Color and Space Study Artist Vincent Van Gogh "The Starry Night "

Color and Space Study  Artist Vincent Van Gogh "The Starry Night "


There are very limited color used in this painting yet it created a strong sense of movement, energy by contrast and gradation. The tall dark olive tree establishes the foreground  while the small overlapping houses and hillside creates the stable middle ground. Finally the background night sky painted in light yellow and various shades of blue using strong visual texture strokes counter-balance the rest of the painting. This beautiful painting artfully captured the essence of combining color, shapes and lines to create an illusion of vast space and emotionally calming landscape with flowing night sky.

Color and Shapes Study Artist  Leonid Afremov

Bright and fully saturated colors, bold strokes and overlapping shapes, there is balance, space, energy and emotion, a perfect demonstration of 2D design principles. The direction of the horizontal strokes establishes the foreground , the vertical trees trunks and lamp posts creates an illusion of space behind the loving couple. Three bright fully saturated lamps echoes strong energy and a feeling of warmth. Finally the darker shades of colors at the upper boarder further pull back the night sky, further enhancing the illusion of space in the painting.

Color Study Disharmony Artist Simon Hopkinson

This is the closest I can find on color disharmony. The subject matter is gruesome and the colors of dirty green, black and red are all clashing with one another, creating a an uncomfortable feeling for the viewers.

Color and Composition Artist 

"Influence"  by Chidi Okoye 

Fully saturated colors and simple geometric shapes in contrasting colors are strong enough to create an emotional bond for the viewers. The organic lines and shapes and the textured brush stokes, all are in proportion and balance, give viewers the freedom to create a meaning for themselves.

Color and Space Study

The prismatic colors brings purity and energy to this painting. The illusion of light and the clearly defined frame establishes space within a painting. The yellow road leading up to the focal point of a red heart with wings further creates energy and movement, instilling strong emotion into the painting.

Illusion of Space Study Artist Tan Wei Chung

With simple principles of value, overlap, location and size variation, this Chinese brush painting cleverly creates an illusion of space. The visual texture created by different brush strokes further enhanced  the 3-D perspective. The red accent color draws your attention in an otherwise monochromatic  painting.

Composition Study Artist Renoir

There is a strong sense of movement and energy in this Renoir painting. The strong and sharp contrasting   (light and black) colors and larger figures sitting at the table on the lower right-hand corner, move these people towards the front, while the gradually blurred people in decreasing size create a wonderful perception of space and movement, as the street continues off the upper left-hand corner. This painting commands all five techniques: Overlap, Size variation, Definition location and Color! 

Color Study and Illusion of Space Artist Robert Lazuka

With crisp symmetrical geometric shapes in the foreground. the door appears as if rising up into the air, while the clearly defined pure square shapes in bright color move forward towards the front and the muted brown color recedes in the background.  This clearly defined foreground, middle ground and background design creates an excellent case of illusion of space by utilizing location, value, hues and shapes.

Illusion of Space Study artist Terry Jarrard-Dimond

With limited color and reversed contrast with darker color in the background,  light color in the middle range, and muted blue in the foreground, a beautiful landscape with illusion of space is created. 

Illusion of Space Artist  Adeine De La Noe

This picture illustrates perfect techniques of creating illusion of Space by using changes in value.  By placing dark color in the foreground and light color in the background, in addition to the technique of overlap, location. There is a clearly defined foreground, middle ground and background.

Illusion of Space Study Artist Monet

Setting against muted light pink, orange and blue hues, the small islands painted in dark color  naturally bring the image closer to the foreground. The orange setting sun with its surrounding warm color is the focal point of this beautiful painting. With excellent choice in colors and value, Monet smartly demonstrated how to create foreground, middle ground and background.

Illusion of Space Study Sunset at River

Illusion of Space Study  Sunset at River

The sharply focused tree, nets and bushes on the foreground with blurred and muted mountain as the background, the variation in size of objects whether it be a tree or birds flying through the sky, all help created a beautiful landscape with the illusion of wide open space. 

Illusion of Space Study Forest and Birds

Illusion of Space Study Forest and Birds

An illusion of space is created by using contrasting hues,  gradation in value and overlapping . By painting darker color in the lower left location and reducing intensity and hues while moving up the paper, you see white birds fly through this illusive forest space. 

Illusion of Space Study Mountain and Waterfall

Illusion of Space Study  Mountain and Waterfall

This Chinese brush painting incorporated the techniques of overlap, definition location, and value to create an illusion of space and movement. From the sharply defined pine trees in the foreground to the blurred mountain scape at the back, darker shade of black in to diluted brush work all helped in creating this illusion of space.

Color Study Color in Low Key range

Color Study Color in Low Key range Artist Vincent Van Gogh

The limited hues in the low range promotes a tired and subdued emotion. The contrasting orange color on the sole of the left shoe and the brim of the right shoe bring the shoes forward while the muted brown wall recede backward.  

