The Application of Gestalt Theory on
Art and Photography
Chun-Hui Chiu
The Gestalt

Gestalt, a psychological term from German, means to make unified
entire as “whole” or “form”

Austrian philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels (1859-1932) depict
extra elements of perceiving of human brain

Max Wertheim, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka found the law of
gestalt was that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Laws of Organization in Perception Form (1923) by Max
Wertheimer.

Keyword: Structuralism, Memory, Tendency
The Principle of Gestalt Theory on Images


The notion of the whole is different from the sum of
its parts
similarity, symmetry, and figure-ground
Fig. 1 Kanizsa’s fictional triangle
1. Law of Figure/Ground





Figure and Ground?
Distance
Be seen in order
Size
Shape
Artists and designers consider:


Tendency of grouping
Effectively contrast
Fig. 2 L’ Urne Mysterieuse, 1774 by
Pierre Crussaire.

Common boundary
The same contour of figure
and ground
Fig. 3 Push
by Pete Turner.

Two-dimensional vs.
Three-dimensional

Depth
2. Law of Proximity and Similarity

repeated characteristics, group
Proximity
 closer together, up and down,
side by side, and front to back
Similarity
 resemblance , size, colour, shape
and so on
Fig. 4 Jungbauern
Westerwald, 1914 by
Dissimilarity
 be used as focus among
similarities.
August Sander
3. Law of Continuation

smooth, continuous lines
without directional changes

attention for perception by
means of direction

various paths
 Motion pictures in space and
time
Fig. 5 Nude 1936, by
Edward Weston.
Fig. 6 The
Creation of Adam,
by Michelangelo.
4. Law of Closure



the mind perceptually fills in the missing information or closes up
incomplete objects to make a whole.
quality of tension
how artists consider to remove the unessential parts and to
strengthen the degree of tension in their works
Gestalt principle
 Closure
 similarity and
symmetry
 figure and ground
Fig. 7 Gare Saint-Lazare, 1932
by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Conclusion
Gestalt
Advantage:


useful strategies in art and design
composition of art
Deficiency:

ignores the relation of cultural subject for individual
viewpoint lead to shortage of humanities constructed
the substantial centre of art.
Solution:

combination of artistic thought and perception to extend
the concept of gestalt.