Principle of Art: Contrast

Summary

In this engaging deep dive, Sauer's Virtual Art Room explores the art principle of contrast, highlighting its role in creating visual interest through the juxtaposition of opposing art elements. Contrast is examined via different elements such as line, shape, color, value, space, texture, and form, offering vivid examples and inspiring artist references. Through the exploration of renowned works from artists like Caravaggio, Andy Warhol, and Maria Martinez, the intricacies of using dark and light, shiny and matte, and other contrasting elements are beautifully showcased. This insightful journey shows how artists utilize contrast to draw attention, invoke emotion, and add depth to their work, ensuring a captivating learning experience ideal for any art enthusiast.

Highlights

• Contrast involves the use of opposing elements like light and dark, smooth and rough, or colors that are very different from each other. 🎨
• Caravaggio is known as a master of contrast, particularly famous for his striking use of light and dark in paintings. 🖼️
• Maria Martinez’s black pottery uses subtle contrasts in texture to distinguish shiny from matte surfaces, enhancing the visual design. 🌑
• Andy Warhol’s 'Double Elvis' employs color contrasts effectively to bring out his pop art style. 🌈
• Bernini’s 'Apollo and Daphne' sculpture uses texture contrast to differentiate between skin, hair, and natural elements in marble. 🏛️
• Modern artist John Beckley utilizes contrasting colors to make his abstract paintings pop and catch the eye. 🌟

Key Takeaways

• Contrast is all about opposites - it's the star player in dynamic and engaging art pieces! 🎨
• Caravaggio and his mastery in using light and dark to create breathtaking visual contrast. 🌟
• Learn how artists like Maria Martinez use texture contrast to make black pottery come to life. 🍶
• Explore how Andy Warhol's pop art masterpieces employ color contrast for maximum impact. 👨‍🎤
• The sculpture genius of Bernini shows how texture can turn cold marble into lifelike forms. 🏛
• John Beckley's paintings show the power of contrasting colors to create vivid art experiences. 🎨

Overview

Art contrast is the dynamic dance between opposites, ensuring every piece stands out with its unique flair. From the simplest form of black text on a white background to the most complex texture differences in renowned sculptures, contrast draws the viewer’s eye and enhances comprehension.

The great artists, like Caravaggio with his dramatic plays of light and shadow, illustrate the power of contrast. This principle is not just limited to juxtaposing light and dark, but also includes texture differences and color dynamics as seen in the works of Maria Martinez and Andy Warhol. They open our eyes to how contrast can be elegantly manipulated within different mediums.

