Contrast in Art and In Life

Contrast
Verb. To set in opposition in order to show or emphasize differences.
Noun. A difference, especially a strong dissimilarity, between entities or objects compared.
One thing that is strikingly dissimilar to another.
The use of opposing elements, such as colors, forms, or lines, in proximity to produce
an intensified effect in a work of art.
The difference in brightness between the light and dark areas of a picture, such as a
photograph or video image.


Contrast: it’s what allows our eyes to see. Think about it; if everything we see were only in mid-tones and we converted it to black and white—what would we see? My eye is drawn to things that have really high contrast—very bright lights and very dark darks. It makes my eye wander over to the light, but I also wonder what lies in the dark areas. It piques my curiosity. It gives my mind something to play with; stimulates my imagination. I can make up entire stories about what could be in that darkness.

I happen to be a fan of horror/suspense movies. While the graphic visuals can be amazing and get your heart pumping, to me, nothing can beat the ones that leave your imagination to fill in the blanks. It’s an interesting phenomenon; our brains are capable of coming up with many and varied, and at times, much more scary images than if the film-makers gave us the whole image. It makes us a part of the action, by forcing our brain to participate in the making of the movie—it becomes partly our creation. I also love it when a movie ends prematurely; you know, when you feel as if there were more to the story, so that you are forced to imagine what comes next.

So, how does that translate into our art? Visual artists use the same ‘tricks’. We use compositional elements to lead the viewer’s eye around the painting, we use soft or disappearing edges to force the viewer’s eye to finish that section of the painting for himself, and we leave part of the story of the particular piece untold to give the viewer a chance to make the art his own.

Alright, so here’s the challenge: involve your viewers in your artwork by adding some contrast!

Quote: A common problem for beginners is their fear of bold contrast. The decision to reduce tonal range in this way is a misguided attempt to draw attention away from any errors. It only robs the work of vitality and depth. (Janine Parsons)