REPETITION & RHYTHM IN ABSTRACT MIXED MEDIA COLLAGES
“With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved.
Polka dots can’t stay alone.”
Yayoi Kusama
Polka Dot room
Repetition refers to one object or shape repeated; rhythm--is a combination of elements repeated, but with variations.
Repetition and rhythm are important elements in constructing any work of art. Their use allows the eye to move around the piece, unifying it and encouraging the viewer to be drawn in.
What has this to do with intuitive painting?
If this is a conscious effort, what has it to do with our subconscious mind and our intuition? Since this is a real focus of mine, I started thinking about why this element is resonant within our bodies when we view a piece of art. Many years of meditation has allowed me to not see the body and mind as separate entities.
In order for our bodies to stay alive, we experience the steady beating of the heart and the breath going in and out, in and out…So it makes sense to me that when something is repeated visually, there is a certain resonance, almost maybe a comfort in the recognition of something that we have seen before. Perhaps it connects with the rhythm of our own bodies and that is what feels comforting.
Varying the element to create rhythm in the piece is what the video below describes.
Kandinsky and use of rhythm
Kandinsky was very interested in exploring and creating “spiritual atmosphere” He achieved this by filling the painting with rhythm, movement and color. He injected rhythm into his work almost like a musical score. That is why many of his pieces are named in musical terms such as “Improvisations” and “Composition”. This is very different from someone like Yasoi Kusama who was repeating symbols (such as the polka dot) to create a sense of order and sanity in contrast to her inner turmoil. For Kandinsky his art was more about exploring his consciousness and his relationship to it.
Kandinsky
IMPROVISATION 1913
In my weekly mixed media & composition classes, we focus on a different element so that my students gradually become aware of what to look for when they feel stuck or if their piece is just not working for THEM. Read more on my BLOG HERE where I talk about the four most important elements of art in my teaching.