Color Study Value and Space

Color Study Value and Space Artist James McNeill Whistler

This painting fully illustrates the function of color value in creating illusion of space. The dark color makes the mother appearing closer to the viewer and the light wall pushes the background further back while the median value  generated another layer of space between the woman and the wall . This simple use of range of color values created a clean yet dramatic image.

Color Study Emotion and Rhythm Artist Vincent Van Gogh

Color Study Emotion and Rhythm Artist Vincent Van Gogh

The use of ice-blue color set the serious tone for this self-portrait. The heavy-textured strokes of the facial features in unity with the textured swirls in the background created both rhythm and movement.  The stern look and the contrasting orange beard draw viewer directly into Vincent's eyes and soul, making a strong emotional statement. 

Color Study Chromatic Gray Artist Claude Monet

Color Study Chromatic Gray Artist Claude Monet

With very limited hues and value, this painting illustrates the power of chromatic grays in high keys. The pale blue contrasting with the pale yellow, creating a dreaming and romantic image of a landscape.

Color Study Emotion, Artist Picasso

Color Study Emotion, Artist Picasso

Colors are never emotionally neutral. This self-portrait of Picasso fully utilizes the emotion of blue color and gradation into darker shade to tell viewers of the person's somber mood.

Color Study Composition, Balance and Proportion, Artist Vincent Van Gogh

Color Study Composition, Balance and Proportion, Artist Vincent Van Gogh

With a broad range in hues and fully saturated colors, this painting brings out a quint and happy emotion. The balance and proportion works beautifully together to bring movement of the wheat and clouds in the sky to life.

Color Study Complementary Color, Artist Vincent Van Gogh

Color Study Complementary Color, Artist Vincent Van Gogh

With vivid complementary red and green colors, this painting adds visual energy and grabs the viewer's attention towards the walls and ceiling. The painting is further unified by browns on the lower walls and the floor. 

Color Study Muted Color High Key and Low Key, Artist Georgia O'keefe

Color Study Muted Color High Key and Low Key, Artist Georgia O'keefe

These two paintings fully illustrate the effectiveness of using muted color in different key ranges to establish clear images of seasons. While the high key indicates lightness and warm feeling, the low key displays the arrival of winter.

Color Study Temperature, Artist Georgia O’Keefe

Color Study Temperature, Artist Georgia O’Keefe

Temperature refers to the heat a color generates, both physically and psychologically. The variation in color temperature between the warm red and yellow, and the cool white and red further created illusion of space. 

Color study Hues, Artist Sune Wendelboe

Color study Hues, Artist Sune Wendelboe

This photo contains only a narrow range of blue hues, with a small opening in the clue ice, yet it effectively exhibits a calm yet interesting and hypnotic image.

Color Study Intensity, Saturation and Chroma, Artist Magunta Dayakar

Color Study Intensity, Saturation and Chroma, Artist Magunta Dayakar

High-intensity colors are used  here to maximize visual impact to the viewers. As fully saturated yellow, orange, reds and blues flow across the canvas, the picture extrudes energy. Starting with darker color at the lower right hand corner moving up into warmer and lighter colors, the painting fully utilizes colors to create space and movement. 

Rhythm Study, Artist Escher

Rhythm Study, Artist Escher

A sense of movement is created in the drawing by repetition of black and white fish. However, the artist chose to use positive and negative reversal to trick the viewer's eyes and mind so that if one stares at the positive value, they will see the white fish swimming clock-wise. But if their eyes move to the black fish, it would appear the fish are swimming counter-clockwise. 

Asymmetry Study, Artist Elena Roche

Asymmetry Study, Artist Elena Roche

With dark background and light table value contrast, three textured leaves placed in the foreground balanced by the two larger bell pepper, the painting fully illustrates the concept of asymmetrical balance, creating a very stable painting.

Symmetry Study - Chinese paper cut design

Symmetry Study - Chinese paper cut design

This traditional Chinese opera mask signifies the symmetrical balance principle in art design. The central axis acts as the vertical dividing line. Perfect symmetry in great details of lines and shapes display calm and stability, making this picture balanced and stunning. 

Value Study, Artist Stephen Wiltshire "Taxi and cobbled alley"

Value Study, Artist Stephen Wiltshire "Taxi and cobbled alley"

The value distribution in the whole composition makes the picture appears 3-D. The hatching details and strong contrasting values further enhanced the front and back, vertical and horizontal relationship. 

Panda, Artist Robert Bateman

Panda, Artist Robert Bateman

Beautiful wildlife picture of a giant panda. The composition combined all of Gestalt principles to create unity. The grouping of objects, the repeated bamboo leaves, the proximity between the panda and other visual elements, the implied movement of the water (continuity and closure) and the physical outer edge of the composition (containment) creates this wonderful, playful and restful image of panda in its own element, HAPPY.

Closure

Closure

Closure - it is the mind's inclination to connect fragmentary information to produce a complete form.

While the artist used simple and crude shapes, the viewer's  mind automatically connects the fragmentary information creating a complete picture to know that it is a panda holding a bamboo shoots. 

