1.3.4: Directional Forces
- Page ID
- 256475
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by Jon McCallum
When an artwork contains "paths" for our eyes to follow, this is known as the Principle of Directional Forces.
Directional forces can be made up of actual elements that point our attention in a certain way, such as an actual arrow pointing our eyes towards something else, or the forces may be made up of implied, or suggested, lines, such as the gaze of a figure's eyes looking in a certain direction.
The sculptor Randolph Rogers applied incorporated many directional forces into his work The Last Arrow. Because of this, even though the work is a solid and still object of metal, it nevertheless feels dynamic and alive. Notice some of these forces:
- both of the rider's hands and head point in the direction of his bow and arrow
- the curved line of the bow enforces the direction of the arrow
- the horse's tail also extends in that direction
- the horse's head and right hoof point in the opposite direction of the arrow
- the other hoof points down to the figure beneath the horse
- the figure beneath the horse looks (an implied line) and reaches upward toward the rider while his right foot also extends in the direction of the arrow
As a result of these many forces, our eyes are kept active in the drama of this moment.
Randolph Rogers, The Last Arrow, bronze sculpture, 1880, 112 x 88 x 41 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
A gradual transition of elements from one to the next can also create a sense of direction as seen in the painting Swifts by Giacomo Balla. Notice how the slightly curved horizontal lines flow like waves across the work, while many geometric shapes of various kinds repeat again and again to create a strong sense of rhythm and motion even though the work itself is still.
Giacomo Balla, Swifts: Paths of Movement and Dynamic Sequences, oil on canvas, 1913, 97 x 120 cm, WikiArt, Museum of Modern Art
Content on this page was written by Jon McCallum, 2024.