Diego Rivera

The image above is a photo of a fresco wall painting done by Diego Rivera in 1930. It is titled "History of Mexico: From the Conquest to the Future." The subject matter here is very important because Rivera is from Mexico and was one of the key figures in the Mexican Mural Movement in art. Fittingly, this work depicts many historic events in the history of his native land. Additionally, the medium, fresco, is great for producing murals like the one seen here. Not only does it produce a nice image, but due to the way it is incorporated into the plaster of the wall, it becomes a very durable and long lasting work, making it a great choice for recording history through a mural.

Rembrandt van Rijn

Seen above, "Cleansing of the Temple" is an etching done by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1635. It depicts Christ in a temple, removing corrupt individuals from the sacred place. Being a Renaissance artist, Rembrandt used biblical scenes in much of his work. Etching requires a lot of attention to detail as it involves carefully creating various lines by exposing the metal plate that is being etched with acid. The result is a detailed image which looks almost like a drawing. Rembrandt was known as a very skilled etcher and the use of contrast in the light and dark areas which depict the shadows in the image are a true measure of just how much detail he put into his work.

Albrecht Durer

The image above is a wood engraving print done by Albrecht Durer in 1520 titled "The Virgin with the Swaddled Child." As can been seen in the details of the image, the grainy end part of the wood is used to produce the image. This wood grain leaves a textured appearance which can be seen above, specifically in the dress of the main figure and the background. Durer was a Renaissance artist and so he did a lot of works that dealt with religious figures, a popular subject of the time. Such is the case with this work here.

Scale and Proportion

Below is an image of the Jeff Koon sculpture called "Balloon Dog" which was completed in 2001. The reason that this is a good example of scale and proportion is because of how immensely huge the sculpture is. According to ARTstor, it is roughly 10ft x 12ft x 3.75ft in size. This is obviously much larger than an actual balloon dog would be. This difference in size allows the viewer to see the balloon dog in a way that they would not normally. A regular balloon dog would be small enough for the viewer to hold, whereas this one is big enough to the point where they could ride it. This difference in scale gives the viewer a different perspective as to what balloon animals are like.

 

Contrast and Variety

The image below is "Untitled, 1950-1" which is a photograph taken in 1987 by Louise Lawler. Much like the example of her work found in the book, this photograph contrasts two different objects in order to create variety in her work.

Indicated by the yellow arrows, a bench is in the foreground of the photograph. This bench, rather plain in nature, contrasts greatly with the artwork, indicated by the red arrows, that is hanging on the wall in the background. These two items are very different: one has a practical use as a place for people to sit, whereas the other is an aesthetically pleasing, yet non-functional piece of art that hangs on a wall. The differences between these two creates variety in the photo where they are placed in close proximity to each other.

Repetition and Rhythm

Below is an image of "Squiggly Brushstrokes" which is a 1997 painting by Sol LeWitt. It exemplifies repetition that creates a rhythm within the painting.

 

I've placed several yellow arrows to point out all of the white colored squiggles throughout the painting. I chose the white ones because they seemed to contrast most of the other colors which really made them stand out. From the number of arrows, it is clear that there is plenty of repetition in terms of color. Each line is also a squiggly shape. While they are not each the same exact shape, each squiggle is part of the general squiggle shape pattern found throughout the entire piece. The repetition of color and line/shape in this painting creates a flow and a rhythm for the viewer to enjoy.

Emphasis

The image below is a tempera painting done by Giotto around 1300 titled "Crucifix" and it depicts Jesus on a cross. This image shows emphasis through its use of a main focal point as well as a few other points that draw the viewers' attention.

 

As seen by the red arrows, the shape of the cross naturally brings the viewer to Christ's head as it is located where the horizontal beam and the vertical beam intersect. In addition to the shape of the cross, Christ's body itself brings the viewers' eyes to his head because his head is located between his hands and at the top of his torso which is where the viewer follows his legs up to. The blue and yellow arrows indicate where secondary focal points occur. Each is the apex point of a triangle and also one of the end points of the vertical beam in the crucifix. The triangular shape indicated by the arrows is an example of the visual movement that is used in this painting in an effort to create emphasis on certain focal points.