Activity #4 - Write About It!

The Old Violin is oil on canvas painted by William Michael Harnett in 1886. This piece employs the design principles of scale, unity & variety, and asymmetrical balance.

Since this piece is what is known as trompe l’oeil, or “fool the eye”, every item in the painting has to be to scale. Scale means size in relation to a standard or “normal” size. (Getlein 136) When something is said to be to scale, it means it is normal size.

There is also unity and variety in The Old Violin. Unity, the sense of oneness, link all of the objects in the painting together, even if the link is only implied (perhaps the envelope was used to mail the newspaper clipping to the musician and the newspaper article was about a performance). There is also variety, or differences, in the objects. Why would the violin be secured to a door? What does an envelope have to do with music?

Asymmetrical balance is another principle Harnett applied to his work. When something is asymmetrical or not symmetrical, forms on either side of the vertical axis (an imaginary line drawn down the center of the work) do not correspond to each other. The figures in this painting appear to be balanced. This was accomplished by using the weight of the door-pull, newspaper clipping, envelope and a large portion of the violin and placing it to the left of the axis while the right side carries the weight of the bow, a smaller portion of the violin and the (implied) weightier metal hinges.

The City from Greenwich Village is oil on canvas by John Sloan, 1922. Like The Old Violin, this painting utilizes the design principles of unity and asymmetrical balance. However, it also employs emphasis and rhythm.
All of the figures in this have unity. Everything Sloan painted can be found in a city on any given day. The picture is asymmetrically balanced by placing several “thicker” buildings and the cluster of building in the horizon to the left of the axis while placing the train, smaller buildings and the skyscraper that runs off of the picture plane to the right.

Emphasis means attention is drawn more to one part of the painting than others. In The City from Greenwich Village, emphasis is placed on the train, the building to the left and people below the track. This is accomplished with the light Sloan created with the varying yellow hues contrasting with the dark hues on the roof of the train and of the house.

Quite simply, rhythm is repetition. The windows on the buildings and train, and the slats of the tracks (which can be seen to the front of the train on the right side) all have rhythm. The rhythm changes a bit in some places with the presence or absence of light.

Sources: Getlein, Mark Living With Art 8th Ed. 2006