Wednesday 21 September 2011

Works of Art

Elements & Principles of Design

Throughout her works of art, COLOR is a dominant factor. Her Mexican heritage has certainly influenced many of her pieces. This can be seen through her clothing styles as well as through the reoccurrence of Orange/Red colors. Along with culture, red colors are used for illustrating blood or internal organs. Green is another color that is prominent throughout her works. Greenish tones are mainly utilized for the nature aspect of her pieces. Overall, the colors that Kahlo uses give off an earthy feel. 

Kahlo uses TEXTURE to create a contrast between the rough and soft spaces. The rough textures can generally be found in the background to illustrate the dry lands. The softer textures are found in main subjects, an example being, Kahlo's Mexican styled dresses. 

In her pieces, LINES can be found predominantly in the backgrounds. They usually are less defined but with the use of colors they are easier to spot. In my opinion, the lines are there for the purpose of creating a comparison within her pieces. 


With the use of COLOR, TEXTURE and LINES, these elements demonstrates variety within Kahlo's art. Each element gives way to the use of EMPHASIS and BALANCE. Vibrant colors directs the viewers eyes to the center point of her pieces. The lightness and darkness of the colors allows for a balance within the pieces as well. As mentioned earlier, texture creates a distinction between rough and soft. That distinction balances the two opposites. Similarly, the undefined lines expresses a balance. Particularly because the line separates pieces horizontally as well as vertically.

The Love Embrace of the Universe, The Earth (Mexico), Diego, Me, and Senor Xolotl. 1949
Los Dos Fridas. 1939
Tree of Hope. 1946

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