The collection of artwork in this gallery each have repetitive patterns or images. The use of repetition generally creates a movement or rhythm which include regular, random, alternating, progressive and flowing. Each individual piece adds to the work allowing you to go to places inside yourself that have not yet been explored.
The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889, From the collection of: MoMA The Museum of Modern Art
This infamous painting which inspired a song (Vincent by Don McLean) is one of the most beautiful images I have ever seen. The colors are comforting and the bright sun is hopeful for the day to come. The repetition of the subdued yellow circles across the sky over the rolling hills behind the rows of houses creates a regular as well as flowing rhythm. The swirls of stars seem to catch me and draw me into the rhythm of being rocked and cared for under the heavens.
A Dutch Road, Anton Mauve, ca. 1880, From the collection of: The Toledo Museum of Art
The regular rhythm depicted by the trees in this painting is so beautifully done with the subdued tones while the small break in the sky hopefully leads to a brighter traveling day. The wet road allows us to see the footprints also indicating regular rhythm.
Movement in Squares, Bridget Riley, 1961, From the collection of: Arts Council Collection
This basic black and white checkerboard is so familiar that the undulation of the squares being pushed together creates a curiosity. Where are these squares going? Why? This technique creates a flowing rhythm.
Black Cross, New Mexico, Georgia O’Keeffe (American, 1887-1986), 1929, From the collection of: The Art Institute of Chicago
Is the cross moving backward or is it moving forward? Maybe it is not moving at all but I definitely feel movement because of the repetitive rolling hills as they meet the sunset. All perspectives are correct. The only thing that changes is how we choose to see it.
When I first looked at this I swore it was moving. These are adult sweaters washed multiple times to shrink and then laid out in such a way to look as though they were a vertebrae. I see movement all over this piece which would be regular rhythm.
Catch Me If You Can, Lee, Joong Keun, 2008/2009, From the collection of: Korean Art Museum Association
This reminds me of the movie. This guy could not be caught and we can see why. The regular rhythm created by the non-stop movement of the one repetitive image wears me out especially with the outer circles that might represent each place this character ran. The color yellow represents "greatness" in psychology.
To me, there is a great deal of movement in this piece because the foxes seem to be coming together. This is random rhythm since the recurring pieces are different sizes. I keep looking at this expecting something to happen.
Herons, Chen Wen Hsi, 1990, From the collection of: National Heritage Board, Singapore
This is another random rhythm piece because the shapes are used in different sizes. I feel constant movement all through this piece but it is rather soothing because of the subdued colors which represent so many different emotions. This is another one I could spend a great deal of time with since each image shows me something different.
Coastal Scene with Cliffs, John Constable, 1776–1837, British, ca. 1814, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Does the water flow? The clouds may roll but the technique makes the water and the clouds seem to flow in this flowing rhythm. The colors are soft and muted bringing emphasis to the weather which appears to be changing. It feels like you can see forever.
Wedding Supper, Martin van Meytens, 1763, From the collection of: Schönbrunn Palace
The windows in this piece represent a progressive rhythm because even though the windows are all the same they are a little bit different as they progress to the back of the scene. The people tend to become more and more obscure as the scene progresses to the back, as well.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
