Lesson video

The outcome of this lesson is I can identify and apply the principles of painting in a personal and analytical context.

Let's go over some of our keywords.

Elements of art, the components that artists uses to create an artwork.

Principles of art, the means by which artists organize the components of an artwork to create a unique work that communicates their vision and intentions.

Let's start with identifying and defining the core principles.

Lucas and Sam are discussing the ways that artists use some basic principles to help communicate their ideas.

Lucas says, "When I look at an artwork that I like, it just seems to work, with all the different parts working together." Sam says, "By using basic principles to help me arrange the different parts of my painting, I feel that my artwork is having the effect I intended." These are both interesting points.

I wonder if you agree with them.

Pause the video while you have a think.

Let's have a look at this painting.

I love the vibrant use of color, and all of the layering and texture that has been used.

Artists can look at these elements for painting, composition, line, tone, color, shape, form, texture, space.

These elements can be combined in different ways, and are the building blocks of a great painting.

What was the first thing you spotted in the painting? I think I can see all of those elements in this example, strong sense of line, building up of tone, an interesting color palette, and a good use of space.

There are seven core principles that form the foundation of the painting.

I wonder what this painting on the right represents.

It seems simple and abstract, but effective.

Let's have a look at some of these core principles.

Balance, contrast, rhythm, emphasis, unity, pattern, movement.

Now that I'm aware of these seven principles, I can apply it to this painting.

I think the word I was looking for was balance.

This painting evokes a sense of harmony.

Perhaps it's the movement through the brush strokes that captures me.

Let's go over the different elements for painting.

Composition, line, tone, color, shape, form, texture, space.

And again at the seven core principles of painting, like balance, contrast, rhythm, emphasis, unity, pattern, and movement.

Remember, elements are the building blocks, and principles of how those blocks are arranged.

Let's decide if this statement is true or false.

Principles are the building blocks.

Elements are how those blocks are arranged.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because elements are the building blocks.

Principles are how those blocks are arranged.

Now, let's look more closely at the core principles of painting, such as balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, pattern, movement, and unity.

One of the ways that a painting might be balanced is to use symmetry, organizing things evenly on either side of the composition.

Can you see how they've done that in this painting? I can almost see a sense of symmetry from the top to bottom.

With the reflection of the landscape in the water below, some of the colors have been replicated, such as the blue sky and blue water, and flecks of gold in the reflection and in the buildings at the top.

Matthew Krishanu and Frida Kahlo have both used symmetry to explore themes of identity and memory in their paintings.

Asymmetry is when each half is different, but has equal weight.

Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" is a good example.

Perhaps you can pause the video here while you search up those examples.

Radical balance is when equal parts radiate out from the center.

Have a look at this artwork on the left.

The pattern seem to radiate from the middle, drawing your eye to the center.

Mandala designs originate from ancient spiritual traditions, particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism.

They show intricate geometric patterns that symbolize unity and the cyclical nature of life in its wider context.

Mandalas have often been used for meditation and spiritual guidance and ritual practice, reflecting a deep connection between an individual and the universe.

Today in the art world, mandalas are celebrated for their symmetry, balance, and detailed aesthetic, often constructed with repeated motifs radiating from a central point.

This visual harmony evokes a calming effect.

Perhaps this artwork on the left has been inspired by mandalas, as a more modern abstract interpretation.

What is the role of balance in a painting? Let's test your knowledge.

Is it A, to add more colors, B, to create visual interest and emphasis, or C, to make all colors blend together? Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

If you said B, you would be correct.

Contrast draws the viewer's eye, adds drama, and highlights focal points.

Contrast and emphasis are used to draw your attention, and to show the most significant parts of the artwork.

Can you see an example of contrast and emphasis in this example on the left? If I stare at it closely, I can see how the darker blue tones contrast with the lighter color palette at the top, symbolizing the crushing waves.

It seems to evoke a sense of drama, and gives more depth to the painting that draws me in.

Kerry James Marshall is an example of an artist that creates paintings using contrast and emphasis by painting figures with rich black skin tones against bright, colorful backgrounds.

Here's an example on the left of a painting showing contrast and emphasis.

I wonder if this sparks any ideas for you.

I had the pleasure of viewing Kerry James Marshall's work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

It was incredible to witness his works in person, and see them in such large scale.

Some of the core principles I think he uses are balance, contrast, and rhythm.

If you search up his paintings, you can see how he utilizes these principles in order to rewrite the narrative and explore the hidden figures which were never showcased in traditional Western painting.

Amy Sherald is an example of an artist that paints figures using contrast and emphasis.

I think one of the key principles of Sherald's work is her use of pattern.

In her large-scale works, she usually explores the female figure, and they always seem to be wearing patterned garment, which draws your eye, contrasting with a plain, colorful background.

Now, let's decide if this statement is true or false.

Contrast and emphasis are only used to make an artwork look decorative.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because contrast and emphasis are powerful tools.

They guide the viewer's eye, and highlight the most important areas of an artwork, not just to decorate.

Pattern within painting refers to the repetition of one or more of the elements of art, a repeated shape, color, form, or line.

Can you think of any artists that use patterns in their paintings? This artwork on the left is a great example.

You can see how texture has been built up to emphasize the pattern.

I wonder who the artist is.

Pause the video while you have a think of some more examples.

Bridget Riley uses pattern, repetitions, and rhythm to create complex optical effects.

Mel Bochner's text-based paintings repeat words with slight shifts of color and texture.

Sam Smyth uses structured repetition of shape, color, and line to create architectural abstract paintings.

Which image shows use of patterns? Justify how you know.

