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What is MOVEMENT?
The path the viewer’s eye takes through an artwork, often toward a focal point or across a scene.
Movement has the following effects:
Viewer’s eye is guided through an artwork.
Controls how the viewer experiences the composition.
Adds energy or narrative flow.
How do we create MOVEMENT in Art?
Leading lines
(E.g. roads, gaze direction)
Scene from Forrest Gump (Film)
Our eyes follow the direction of the road, from the foreground to the vanishing point in the background.
Directional Flow
Arrangement in diagonals or curves
The Descent from the Cross, 1612 - 1614, Oil on Panel, Peter Paul Rubens
Our eyes are guided by the line form by the arrangement of the characters and cloth.
Rhythm
Repetition suggesting motion or energy
Dance, 1910, Oil on Canvas, Henri Matisse
Speed Lines
Panel from Attack on Titan (Manga)
Use of directional lines and blurring create a sense of action.
Blurring
Actual or implied
Movement in Photography
Overlapping / Sequential Action
Horse in Motion, 1878, Eadweard Muybridge
Sequential photographs overlap to imply running.
More Examples of MOVEMENT in Art and around us
The Starry Night, 1889, Oil on Canvas, Vincent Van Gogh
Swirly lines in the night sky convey movement.
Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950, Enamel on Canvas, Jackson Pollock
Gestural drips preserve the trace of physical movement.
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913, Bronze, Umberto Boccioni
Sculptural “blurring” of limbs through flowing forms.
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