Fran's composition is a symphony of circles. In the background of the drawing are five large circles of equal size which overlap each other. Where the planes of the circles intersect, an array of curved geometric shapes are created. Using contrasting values, the drawing highlights the symmetrical patterns that these new shapes form--the artist uses a low key value, for example, for both a particular crescent shape and the identical shape that touches and mirrors it. The symmetry of the drawing is interrupted by a deliberate, subtle shift in the planes of these shapes within the large circle to the left, a device that creates a pleasing visual tension in the drawing.
In the foreground of the composition, atop the five large circles, is a winding chain of smaller circles that both ascend and descend, growing and shrinking in size, as the viewer's eye travels up and down the chain. Value is effectively employed here as well, with low key values anchoring the smallest circles with a sense of heaviness, moving to higher key values that convey increasing weighlessness as the viewer moves up the chain. This continuous gradation of values enhances the sense of movement created by the chain of circles.
For me, the composition succeeds on several levels. There is a pleasing sense of balance and symmetry, while at the same time elements of asymmetry are carefully employed to keep the drawing dynamic and visually interesting. Value is effectively employed both to emphasize the contrasting elements of symmetry and asymmetry and to create a sense of rhythm and motion that beckons the viewer's eye.
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Fran's composition is a symphony of circles. In the background of the drawing are five large circles of equal size which overlap each other. Where the planes of the circles intersect, an array of curved geometric shapes are created. Using contrasting values, the drawing highlights the symmetrical patterns that these new shapes form--the artist uses a low key value, for example, for both a particular crescent shape and the identical shape that touches and mirrors it. The symmetry of the drawing is interrupted by a deliberate, subtle shift in the planes of these shapes within the large circle to the left, a device that creates a pleasing visual tension in the drawing.
In the foreground of the composition, atop the five large circles, is a winding chain of smaller circles that both ascend and descend, growing and shrinking in size, as the viewer's eye travels up and down the chain. Value is effectively employed here as well, with low key values anchoring the smallest circles with a sense of heaviness, moving to higher key values that convey increasing weighlessness as the viewer moves up the chain. This continuous gradation of values enhances the sense of movement created by the chain of circles.
For me, the composition succeeds on several levels. There is a pleasing sense of balance and symmetry, while at the same time elements of asymmetry are carefully employed to keep the drawing dynamic and visually interesting. Value is effectively employed both to emphasize the contrasting elements of symmetry and asymmetry and to create a sense of rhythm and motion that beckons the viewer's eye.
--Leslie Spitalney
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