Continuity

Continuity

Continuity - a fluid connection among compositional parts which can be actual or implied.

In this abstract painting, each shape touches an adjoining shape which creates actual continuity. Color distribution further emphasize implied continuity by echoing the orange color from the left-hand lower corner upward towards right. This visual pathway creates a feeling a movement.

Gestalt Study Repetition, Artist Andy Warhol

 Gestalt Study Repetition, Artist Andy Warhol

Repetition occurs when we use the same visual element or effect over and over. Here the visual images of shoes are repeated over and over. The repeated images created a cohesive design despite differences in color, size and shape.

Gestalt Study Containment, Artist Andy Warhol

Gestalt Study Containment, Artist Andy Warhol

The outer edge of the painting creates the first containment. The edge of the can creates the second 

containment.  The resulting unity from the containments  clearly sends a strong message to the viewers of the artist's message.

Line and Shape Abstraction

Line and Shape Abstraction 

The circles are repeated in varying sizes, created depth for the viewer. The radiating lines from the center of the circles further creates outward movement. The blue value in scale combined with white created a feeling of calm and dreamy state. 

Abstraction Study, Artist Wassily Kandinsky

Abstraction Study, Artist Wassily Kandinsky

With simple geometric forms (circle within square) in repeated pattern, combined with bold and contrasting color, this piece calls out fun and happy feeling. 

Abstraction Study Artist Henri Matisse "Goldfish and Palette"

Abstraction Study Artist Henri Matisse  "Goldfish and Palette"


This picture uses simple lines and contrasting colors to tell a simple subject. The clean lines formed flattened shapes with distorted columns. The objects are abstract and symbolic. 

Abstraction Study, Artist Liu Cunhui

Abstraction Study, Artist Liu Cunhui

The diagonal brush lines and strokes created energy and flow in this painting. The fuzzed edges still enabled the viewers to see outlines of flowers, leaves and branches. The single red patch on the upper left-hand corner created a focal point, further balanced by two small red seals bearing the artist name. While the plant is growing down ward towards the lower left-hand corner, the viewers can feel the drastic movement of the objects in the picture.

 

Abstraction study Artist Picasso, Pablo "Skull and Pitcher"

Abstraction study Artist Picasso, Pablo "Skull and Pitcher"

With crisp lines forming geometric shapes and bold color, the skull and pitcher stands on a table balancing each other. Except the table, everything seem to be on a flat surface, yet the darker background makes both the skull and pitcher standout in the foreground.

Abstraction Study Artist Henri Matisse "The Plum Blossoms"

Abstraction Study Artist Henri Matisse "The Plum Blossoms"

The artist use of strong and bold colors draws viewers attention into the canvas. The lady's face is blanked out and the line of the table all indicate abstraction. You can tell with the general forms of objects but non are representational. The ocher color as the dark background and tall height and relative large area of the plum blossoms made it the focal point of the painting.

Line, shape and space

With few simple stroke and varying length, width and value variation, an organic painting has come to life. The leaves are darker in the front and then diluted to a light gray color to create depth. The value distribution also helps to make the bamboos appear 3-dimensional. The brush strokes further created texture on the surfaces of the bamboo sticks to create the illusion of light coming from the upper right hand corner. 

Value and Volume artist Istvan Orosz

The artist skillfully utilized line,shading, hatching, contour, value and contrast to create this mysterious island. The light contrast  with darker value made the moon stood out and becomes the focal point, while value created illusory of volume of the mountains on both sides.

Shape and light artist Johannes Vermeer

The artist used black background and light to create contrast and illusion of shape and space. The sharp and crisp contrast lines brings the girl to the foreground. The pearl ear ring became the focal point in the whole picture.

Pen and Ink organic shape

Organic spots in different sizes and clustered tiny dots are used to create this growling jaguar with a stern stare. There are areas such as the ears and neck where hatching creates dimension. Both gradation and contrast helps with illusionary space and perception.  Bigger spots on the Jaw and smaller spots on the head also helps with creation of space. 

geometric shape study artist Nacho Gil

1. Using repetitive triangle shapes in varying sizes, the artist created an organic form - a zebra. The strong contrast between black and white further emphasizes illusionary space, dimension and content meaning.

Line Study artist Escher

This picture combines line, contour, value, contrast to create a 3D world  in a 2D design. The contrast between the hand and the globe, the gradation all help create illusionary space.

Line Study artist Heidi Vaught

By creating closed space with lines, we are able to see depth, shape and dimension. With close distance between lines on the lower right-hand corner and increasing in length towards the upper left-hand corned, it gives a impression of energy, upward flow and movement.

Line study artist Mary Jo Maraldo

DREAM - this Chinese calligraphy uses of negative and positive value of continuous curved and overlapping lines generate contrast, energy and flow.  It draws the viewer to this dramatic abstract character to see its meaning - dream.

Line study artist Irina Grabarnik

The simple black continues curvy line establishes shape, flow, contrast and clear topic for the subject. The variation on the thickness of the line helps in creating dimension of the human figure.