Principles of Art
MODERN, CONTEMPORARY AND POSTMODERN ART
The centuries that preceded the modern era, witnessed numerous advancements in the visual arts, from the
humanist inquiries of the Renaissance and Baroque periods to the elaborate fantasies of the Rococo style and the
ideal physical beauty of 18th -century European Neoclassicism. One prevalent characteristic throughout these
early modern eras was an idealization of subject-matter, whether human, natural, or situational. Artists typically
painted not what they perceived with subjective eyes but rather what they envisioned as the epitome of their
subject. The modern era arrived with the dawn of industrial evolution in Western Europe in the mid-19th century.
One of the most crucial turning points in World History. With the invention and wide availability of technologies,
the pace and quality of everyday life changed drastically. People migrated from the rural farms to the city centers
to find work, shifting the center of life from the family and village in the country to the expanding urban
metropolises, with these developments, painter were drawn to these new visual landscapes, now bustling with all
variety of model spectacles and fashions. Photography was one of the major technological development closely
related to the visual arts. It rapidly advanced, and within a few decades it could reproduce any scene with perfect
accuracy. As a result, on the photography’s precision, artists were obliged to find new modes of expression which
led to new paradigms in art.
Some artists focused on objectives representation; others shifted their artistic focus to emphasize the visual
sensation of their observed subjects rather than an accurate and naturalistic depiction in the visual arts. Claude
Monet rendered the pedestrians and the city scape as an “impression” or in other words, a visual representation
of a fleeting subjective, and slightly abstracted perspective.
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860’s to the 1970s, and
denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. It is associated with art in which the
traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. Modern artists experimented new
ways of seeing and with fresh ideas about the nature of materials and functions of art.
Abstraction is a characteristic of much modern art, unlike a tendency away from the narrative, which was a
characteristic for the traditional arts. Heritage of painters like Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin,
Georges Seurat and Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec all of whom were essential for the development of modern art;
Contemporary art is defined as any form of art in any medium. It is produced in the present-day. However, within
the art world the term designates art that was during and after the post -Pop art era of the 1960s. The dawn of
Conceptualism in the late 1960s marks he turning point when modern art gave way to contemporary art is defined
as any form of art in any medium. It is produced in the present-day. However, within the art world the term
designates art that was during and after the post -Pop art era of the 1960s. The dawn of conceptualism in the late
1960s marks he turning point when modern art gave way to contemporary art. It is a broad delineation that
encompasses a vast array of movements like Earth art, performance art, NeoExpressionism, and Digital art. It is not
a clearly designated period or style, but instead marks the end of the periodization of modernism.
Postmodernism is the reaction to or a resistance against the projects of modernism, and began with the rupture in
representation that occurred during the late 1960s. Features are often associated with postmodernism art, are the
use of new media and technology, like video, as well as the technique of bricolage and collage, the collision of art
and kitsch, and the appropriation of earlier style within a new context. Some movements commonly cited as
Postmodern are: Conceptual art, Feminist art, Installation art, and Performance art.
“ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION / PRINCIPLES IN ART”
In the visual arts, composition is the placement or arrangements of the visual elements, such as figures,
trees, and so on in art work, as distinct from the subject or the style with which it is depicted. It can also
be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art. The principles
of art design describe the ways that artist’s use the elements of art in a work of art.
Here are the different principles of art/design/elements of composition:
1) BALANCE - is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design
was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance,
the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side, in asymmetrical
balance; the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged
around a central point and may be similar.
2) EMPHASIS - is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. Usually the artist will make
one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The area could be different in size, color, texture,
shape, etc.
3) MOVEMENT - is the path the viewer’s eye, takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such
movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and colors within the work of art.
4) REPETITION- works with pattern to make the work of art seem active. The repetition of elements of
design creates unity within the work of art.
5) PROPORTION - is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or numbers) relate well
with each other. When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head
compared to the rest of the body.
6) RHYTHM - is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of
organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing.
7) VARIETY - is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the
viewer’s eye through and around the work of art.
8) UNITY- is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of
completeness.