Whether it's the gritty texture of a painting or the meticulous carving of a sculpture, contrast plays an essential role in the art world. Each artist, from Bernini with his marble masterpieces to John Beckley with his vibrant abstracts, showcases how different elements, when carefully contrasted, can transform perceptions and deepen the artistic experience.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Contrast The chapter introduces the concept of contrast, which is the second principle of art. It emphasizes that contrast involves the arrangement of opposite art elements and effects.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Art Elements and Their Contrasts This chapter discusses the fundamental elements of art, including line, shape, color, value, space, texture, and form. It emphasizes the concept of contrasts within these elements, such as opposite colors on the color wheel like cyan and orange, which provide high contrast. The chapter also explains the contrast in values exemplified by light versus dark, such as white and black, which are considered perfect opposites.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Examples of Contrast in Art Elements The chapter 'Examples of Contrast in Art Elements' discusses how different textures, such as soft or fuzzy versus smooth or bumpy, create contrast in art. It explains that the degree of contrast decreases when these elements are more similar to each other. A visual example is given where the contrast between a dark background and light text is clear, but as the text darkens, the contrast diminishes, making it slightly more challenging to read.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Visual Example: Contrast at Work The chapter titled 'Visual Example: Contrast at Work' discusses the concept of contrast in design elements. It highlights the importance of contrast between background and text colors for readability. The chapter contrasts examples with low contrast, where the background and text colors are similar, with high contrast examples, such as white text on a dark background, emphasizing that high contrast improves legibility and effectiveness.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Line and Shape Contrast The chapter titled 'Line and Shape Contrast' discusses the concept of visual contrast created by different types of lines and shapes. It emphasizes the distinction between straight and curved lines, as well as contrasting shapes. The example highlighted indicates how a circle among squares stands out, illustrating how contrast, rather than color, helps in distinguishing forms.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Color and Value Contrast In the chapter titled 'Color and Value Contrast,' the concept of contrast is explored through different elements, particularly color. It highlights how contrasting types involve differences such as the case mentioned where all apples are green except for one red apple. This subtle instance of color contrast, even though red and green are not exact opposites on the color wheel, illustrates how they significantly stand out when placed next to each other due to their distinctiveness. This example reinforces the chapter's focus on how contrasting colors can enhance visual interest and differentiation.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Space and Texture Contrast The chapter "Space and Texture Contrast" discusses the concept of contrast without relying on color differences. The focus is on value contrast, where circles of varying shades from black to white demonstrate contrast through lightness and darkness. This contrast in value makes the white circle stand out prominently among the others.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Form Contrast In this chapter titled 'Form Contrast', the focus is on understanding the concept of contrast in space, particularly how it is captured in photography. The chapter explains the phenomenon where certain objects, like a bird, are in sharp focus because they are very close to the camera. In contrast, other elements in the background appear blurry due to being far away. The discussion elaborates on how cameras work to create this effect by focusing on one area, thereby enhancing the perception of depth and contrast in spatial terms.
• 05:30 - 07:00: Contrast in Caravaggio's Painting The chapter discusses the use of contrast in Caravaggio's paintings, particularly focusing on spatial perception and texture. It explains how viewers can discern between objects that are far away and those that are close up in a particular image. The text also delves into contrasts in texture, highlighting the difference between smooth, waxy leaves and rocks with varying surfaces. This contrast in texture illustrates the remarkable differences in the physical feel of these objects, enriching the visual experience.
• 07:00 - 08:30: Maria Martinez's Ceramic Pot The chapter titled "Maria Martinez's Ceramic Pot" appears to focus on the concept of form in art, specifically contrasting the angular and structured form of a cube with the soft and flowing lines of a statue, such as that of a woman with a veil. This contrast in form highlights the three-dimensional aspect of art, considering aspects like length, width, and height.
• 08:30 - 10:00: Andy Warhol's Double Elvis The chapter compares the art of Andy Warhol and Caravaggio, highlighting the latter's mastery of contrast in painting. Created in 1606, one of Caravaggio's works features an older man reading with a skull representing death and a halo indicating sainthood, reflecting aspects of the Christian faith.
• 10:00 - 12:00: Contrast in Apollo and Daphne Sculpture The chapter focuses on the theme of contrast in the sculpture of Apollo and Daphne. It emphasizes the visual contrast within the artwork, particularly between the dark background and the lighter figures. The discussion highlights that this contrast is evident even if the image is converted to black and white, proving that it is not reliant on contrasting colors but rather on the stark difference in tones.
• 12:00 - 13:00: John Beckley's Abstract Paintings The chapter titled 'John Beckley's Abstract Paintings' focuses on the concept of value in art, particularly in abstract paintings. It discusses the importance of contrasting bright highlights against dark areas, emphasizing how value, rather than color, creates contrast. The chapter notes that although the painting has colors, the primary focus is on the varying light and dark elements, illustrating how these contrasts contribute to the overall composition. Additionally, it clarifies common misconceptions about color opposites, highlighting that the opposite of red is not black, white, or brown.

