Rhythm and Movement

Rhythm is the principle of art that indicates movement by the repetition of elements.

Rhythm

Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe's Lips, 1962

There are 6 Types of Rhythm

1.) Visual Rhythm-rhythm you receive through your eyes rather than through your ears.

A motif is a unit that is created in visual rhythm.

A Pattern is a two-dimensional decorative visual repetition.

Examples of Visual Rhythm

African Kente Cloth The Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain

6 Types of Rhythm

2.) Random- a motif repeated in no apparent order, with no regular spaces in between.

Examples of Random Rhythm

Jackson Pollock, Number One, 1948 Bowl, Kongo People

6 Types of Rhythm

3.) Regular- identical motifs and equal amounts of space between them.

Examples of Regular Rhythm

Empire State Building

Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe's Lips, 1962

6 Types of Rhythm

4.) Alternating- can occur several ways: to introduce a second motif or to make a change in

the placement or content of the original motif

Examples of Alternating Rhythm

Navajo Blanket, 1855 Japanese Plate, Edo Period

6 Types of Rhythm

5.) Flowing- created by repeating wavy lines.

Examples of Flowing Rhythm

Drew Brophy, Life At Sea Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (detail)

6 Types of Rhythm

6.) Progressive- a change in the motif each time the motif is repeated.

Examples of Progressive Rhythm

M.C. Escher, Sky and Water I Hiroshige, Okazaki

How Artists Use Rhythm to Create Movement

Movement is used to convey feelings and ideas. It can be comforting and predictable, or it can be monotonous, symbolic, or graceful.

Visual Movement is the principle of art that is used to create the look and feeling of action and guide the viewers eyes throughout the work of art

Bridget Riley, Blaze 3

Futurism

A group of artists tried to do more than control the way viewers looked at art. These artists were called Futurists.Futurists used rhythm to capture the idea of movement itself.

They used the word dynamism to refer to the forces of movement.

They believed that nothing was solid or stable. They showed forms changing into energy by slanting

and overlapping surfaces.

Futurist Art

Giamcomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

Actual Movement

Alexander Calder was a mechanical engineer. Calder created his art by repeating abstract

shapes and putting them in real motion using air currents and gravity.

Calder's art pieces were called kinetic sculptures. Kinetic sculptures actually move in

space. Calder's sculptures were given the name mobiles. Moving sculptures have been

called mobiles ever since.

Alexander Calder

Calder, The Star Calder, Enseign de Lunettes