Balance

Balance is a key component in creating good pieces of art. A composition must be able to unify itself and all the components of the image as well as be able to create some variance in some area of design. Gestalt is a term that sums up the theory of design principles in art. There must be some sort of design in able to establish a well put together image. The six principles of Gestalt are grouping, containment, repetition, proximity, continuity, and closure.

This MC Esher print uses several different elements of gestalt to get the overall effectiveness of the piece. The most noticeable principle is grouping. I first notice two groups one being the birds the other fish. Not only are these images separated this way by group, but color also acts as a way to separate the two groups. Within the two groups is repetition, the same images is being represented multiple times. By the birds and fish being the same size and scale, they appear to almost blend together creating a greater use of repetition. Even though the two different groups create variety in the piece, which helps to create the balance, they still provide a fluid connection among each other. This connection leads to the idea of continuity which adds movement across the page. My eyes are unable to focus on one single figure, instead I am pulled around noticing images between images. This unableness to fucus is due to the fusion the images create with one another. The two different figures are so alike and they share common edges which even greater fusion is achieved. The grey border around the smaller figures acts as containment, not letting our eyes wonder off the page. This print crates an extreme balance between unity and variety.