Emphasis

What is emphasis? What is subordination? And how do they relate to

each other and the composition?

Emphasis is defined as an area or object within the artwork that draws

attention and becomes a focal point.

Subordination is defined as minimizing or toning down other

compositional elements in order to bring attention to the focal point.

Focal point refers to an area in the composition that has the most
significance, an area that the artist wants to draw attention to as the
most important aspect.

This is an altarpiece comprised of many individual paintings

representing the Madonna and Child surrounded by saints and
angels. The varying sizes of the figures indicate their prominence and
significance in relation to each other. Halos made of gold indicate their
divinity. Duccio had to incorporate many figures in a relatively small
space, while at the same time maintaining a strict arrangement
according to an hierarchical system of holy figures. The composition is
unified by the number and similarity of the figures and their focus on the
Madonna and Child. Variety is provided by the difference in sizes of the
figures and their placement. Duccio uses an arch shaped composition
in the figures that are next to the Madonna, which adds a sense of
rythm in the repetition of figures.

In the example below, it is very clear that the emphasis is on the red
circle. It is the largest object in the composition. Conversely, although
there are many gray circles, they are small in size, very muted in color,
and blend in rather than stand out from the background.

The large circle is an extremely intense (pure) color which contrasts

dramatically with the muted gray circles and background. The large,
intensely red circle is bordered with an intense green that is
a complementary color to the red, and equal in its
intensity. Complementary colors (across from each other on the color
wheel) with a high degree of intensity draw the most attention.
Therefore, the red circle is the focal point of the composition.

Examples of emphasis, and subordination in artwork

Emphasis using color

Richard Anuszkiewicz Deep Magenta Square

image source http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Op_art

This is an example of op art, a movement that became popular in the

1960's. Op art plays with visual perception and often, color
combinations or patterns that can be very difficult to look at and focus
on. It is obvious that the magenta square is emphasized in the
composition, and is definitely the focal point. Although the colors in the
rest of the composition are fairly intense, they are much less intense
than the magenta circle. They are also smaller areas than the square,
thin lines rather than a large square that dominates the composition.
Notice how the combination of colors and lines play with depth of
space, and receding and advancing areas.

Emphasis using value (light and dark)

 Kathe Kollwitz Battlefield 1907
etching mounted on wove paper
Private Collection

image
source http://www.mystudios.com/women/klmno/kollwitz_battlefield.h
tml

This is a poignant portrayal of a mother searching for her dead son after
a battle. The light she is carrying casts a strong light upon the dead
soldier, working in the same manner as a spotlight on stage would. Her
hand reaching out and touching the soldier is also emphasized. In fact,
the touch of the strong hand on the chin of the soldier--whose head
falls back limply--is the focal point of the image. It is as if by touching the
soldier she might bring him back to life.

In contrast, the figure of the mother is bent over, and the darkest area
of the composition. Her hunched, dark shape contrasts starkly with the
soldier's tilted back, brightly lit head.The mother's figure is the second
most important aspect of the composition. The rest of the composition
consists of indistinct areas of varying shades of gray. The only other
reference to a battlefield is the soldier's head next to the mother's son.
This keeps us from being distracted by other details or areas in the
composition and focused on the mother's hand and the son's face.

Emphasis using complementary colors and atmospheric perspective

Paul Signac Evening Calm, Concarneau, Opus 220 (Allegro

Maestoso) 1891
Oil on canvas 25 1/2 x 32in. (64.8 x 81.3cm); Framed: 40 1/4 x 34 in.
(102.2 x 86.4cm)
Metropolitan Musem of Art, New York
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
The emphasis here is on the rocky shoreline on the left lower part of the
painting. Using the principles of atmospheric perspective, the
foreground is more intense in color and more sharply delineated. The
background is increasingly muted as it recedes in space, and the colors
tend to blend together.The use of complementary colors--violet and
yellow--accentuates this effect, because complementary colors draw
attention, and the more intense they are, the more they attract
attention.

Signac used a system of color harmony and precisely applied strokes of

color. Following and adapting the technique of Georges Seurat, he
placed separate hues of color next to each otrher, without mixing them.
The viewer "mixes" the colors with their eyes. Standing up close to the
painting, the viewer sees only dots or strokes of color. Moving back,
the subject matter ofthe image comes into "focus". This technique
creates a shimmering effect of light.

Emphasis using intensity of light

Joseph Mallord William Turner Yacht Approaching the Coast

oil on canvas

Image courtsy of wiliam-turner.org

Turner uses rays of light from a sunset on the water, with increasing
intensity toward the center of the painting. Subtle variations in color
create "lines" that all lead to the center of the painting. The golden
shimmering light on the water leads the eye directly to the orange glow
of the sunset. The yacht approaching the coast can be seen as
heading toward the sunset instead of the coast, with its sails pointing
toward the sunset.

