The Heart of Design

May 24 – Extended through December 2023
BSU Harlow | Kleven Gallery

Artists create works to express ideas or thoughts about their world. They speak by creating a visual experience for the viewer.

Making a work of art employs fundamental design elements: line, value, space, color, and texture. These elements are combined in such a way as to create rhythms, balance, areas of emphasis, proportion, gradation, harmony, variety, and movement to grab the attention of the viewer.

If the artist can grab our attention, we will enter into a conversation about the idea presented. This interaction between art and viewer is natural since we all have an innate need to understand what we are looking at. We make associations from our experiences and knowledge of the world when looking at art.

So, as viewers, we bring a lot to this visual interaction. However, we may only connect with the piece if the artist perfectly combines the elements and principles of design to produce an emotional prompt.

Consider a technical drawing. A technical drawing adheres to the requirements of the elements and principles of design, but does it move you? A technical drawing conveys information but can be very sterile and flat.

For an artist passionate about an idea, grabbing the attention of the viewer’s emotion or heart is essential to being heard.