Art Appreciation - Formal Analysis of an artwork

1.8 Focal Point and Emphasis Artists rely on focal point and emphasis to give their work visual and conceptual impact. These two principles announce important content and call attention to the concepts the artist wishes to communicate. Areas of emphasis can be broad—the entire work, or a large part of it—or more specific, with perhaps one or two focal points. Subordination is the deliberate diverting away of attention from a particular area, in order to emphasize something else.

All the elements and principles of art can serve to create emphasis. Both actual and implied lines shape our examination of a work of art by directing the movement of our gaze. Contrasts between different values, colors, or textures can sometimes be so dramatic and distinct that we cannot help but feel drawn to that area of a work. Our vision keeps coming back to these focal points; they are places where our thoughts linger for a while. During the process of artistic design, artists are constantly adjusting the elements of composition, calculating how they are going to influence the focus and duration of these pauses. The placement of these “centers of attention” generates rhythmic sequences while emphasizing the core significance of the artwork: its ideas, feelings, and images.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER: • FOCAL POINT • EMPHASIS • SUBORDINATION • FOCAL POINT AND EMPHASIS IN ACTION