Design+Elements+and+Principles

The work of designers contributes to the overall objectives of a production. It was not created to stand on its own. Scene, costume, lighting, property, and sound designs contribute to the way audiences perceive the actors who must relate the story of the playwright. I urge that you consider the various elements and principles of theatre design by first examining several selected paintings. This very brief visual review begins with Gotto, the early Renaissance Italian painter. Gotto's use of line, mass, and form are evident in the work below. How does he utilize these three elements in the following composition? Note how light (built into the painting) helps to define the shapes and massiveness of the figures. Where are the light sources in this work?
 * Design: Elements and Principles **

The following work by Winslow Homer illustrates that a selective use of color may be used to achieve great results. Here too the lines and the masses help us to focus our attention. Light plays a very crucial part, focusing our attention on the small figures in the bottom half of the painting as they appear to stroll leisurely in the midst of the forest. What mood and atmosphere has the painter evoked, do you think?

A master of color, the painter Cezanne has built his images primarily through laying small patches of paint on his canvas. His is an entirely different approach to the definition of mass and line. The mountain in the background is monumental but he has not used the conventions we have seen employed by either Gotto or Homer to define this shape. Color also plays an important role here. Note the range of the color palette and how certain colors help to define certain shapes. What are the strongest lines in the painting? Horizontal or vertical?

In this same vein, Renoir has taken small bits of color on canvas to define the figures in the pleasant environment of this outdoor cafe scene. Which group has he chosen to emphasize? How has he reinforced emphasis on the figures in this group? In what way has he provided variety and harmony? What is the atmosphere and mood of the gathering?

Millet has used strong back light to define his figures in space and create their striking monumentality. What does he seem to be saying about the peasants as a group in society and their relationship to the land?

Use these works as a basis for understanding how painters generally employ elements and principles of design when producing their work. Theatre designers have the same range of options at their disposal, except that our figures and the focus of their attention are the performers playing the various characters. Design contributes to the whole composition, it does not dominate at the expense of the actors.