Activity # 4

Activity # 4


“Interior” by Horace Pippin, was painted in 1964. It is oil on canvass painting made on wood panels. Horace Pippin gave us the right to celebrate art through his eyes by making our own interpretations. He displayed several design principles that defines his work and life illustrations. Pippin uses unity, variety, rhythm, emphasis and subordination to bring the viewer into his world of art.

In this painting, Pippin creates a family picture with unity and variety by peacefully placing the entire family in the room together sharing the same space, but performing three totally different tasks such as reading, playing, and smoking a pipe. Unity is sense of oneness or visual harmony throughout the art work and variety creates the differences in an art work that provides interest (Getlein, 122). The artist also uses rhythm in this canvass with his rugs that are painted the same colors, but different patterns and widths to capture the characters images and their stillness. Rhythm is based on repetition (Getlein, 141). And lastly, emphasis is placed on the family in the dark, but dim and cold room with the subordination of the snow on the windowpanes. Emphasis is a clearly defined area and subordination is the area that is less visual so that the emphasis is immediately recognizable (Getlein, 134). It tells the story of unity in one room within one family.

The picture “Street of Mbari”, by Jacob Lawrence, in 1964 was done in tempura on woven paper. Jacob Lawrence, so loved the world, of art that he wanted to share it with us by creating everyone different, while imagining us all the same. Lawrence uses the design principles that best describes his love of art. He incorporates scale, rhythm, and variety to bring the people of Mbari to the world.

Jacob Lawrence instantly draws the observer to the characters of the canvas with scale by creating everyone different in portion to height and width, but equal in the scene of the village (Getlein, 136). Scale is size in relationship of parts to a whole. He also uses black as the skin tones of the characters to represent their African heritage, patterns, and rhythms and primary and warm colors of clothing to keep them cool while shopping and trading. Rhythm is based on repetition (Getlein, 141). Jacob Lawrence gives this canvass a chance to be seen as natural and original. The light blue color of the water gives the canvass a softer look and realization. In contrast to the people of Mbari the variety of the people, animals, clothing, symbols, and huts add a special touch to their importance. Variety is the difference in an art work that provides interest (Getlein, 122).

In conclusion, both pictures create a sense of history and unity with the design principles, while possessing different viewer outcomes.