DESIGN PRINCIPLES ILHAM GALLERY

29 May 2019  (week 09)
Ahmed Baahy Suhail (0333925)
Design Principles
Ilham Gallery Visit
Breakdown of painting

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Interior. 1981. Oil on canvas

The one painting that stood out to me the most, from the whole gallery is this one, Perhaps because it was displayed on it;s own, away from all the artworks. It's called Interior and its an oil on canvas painting. At first glance, I was drawn to the chair in the bottom which is center aligned to the middle. It really stood out as it is the biggest object in the painting, and it is filled with hues of blue. The principles of scale and size is incorporated all throughout with the chair being the biggest and objects such as the flower pots and shoes being the smallest. Another reason why the chair stands out is because there is a very clever contrast made between the background where the colors are much lighter. It is also the closest object to the viewer, thus signalling all the attention at the very first glance. Hierarchy is implemented very well here  by the artist.

 There are plenty of beautiful, harmonic patterns all composed orderly. These patterns have different textures which complement each other superbly. There are all sorts of alignments of these patterns used, ranging from vertical alignment, edge alignment and horizontal alignment. Each set of patterns are hypnotic in the sense that they allow your eye to move all around the canvas, hinting at a sense of direction. These patterns bring about great rhythm, cohesion and movement. Since there are elements used repeatedly, it creates a feeling of organized movement, despite the patterns being irregular and not exactly the same as one another. There are all sorts of different patterns created such as spiral patterns, linear patterns, static and fixed patterns and much more.

 Perspective is also used here. The chair is at a 3/4 angle and the shadows enhance its depth and bring it to a 3D point of view, You can also notice that the walls at the back are not straight but angled, inviting the view to broaden their imagination and think beyond whats show, to go further into the painting. This may be a subtle trait but it is very impactful indeed. All the complementary colors are used, blue and orange, red and green, yellow and purple. The use of color is one thing that makes this painting the beauty that it is. They work so perfectly together. Compositionally, all the elements are balanced perfectly, atleast in my opinion.

 Lines are used all throughout the painting, whether it be horizontal vertical or diagonal. All these dictate the surface of the space and help bring out certain textures. Each line serves a purpose. The vertical line is there to create a sense of equilibrium. The horizontal line is there to express stability and balance. Lastly, the diagonal lines help to strengthen the visual movement and acts as the catalyst for the movement the viewer visualizes whilst observing this masterpiece.