Gestalt Principles

Contrast, Balance, and Harmony

Contrast is everywhere in our life so it only makes sense that it would translate over to our art. It is seen in paintings, writing, music, and, most recently, film. The interesting thing about film is that it can encapsulate all of the types of ideas regarding contrast from all of the various different mediums, including thematic, visual, and sonic contrast.

Likewise, film also allows its artists to utilize contrast in order to find a sense of balance or harmony. Sometimes, however, filmmakers like to subject people's expectations and create disharmony or dissonance in their images, moving the audience to feel a certain way.

Take a look at the image below, taken from the film Citizen Kane:

This iconic image shows many things in  the form of contrast. The most obvious is the stark contrast of black and white. Orson Welles shot this film in such a way that the black and white scheme creates more drama than if the film had been filmed in color. Likewise, the juxtaposition of the angle of the shot draws the audiences eyes upwards. The lines on the poster and the way Kane is motioning upwards with his hand makes him seem larger than life. Or maybe it is his ego that is larger than life as Kane himself is very small compared to the gigantic poster with his name imprinted on it. This contrast in size makes us realize that Kane desires power, that he is, in reality, a very small man who desires more power to feel important.

What is very interesting to note, however, is that one doesn't even need to see the film to get these concepts. The image is very basic and yet very complex. We see this image and think of our own connections to this image from what me maybe have seen on the news or television. We see the dictators of history and the businessmen who rose to power over time and we see Kane in those instances. 

Visceral Response

This image is from one of my favorite films, The Dark Knight. Now while an image from a film might be somewhat more convenient to use in making a case for what Richard Seymour calls stupefying, I consider this image, stripped of any music, sound, and other inclusive mediums, to be an amazing work of art that tells so much in just one frame.

The Dark Knight stands alone, dramatically with his cape in the air. But it is not a heroic pose. It is one of defeat. The building structure next to him is broken and crumbling. The place is on fire, the bright yellows and oranges contrasting sharply with the blue color temperature of the rest of the space. Ever since I first saw this film, I have been struck by this image. It's composition and suggested breakdown of structure matches the themes of the film. It occurs at a point in the film when hope seems least likely and evil looks to prevail. It shows Batman's inner struggle in a way pages of dialogue could never do.

My visceral response is not necessarily one of sadness, although the sad strings and the tone of the film at that point is very sad... but rather I feel loneliness. I get this feeling in my gut, a feeling as if I am standing in that very wreckage, feeling as if the entire world is against me. It has been a very strong feeling ever since I first saw this image. It is beautiful and haunting but upon first viewing I couldn't tell you why.