Pause the video where you answer this question, based on A, B, or C.

If you said B, you would be correct.

The image here clearly shows the use of patterns.

The artist has repeated organic shapes and motifs, like leaf and scale-like forms across the surface.

Movement and rhythm are how your gaze is directed around a composition, in what direction, and at what tempo.

Can you see the movement and rhythm in this artwork? I love how there's sections of pattern and almost neon-like color.

This seems to create a sense of rhythm.

There also seems to be a paint dripping effect in the pink, which makes me think of movement, and adds a sense of life to the painting.

A painting might organize pattern and color, for example, to lead your eye around the painting, Pause the video while you formulate your own response.

Sonia Delaunay created movement and rhythm in her work through a bold fusion of color, geometry, and abstraction.

Her paintings do not just sit still.

They pulse, swirl, and vibrate with energy.

Beatriz Milhazes combines bright, layered patterns and swirling motifs influenced by Brazilian culture.

The repetition of floral and geometric forms creates movement and rhythm, making her paintings dance of energy.

Let's decide if this statement is true or false.

Movement and rhythm in a painting describe how your gaze is directed around the composition, including direction and tempo.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

If you said true, you would be correct.

Why? Because artists use elements like pattern and color to guide the viewer's eye, and create a sense of flow in their work.

This painting is really striking.

How do you think this painting shows unity? Unity means ensuring the elements look like they belong together.

Pause the video while you formulate a response.

Unity creates a sense of wholeness in a painting, and can be built through using similar and related features, using repetition and simplicity of elements.

In this painting, there's a sense of contrast in the foreground and background, with a striking difference in color, but there are similar related features throughout, such as the use of line, which makes it cohesive, and the simplicity of forms overall.

Let's hear some other responses.

Sofia says, "The artist repeats colors and flowing brush strokes through composition.

This combination suggests that they belong together, creating unity." Jun says, "The artist added dark contour-like lines and created straight linear marks using an overlay grit.

This shows unity." Pause the video while you decide if this statement is true or false, based on the following statement: unity means ensuring the elements look like they belong together.

If you said true, you would be correct.

Why? Because this is a key principle of art.

We can apply it to our developing work to create visual interest.

Your task now is to choose one of the principles such as balance, movement, rhythm, pattern, contrast, unity, or emphasis.

Find an artwork and answer the questions below.

How have they used that principle in their work? Which elements can you identify? How have they been used? Make a quick sketch of the example you've chosen, and add notes to it.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

You might have said something like this.

Looking at this artwork in the center, there is emphasis on the trees through the use of shadows.

Lines used in various ways to create texture.

Contrast between the orange and blues.

Now let's have a look at applying selected principles intentionally.

How have the elements been combined to create contrast here? Pause the video while you formulate a response.

When elements are combined, they can be applied as principles to support artistic intentions.

Artists use contrast to grab attention, create drama, or highlight focal points.

Here the contrast is clear with a lighter color palette at the bottom, contrasting with the rich blood red at the top.

It definitely grabs my attention.

Many of the elements of art can be used to create contrast, such as value, looking at light versus dark, color, looking at warm versus cool, or bright versus dull, texture, such as smooth versus rough, or space, filled versus empty.

Artists don't rely on just one element.

They combine several to make contrast stronger.

I wonder if you can think of any examples of this.

Let's decide now which of the following best shows how artists use the principles of contrast.

Is it A, using only one shade of blue across the whole painting, B, placing light tones next to dark tones to create impact, C, covering the canvas evenly with smooth brush strokes, or D, mixing colors until they all look the same? Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

If you said B, you would be correct.

Placing light tones next to dark tones to create impact is a principle of contrast.

Let's read this example, looking at how Sofia uses contrast.

Sofia photographs a simple object, a white cup.

She prints four copies.

For one copy she chooses to explore the principle of contrast.

Sofia will show us how she combines elements to make contrast clear.

Let's have a look.

She says, "I've chosen a simple white cup.

If I want to show contrast, how could I use the elements of art, like tone, color, or texture to make it stand out?" Pause the video while you decide on the best approach.

Sofia decides to use tone, shading one side of the cup very dark against a light background.

She also uses color, adding a bold red shadow next to the white surface.

She uses oil pastels to push the difference between light and dark.

"This creates a striking effect that makes the cup stand out," she says.

"If contrast is about difference, I should make every part different," Sofia says.

She tries using lots of random colors and textures together.

The result was confusing and messy.

The eye had nowhere to focus.

What do you think she should have done differently? Pause the video while you have a think.

Now let's decide if this is true or false.

Contrast works best when every single part of an artwork is different.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because contrast doesn't mean making everything different.

It means choosing specific opposites, like light versus dark, or smooth versus rough, so the viewer's eye is drawn to important areas.

Your task now is to explore principles through drawing.

Photograph a simple object of your choice.

Print four copies of the image.

Select four principles of painting, such as balance, contrast, movement, and emphasis.

Work into each copy using a medium of your choice, such as acrylic, watercolor, oils, or oil pastels.

Combine elements like line, tone, color, texture, shape, form, and space.

Explore how they can be arranged to show the chosen principle.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

You may have created something like this.

Can you see how the key principles have been used in these paintings? I can pick out use of texture, tone, color, balance, and contrast.

To summarize, the elements and principles of art are used by artists to convey ideas, emotions, and narratives.

Artists make choices deliberately by selecting principles, rather than using them randomly.

Reflecting improves practice, as refining decisions can lead to creating stronger and more purposeful outcomes.

Thank you so much for listening and paying attention in this lesson.

I hope you had fun, and learned something new along the way.

See you next time.