Repetition and Rhythm
Repetition and Rhythm
The use of same form or element in a building can be termed as
The use of same form or element in a building can be termed as
repetition.
repetition.
What is Repetition?
The use of same form or element in a building can be termed as
The use of same form or element in a building can be termed as
repetition.
repetition.
What is Repetition?
•
• Repetition of unit forms usuallyRepetition of unit forms usually conveys an immediate sense ofconveys an immediate sense of
harmony .
harmony .
•
• Repetition addsRepetition adds visual interest to designvisual interest to design, and helps to identify, and helps to identify
elements that belong together. It can be considered a way of
elements that belong together. It can be considered a way of
adding consistency to any design.
adding consistency to any design.
•
• These elements can be as simple asThese elements can be as simple as colour, spatialcolour, spatial
relationships, a shape, a texture, Columns and windows, pattern
relationships, a shape, a texture, Columns and windows, pattern
and arrangement of tiles.
and arrangement of tiles.
Characteristics
• In general, throughout Nature repetition is associated with
peaceful things with the idea of quiet succession in events.
• Repetition of days or cycles of activities in nature imply a sense of
calmness.
• Dissimilarity and non-succession are results of interference and
disquietude.
“Thus , though an echo actually increases the quantity of sound heard, its repetition of the note or syllable gives an idea of calmness attainable in no other way; hence also the feeling of calm given to a landscape by the repeated calls of birds” [Ruskin, John. Elements of Drawing,1971].
Here the same butterfly is shown twice. Which one appears closer? Note how size relationships create depth or space in a composition.
Examples in History
The interior of the dome of the Pantheon has repetitive coffers in five rings of 28 each.
Modern Examples
•The Seagram building by Mies Van der
Rohe in Manhattan.
•Completed in 1958.
•Marked the onset of minimalist approach
to design and a new era of skyscrapers.
•The minimal glass and steel façade is an
example of both horizontal and vertical elements in repetition.
Examples in recent times
Repetition creates patterns. Pattern is created by the repetition of a shape,
form, or texture across a work of art.
Excessive repetition may cause Monotony.
Monotony
Result of increased density in Hong Kong – the repetition of
similar buildings with several units of same elements makes it monotonous.
Types of Repetition
• Repetition of shape - Shape is always the most important
element. Repetitive shapes can have different sizes, colors, etc.
Repetition by the use of similarly shaped elements is a strong unifying force.
Two similar shapes, even at different sides of an image, will lead the eye from one to the other. A shape can obtain more visual weight by being repeated, e.g., by its own shadow.
• Repetition of size - repetition of size is possible only when the
shapes are also repetitive or very similar.
• Repetition of color - This means that all the forms are of the
• Repetition of texture - All forms can be of the same texture but
they may be of different shapes, sizes, or colors. In printing, all solidly printed forms with the same type of ink on the same surface are regarded as having the same texture.
• Repetition of direction - This is possible only when the forms
show a definite sense of direction without the slightest ambiguity.
• Repetition of position - This has to do with how forms are
arranged in connection with the structure.
• Repetition of space - All forms can occupy space in the same
manner. In other words, they may be all positive, or all negative, or related to the picture plane in the same way.
Unity
is alone, the center, the One.
Units of Repetition
Duality
is YIN & YANG- indicating continuity. Duality
is fundamental to the Universe.
LEFT & RIGHT- divided yet
related, like the horns of a
bull.
Two together make a pair,
which we see as separates
–a
divided unity.
•
Three is magical-the resolved duality
, the Trinity, the
circular motion- two brought together by one.
•
Can be represented by a pair and a single dominant;
a triangle.
•
In terms of repetition
, four tends to many
and leads
to confusion, or just breaks into pairs/ twos.
•
Five resolves into two twos about a center, six and
more can be the repetition of pairs.
When the unit forms are used in larger size and smaller numbers,
the design may appear simple and bold ; when they are infinitely small and in countless numbers, the design may appear to be a piece of uniform texture, composed of tiny elements.
