Monday, January 27, 2014

Gestalt Principle: Figure and Ground

In M.C. Escher's work, Sky and Water 1, one of the gestalt principles are used. Even though it is hard in places to differentiate the background from the object, our eye naturally does it. At the top and bottom of the page, it is really easy to tell what the figure is because of the detail that the artist chose to include. In the middle area of the page, however, there are few lines, and the eye still separates these objects from the background. Proximity is also seen in this artwork by the spacing of the object. It makes the viewer's eye see the shape that the objects make up.