Activity Four: Principles of Design

In the painting, The Fog of Mount Desert, the principle of design is that of unity and variety, a sense of oneness of things belonging together and making a coherent whole. The variation is bringing the mountain, water, boat, and sky together as a whole. Frederic E. Church places the paintings emphasis, attention drawn more to certain parts of a composition, on Mt. Desert. The rhythm, repetition or recurring pattern, is the water splashing on the base of Mt. Desert, its as if endless. The painting is asymmetrical, two sides that don't match, yet balanced. The left side appears heavier than the right, but the number of focal points,such as the boat, sky, and mountains, brings about the balance. Also the body of water being larger than Mt.Desert.



In the painting "La Condition Humaine" by Rene' Magritte the design of this painting is similar to "The Fog of Mount Desert", such as the use of unity and variety. The balance of the painting is also asymmetrical, once again the left appears heavier or fuller than the right. The balance is pulled together by the window and the curtains. The are multiple focal points in the painting. The emphasis is placed on the tree. It draws your attention and then pulls it outside the window and into the sky and the trees further out. The curtains draw your attention back inside the window and reveals the separation of the painting inside the painting and the scenery outside the window. The movement of these focal points also shows the rhythm of the painting.