Sports: The Movement

"Fikellura style amphora with a running man" is a Fikellura that was created in between the years 530 BC and 500 BC. This piece depicts a man that is running, and was done so by the artist placing his legs and arms spread out, in a running motion. The artist put a large amount of space in between the man and the other items, giving distance and adding to the illusion of a running motion.

Scenes From a Steeplechase: Another Hedge was created by artist Henry Thomas Alken in 1845, and depicts a horse race, otherwise known as a Steeplechase. The artist showed motion by utilizing the principal of design, movement, by utilizing many flowing lines, such as the ones in the water in the backdrop, the grass where the horses, and by the placement of the horses and their riders.

Allégorie Aux Sports is a painting that was created in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin. The painting depicts the goddess Athena placing a crown on a Greek athlete that had won an event, all the while being surrounded by other citizens/athletes of Athens. It specifically shows the movement that athletes make while rowing the boat, and bicycling. The shape element of the piece is slightly dynamic, using the principal of design, movement. It gives the illusion of motion, by using wavy lines in the water near the boats, and by blurring the grass near the bike riders. It does all of this while drawing the viewers eyes to the center of the piece, where Athena is located.

A Stag at Sharkey’s, is a lithograph made by George Bellows, in 1917. It depicts a major boxing match taking place. It specifically shows some of the movements boxers make in the middle of the fight By using the correct proportion of spectators in the background, it places the boxers front and center, showing movement by utilizing the placement of the boxers arms, and legs, and bold lines.

Australian Beach Pattern, created by Charles Meere in 1940, depicts a crowded beach with many people making athletic movements, including that of swimmers, and volleyball players. By using the chosen pattern/placement of people, the artist allows for very little negative space, giving the piece a feel of crowdedness, while helping give the illusion of movement with the use of very bold lines.

Sky Dash, created between 1969 and 1970, by Ian Scott, is apiece depicting a woman jumping in the air, while another woman sits on the ground beneath her on a warm summer day. The woman leaping in the air, over the other woman on the ground, shows the athletic movements of gymnast. The artist gave the piece movement and depth by utilizing the placement of the women in the forefront, the mountains and hills in the back, and using moving, wavy lines, in the clouds.

Olympic Series, Basketball was created in 1983 by Hans Erni. The painting shows different aspects of a basketball game, by the artist choosing to blend images together. Within the layers of images, the artist captured the movement of the athletes during the tipoff of the game, using different patterns, outlines of different people and the blending of images to create the illusion of movement and motion.

Olympic Series, Fencing was painted in 1983 by Hans Erni. The painting depicts a fencing match between two people while two others look on, one from each side. The artist interpreted the movement of the athletes using parallel lines, positioning the two fencers at the correct angle, giving the almost 3d effect. He also blended in the lines and patterns to also form the two on lookers.

Hans Erni created seven Runners in 1990. The painting depicts seven people running, one of which is carrying the Olympic torch, while five other people are in the foreground, during the crowning ceremony of the winner of the race. The artist interpreted the movement of the athletes using the positioning of their limbs in running movement, while placing some in front or behind other runners. He also used the angle of the flame on the torch to help with the illusion. The spacing was very crowded, with not much negative space left on the glass surface.

Rosa Serra created Olympic Suite, Alpin Skiing, in 1992. The sculpture depicts an Alpine skier going down a slope. The skiing movement was captured by the artist’s use of angles and straight, often parallel, lines. The skier’s form was extremely tight, keeping all of the upper body as parallel to the skis as was physically possible, helping to engage the viewers and helping them to see the motion.