Maddison Wright
Intro to Art History
9/24/2013

Rhythm is an Art Form

Many expressive activities such as music, surfing through waves in the ocean, and poetry embody rhythmic patterns. We are used to living through rhythm in our lives and these continuous patterns almost act as a comfort zone. Rhythm holds a natural flow throughout the world which allows us to keep a hold on our daily routines and pleasures. When brought into artwork it is an essential aspect because it tells the viewer’s eyes where they need to look from start to finish - making it easy on the eyes of the observer.
There are infinite amount of examples relating to rhythm, one  is by the artist Maya Line who created earthworks demonstrating this form, her piece is called Storm King Wave Field. Her work is built throughout a field with “grass-covered earthen wave forms” as tall as 12 to 18 feet. This art work is fluid with each hill built and gives me a calming feeling because it represents the place I enjoy the most, the beach. 

Another art piece which has become one of my favorites is Pablo Picasso’s Girl Before a Mirror. This oil painting shows a women looking into a mirror yet one side is a bit more structured than the other. The use of the background is presented in a rhythmic form with contrasting colors relating to the main focus, the women. Rhythm as well takes place throughout the women’s body, for instance whatever is represented on the left side in a firm structure is presented on the right side as well but with more fluid paint strokes. A specific example would be the woman’s arm extending through the painting to the other side. Guiding her arm underneath are repeating curved red lines, helping the viewer’s gaze to move along the picture nicely.

A final example is Kaiho Yusho’s art piece titled Fish Nets Drying in the Sun. These six-panel screens show the calming shapes of the tents starting on the left side only to be cut off by the staccato lines of the leaves, leaving the piece to contradict itself. This artwork allows me to whiteness how beautiful lines can be in terms of rhythmic patterns.

Rhythm is represented in all art around the world, it is important to be able to identify this form and appreciate the movements in certain pieces. Rhythm is just one of many qualities each art piece conveys and I will be observing many more artworks with these thoughts in mind. 

Storm King Wave Field, Maya Line

Girl Before a Mirror, oil painting, Pablo Picasso

Fish Nets Drying in the Sun, Kaiho Yusho