Emphasis using the center of the compositon and one spot of bright
color
 Akseli Gallen-Kallela The Great Black Woodpecker, 1892-94
Oil on canvas, 145 x 90 cm
Private Collection

image source: artsmia.org (Minneapolis Institute of Arts)

The leafless limbs of the dead trees and branches create lines that all
point toward the woodpecker. The tree limbs are larger and lighter in
color than the surrounding trees, creating a stark contrast which
emphasizes their "path" to the woodpecker. The tallest ree disappears
into the sky, but its branches lead to the river, which in turn leads to the
bleached branches of the dead tree in the foreground.

The woodpecker, unlike anything else in the painting, is portrayed using

bold and intense hues of black and red. It appears to be the only
animated form in the painting, as if all of the surrounding landscape has
paused for a moment as a tribute to the woodpecker.

Unity and Variety

Unity in an artwork creates a sense of harmony and wholeness, by using

similar elements within the composition and placing them in a way that
brings them all together.

Variety adds interest by using contrasting elements within the

composition.

The example below is a very simple illustration of the principle, using

circles of different sizes and colors to show how a composition can be
unified by similarities, and how interest can be added by varying
aspects of the composition.
Examples of unity and variety in artwork

Kandinsky: abstract composition

Wasily Kandinsky Several Circles (Einige Kreise), JanuaryFebruary 1926.

Oil on canvas, 55 1/4 x 55 3/8 inches (140.3 x 140.7 cm).

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim

Founding Collection, By gift 41.283. 2009 Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York/ADAGP, Paris
Kandinsky was a pioneer in the development of abstract,
nonrepresentational art. He believed in the expressive qualities of
abstract forms, the possibilities of a universal visual language and in the
abstract form to convey intellectual principles. For him, each color and
shape had its own symbolic significance and properties.

In this composition, unity is provided by the repetition of circles on a

neutral background. Variety is added by varying the sizes and colors of
the circles, and by overlapping them.

Kandinsky had this to say:' The circle, claimed Kandinsky, is the

synthesis of the greatest oppositions. It combines the concentric and
the eccentric in a single form and in equilibrium. Of the three primary
forms, it points most clearly to the fourth dimension.' as quoted by
Nancy Spector in an article on the Guggenhiem
website http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-
online/show-full/piece/?search=Vasily%20Kandinsky&page=2&f=Peopl
e&cr=12

Monet: impression of a moment

Claude Monet Rue Montorgueil in Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878, 1878.

image source
webexhibits http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/dg.html

The Impressionists limited details and used strokes of pure color on the
canvas to convey the sense of a fleeting moment in time. This painting
conveys the excitement and ehiliaration of a celebration on a
flag-lined street. The flags are blowing in the wind, the noise of the
crowd can almost be heard in this moment that Monet has presented
to us. Unity is created by the repetition of the flags and the people, and
the arrangement on the canvas, with all elements of the composition
facing inward from the edges of the canvas. Variety is provided by
variations in the sizes and position of the flags and people.

Anshutz: aesthetics of the human body

Thomas Pollock Anshutz The Ironworker's Noontime 1880

oil on canvas Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

image source Artdaily.org

What appears to be a candid moment captured by the artist is in fact,

a deliberately posed study of the human figure. Unity is suggested by
the repetition of the figures and their muscularity. They are also
enclosed within the architectural structures of the foundry. Variety is
obvious in the number of different poses struck by the ironworkers, while
showing off their physiques. There is a complex arrangement of poses
and limbs that appear to be interconnected. The result is a lively
composition of carefully composed figures.
 Duccio: arrangement of the Madonna, saints and angels

Duccio di Buoninsegna The Maest, or Maest of Duccio 1308-1311

Tempera and gold on wood 213 cm 396 cm (84 in 156 in)

Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana del Duomo, Siena

image
source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maest%C3%A0_%28Duccio%29

This is an altarpiece comprised of many individual paintings

representing the Madonna and Child surrounded by saints and
angels. The varying sizes of the figures indicate their prominence and
significance in relation to each other. Halos made of gold indicate their
divinity. Duccio had to incorporate many figures in a relatively small
space, while at the same time maintaining a strict arrangement
according to an hierarchical system of holy figures. The composition is
unified by the number and similarity of the figures and their focus on the
Madonna and Child. Variety is provided by the difference in sizes of the
figures and their placement. Duccio uses an arch shaped composition
in the figures that are next to the Madonna, which adds a sense of
rythm in the repetition of figures.

Willem Kalf Life with Silver Jug c. 1655-57

Oil on canvas73,8 x 65,2 cm

 Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dutch still life painting represents more than an arrangement of

beautiful flowers, fruits,and objects. It is an allegory of life itself. Every
object has symbolic significance. The inclusion of green, ripe, and
decaying fruits and flowers represents the stages of life and its passing.
The arrangement is unified by careful placement of the objects and
fruits in a circular shape, and the strong lighting that enhances the
exquisiteness and richness of the objects. The strong light also frames
the still life with dark shadows created by the light.