Principle of Art: Contrast Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 here nerds we are going to be discussing our second principle of art and that is the principle of contrast and when we talk about contrast in art we are specifically talking about okay hey art nerds we are going to be talking about our second principle of art and that is contrast now when we talk about contrast in art we are specifically talking about the arrangement of opposite art elements and effects so
• 00:30 - 01:00 when we're talking about our art elements we're talking about line shape color value space texture and form and when you have opposites of those elements so for example we have color here cyan and orange they're opposite each other on the color wheel okay so they have the greatest amount of contrast okay we talk about values we're talking about light versus dark so that'd be white and black would be perfect opposites of each other or if we had
• 01:00 - 01:30 textures okay we have soft or fuzzy versus smooth or bumpy okay so having those opposite art elements creates contrast okay if those elements are closer to each other there's less contrast so let me give you a nice visual example for you okay can you read this it's probably really easy okay the background is very dark the text is very light but notice as the text gets darker it gets slightly more difficult
• 01:30 - 02:00 to read okay and that's contrast at work so this right here has very low contrast okay there's not much of a difference between the color of the background and the color of the text okay but a great contrast as in our first one with a white text with a dark background that has the greatest amount of contrast among these options all right so for this example right here we have contrast in which art element okay hopefully you
• 02:00 - 02:30 said line because that's what it is okay we have these nice straight lines and then we have these curved lines and it's the contrast between those two different types of lines not the color because we still have black and white here but the contrast between these two types of lines that makes us be able to see that shape that circle in the center okay for this one we have contrast in shape okay so for example okay all the shapes are squares except for this one shape is a circle okay
• 02:30 - 03:00 all of them are the same but one is different so we have contrasting types of shapes okay this one we have contrast in color notice all the apples are green but one of them is red so there's a difference in color okay it is not the greatest amount of contrast but when you have red and green next to each other even though they're not opposites on the color wheel okay they are very close uh i mean very different
• 03:00 - 03:30 so that's why we have that contrast okay this one don't say color okay it's not a difference in color okay notice how they're all the same shape as well okay what we are seeing is we see a bunch of circles some of them are like black some of them are light gray some of them are medium grey some of them are white so when we're talking about the lightness and darkness we're talking about value so this one has contrast and value and that's why that one white circle sticks out so much in comparison
• 03:30 - 04:00 this one's a little bit tricky okay this one's contrast in space okay this is a little bit harder to kind of understand so what we have is we have our bird super super close notice how it's in focus and very clear then we have everything else in the image okay that's blurry okay that's because it's far far away okay so we have stuff that's far far away and stuff that's super close to us and the way that cameras work by having something in focus and everything else not in focus it creates that contrast in space so we
• 04:00 - 04:30 can really tell the difference between what is far away and what is close up in this specific image then we have some contrast in texture okay so we have these smooth um leaves kind of waxy leaves and then we have these rocks okay some are smooth that are a little bit bumpy okay but these this contrast and texture these great differences on how these objects feel and then finally we have contrast in
• 04:30 - 05:00 form okay so it's not contrasted in shape because remember form is something that's three-dimensional has length width and height such as this cube or this statue and the reason that they're contrasting it's not just because oh one's a person and one's a cube okay we're looking more at look at how straight and angular the cube is versus the soft and flowy um lines that you see um when in the creation of the woman with the veil they look very
• 05:00 - 05:30 different in that regard all right so i have a couple artists i want to share with you this guy right here caravaggio is basically the king of contrast in painting he created this image in 1606 um it has a man who looks like he's reading a book he's kind of older guy and then there's a skull there which often represents death okay notice how there's like a little little halo over top of his head okay it's because he's one of the saints um in the christian faith so they have some
• 05:30 - 06:00 you know higher up kind of holy people in there or um and the reason why this is a great example for contrast notice how black that background is okay you can tell that there is a great amount of contrast because we have the dark darks of the background and then we have the light lights of the figures okay it's not a contrasting color okay that's not what it is even if i change this to black and white okay you would still really see the contrast in between the background and everything else okay because there's
• 06:00 - 06:30 such a bright light shining on the subject of this painting okay you have those really really bright highlights and when you have the light lights and the dark darks you're really talking about value okay the lights and darks of things so even though this has color in it value is the element of art that we're really contrasting here okay because if we wanted the opposite of red the opposite of red is not black the opposite of red is not white or brown okay so we're not talking