Rhythm is the basic element of design that results from grouping and repetition of one or more elements within a visual composition with the goal of creating harmony i.e. a rhythmic feeling.
• Rhythm is based on repetition, but requires more similar
elements than does repetition.
• A small number of similar elements will be perceived as a single
group, but rhythm requires enough similar elements to be perceived as several related groups.
• The repetitive groups must have some variation to achieve
rhythm. The most common way to achieve rhythm is with common shapes. Rhythm can evoke an emotional response, e.g., curvilinear forms can calm whereas angular lines can stimulate.
• The of importance of creating Rhythm can be demonstrated by
noting how many important rhythmic cycles we observe in nature -- consider the alternating tension and relaxation in the
heart's beating or in the ocean's waves, the revolutions of the earth around the sun, or the comings and goings of generations.
• Each of us has personal rhythms to our days, weeks, and years.
Life, indeed, would be chaotic without rhythm. Participating in the tempo of this flow gives us each amounts of excitement and calm, yearning and contentment, yin and yang. It is natural that we would employ rhythms to organize and unify our work, and rest of our experience.
• Repetitions of similar or varying graphic elements can create a
visual rhythm that creates a sense of organization and unity .
• Rhythm can be described as timed movement through space; an
easy, connected path along which the eye follows a regular arrangement of motifs. The presence of rhythm creates predictability and order in a composition.
•It is often achieved through the careful placement of repeated
components which invite the viewer's eye to jump rapidly or glide smoothly from one to the next .
•In any artwork, it is possible to distinguish between rhythm of
color, line, and form. In the continuity of the three comes the whole rhythm of that work.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Paul Klee
Henri Matisse
Examples in recent times
The Dancing House by Frank Gehry, 1996
The Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright,1959
There are several types of visual rhythm.
• Regular rhythm - AB-AB-AB - Picture alternating stripes of two
colors, for instance.
• Alternating rhythm consists of successive patterns in which the
element(s) continue to appear in a regular distinct order- AB-BA-AB.
• Progressive Rhythm is repetition of a shape that changes in a
very regular manner. Progression occurs when there is a gradual increase or decrease in the size, number, color, or some other quality of the elements repeated.
• Flowing rhythm - Flowing rhythms are the most relaxing, and
their gradual crescendos and decrescendos can be modulated into a final "cascade" to make a memorable point.
• Random rhythm - Groupings of similar motifs or elements that
repeat with no regularity create a random rhythm. Pebble beaches, the fall of snow, fields of clover, herds of cattle, and traffic jams all demonstrate random rhythms. What may seem random at one scale, however, may exhibit purpose and order at another scale.
Repetition, Pattern and Rhythm
Repetition refers to one object or shape repeated; pattern is a combination of elements or shapes repeated in a recurring and regular arrangement; rhythm--is a combination of elements repeated, but with variations.
The words Rhythm and Movement are often associated with music, dance and sports. We think of steady marching rhythms, drum beats and the pulsing sound of the bass on the radio as types of rhythms. The darting of soccer players, the graceful flow of ballet dancers and the artful dodging of basketball players emphasize Movement. Art also has rhythm and movement, a visual rhythm, a rhythmic movement.
Movement is the way a viewer's eye is directed to move through a composition, often to areas of emphasis.
• Motion is a characteristic an important consideration in design
as well as art. The visual illusion of movement can be based on anticipated movement.
• The use of multiple images can also create the illusion of
movement
A pulsing rhythm is set in motion by alternating the direction of bands of diagonal lines in this painting. Op Art paintings, called Op because they often contain optical effects, often present dizzying rhythms like the pattern seen here.
The easiest way to understand rhythm in work of art is to look at a three-dimensional sculpture that actually moves in space. Changes in air currents move the repeated shapes in this sculpture to form new compositions.
ART+COM - kinetic sculpture, 2008
