practice. Textile Wrapper, 20th century. Ghana. Rayon, cotton. L. 56 1/2 in.

14. Alternating rhythm – Visual rhythm set up by repeating motifs but changing position or content of motifs or spaces between them. Sometimes alternation is created simply by simply changing the position of the motif. Notice the alternating motifs used here in this blanket. Navajo Blanket. 1855

15. The Native American who made this shoulder bag, made the design interesting by changing the sets of motifs several times. How many sets of motifs can you find? How many different ways has the artist alternated the motifs? An alternating rhythm using two motifs can still be very repetitive. Shoulder bag. Creek. Georgia or Alabama. 1810-1830. Wool fabric, cotton fabric and thread, silk ribbon, glass beads.

16. Flowing rhythm – Visual rhythm created by repeated wavy lines. Curved shapes, such as rolling hills or ocean waves, create flowing rhythms. This artist has used flowing rhythms symbolically in this sculpture. The thick, rhythmically flowing strands of hair suggest motion and the act of running. Allan Houser. Coming of Age. 1977. Bronze, edition of 12. 8 x 16 x 7”.

17. Progressive rhythm – Visual rhythm that changes a motif each time it is repeated. A progressive rhythm may start with a square as its motif, then gradually change into a circle. Notice the progressive rhythm here of both line and color. Giacomo Balla. Street Light. 1909. Oil on canvas. 69 x 46”.

18. Movement Movement – The principle of design used to create the look and feeling of action and to guide the viewer’s eyes throughout the work of art. Bridget Riley. Blaze 3. Artists use rhythm in a work of art just as they use the elements and principles – to communicate feelings and ideas. As your eyes follow the visual beats through a work of art, you experience the sensation of movement.

19. Futurists – Early 20 th Century Italian artists who arranged angular forms to suggest motion. Futurists used rhythm to capture the idea of movement itself. Dynamism – Term used by the Futurists to refer to the forces of movement. They believed that nothing was solid or stable. They showed forms changing into energy by slanting and overlapping surfaces.

20. Futurist Art Giamcomo Balla. Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash. 1912. Oil on canvas. Umberto Boccioni. Unique Forms of Continuity in Space. 1913.

21. Actual Movement Alexander Calder was a mechanical engineer. Calder created his art by repeating abstract shapes and putting them in real motion using air currents and gravity. Calder's art pieces were called kinetic sculptures. Kinetic sculpture – a work of art that actually moves in space. Calder's sculptures were given the name mobiles. Mobile – Moving sculpture in which shapes are balanced and arranged on wire arms and suspended from the ceiling to move freely in the air currents. Moving sculptures have been called mobiles ever since.

22. Alexander Calder Calder. The Star. 1960. Calder, Enseign de Lunettes. 1976.