• 06:30 - 07:00 about color here it is the fact that we have the harsh lighting and the very dark background that makes everything stand out so well here we have a work by maria martinez uh she created this is actually a ceramic pot okay created in 1971. and maria martinez uh is a fantastic ceramic artist so she makes works of clay specifically traditional black pottery where um she and her family they actually go up in the mountains
• 07:00 - 07:30 they gather the rock they crush the rock they add water to it and they make their own clay and then they create their works of art and they do a special uh type of iron oxide sort of like it's like paint okay but it's a slip paint that they use and that's how you have the shiny and then you have the matte and then you have the shiny the matte that's how you're able to see the designs because the entire pot is still black the whole thing is black it's just there's parts of it that shiny and parts of that are not okay now we know that it's not contrasting
• 07:30 - 08:00 color okay because the whole thing's black okay um harder to see it because when things are shiny in this image see how they're a little bit lighter they're almost white okay the object itself doesn't change colors the lighting on it okay so it's not contrasting color it's not contrasted form there's not contrast and shape what it really is is a contrast okay in texture remember how i said some of its super super shiny stuff it's not and that's what creates um
• 08:00 - 08:30 that contrast is you have some that shiny and some that's flat some things are shiny that's flat okay and shiny is a great way of describing something that's really smooth or mirror-like as a texture okay so that's the contrast that we see there and that's how we're able to see these designs without them having any fancy colors in there andy warhol created this silkscreen print in 1963 so silk screening oh it's kind of kind of like painting
• 08:30 - 09:00 kind of like stamping okay it's kind of a long process google it sometime it's really cool actually but he created this work called double elvis in 1963 andy warhol's a pop art artist so um it's you know makes sense that andy uh andy warhol had elvis because he used a lot of commercial goods but also famous people in his works okay so they're very iconic people and elvis was a very few famous musician at the time and so he created this double elvis and the reason why we have contrast here
• 09:00 - 09:30 notice how one of them is in very vivid colors and the other one is just black and white okay so we have the sort of this contrast between the two okay and the diff only difference between these two okay is the fact that one is color what is not so that's why we feel that this one is a really good fit for a contrast in color okay i think i just have one more for you guys this is one of my favorite sculptures of all time okay i'm lying it is my favorite sculpture of all time
• 09:30 - 10:00 it is called apollo and daphne it is a reference to uh greek and roman mythology we have apollo and he thinks daphne's super hot so he chases her around and she's like help save me i don't think apollo's cool i don't like him so the gods change her into a tree okay crazy story it happens okay be careful what you wish for but we have this beautiful sculpture by bernini in 1625 okay and this work of art is very a very good example of contrast okay
• 10:00 - 10:30 it's the contrast in how he manipulates the marble that give us the illusion that we have these different um parts of the sculpture so whether it's skin or hair or leaves okay and so we have a contrast basically in texture we have the very very smooth and sanded down marble that created the nice supple skin and then we have the more bumpy and rough
• 10:30 - 11:00 texture that you have with the hair and so you're able to really tell the difference and the separation between those different parts of the sculpture because of the contrast in texture even though it's all the same material there is no color okay the lighting doesn't really influence it that much it's the fact that you have those different textures that really gives that contrast in there okay and i have a couple things i want to share with you now these are daphne's hands okay this is a very close-up image of her hand slowly
• 11:00 - 11:30 changing into trees okay so that's a little twigs little leaves these leaves are almost they're very thin almost paper thin and cut out a marble marble stone so you're like hammering and chiseling this out so bernini was basically showing off his amazing craftsmanship and having these very delicate leaves okay if i tried this i probably would have you know snapped a whole finger off let alone just a leaf okay um but amazing contrast in the texture and the formal qualities
• 11:30 - 12:00 of this work to create that um the definition between different parts of the of the work then you also i just want to get you a good close-up of the hair versus the skin and you can really tell the difference you have this beautiful carved line work in the hair so if you actually touched it be really bumpy okay and then you have this perfectly smooth skin that apollo has here okay so that contrast is extremely important and then the last little detail i want to share with you is the contrast between um the base of this sculpture
• 12:00 - 12:30 and daphne's feet that are slowly growing roots and as she turns into a tree so the contrast between everything in this sculpture gives us more clarity as to what is what so contrast and texture is super important especially if you're working with a single solid material and the last thing i want to share with you guys there's this really cool artist um his name is john beckley and he does abstract paintings and the thing that
• 12:30 - 13:00 makes his painting so vibrant and so um so bright is the fact that he uses very contrasting colors you have a black background with these really bright designs and so the contrast is what makes it like really pop so um this video just goes through his process of creating this really cool work of art so i would definitely check it out i have the link in the description below otherwise that's really all i have for you guys with the principle of contrast and i hope you guys uh found this video very helpful and check out my other ones
• 13:00 - 13:30 as we keep moving forward