Rhythm in Art and Photography

by Editor Lourens Durand
Published the 12th of August 2020

'Going Back' by Angela Muliani Hartojo

When we look at a painting, our eyes initially take in the entire picture before being drawn towards the focus point. As we immerse ourselves deeper into the painting, we may feel a sense of the rhythm that shapes the mood of the work, through a sense of movement of colours, lines, shapes, objects, and values, lending a sense of balance and harmony that moulds the mood into a state of feeling calm, relaxed, frantic, happy or sad.

This concept of “rhythm” is one of the classical elements of artistic composition, in both art and photography, so we can learn from the Old Masters.

'Harmony' by Mary Ann Andrews

'warmth – cold' by Roman Lipinski @ czeadnik

Hintersee....' by Krzysztof Browko

'waiting a moment' by asit

Rhythm in a painting (or a photograph) is accomplished by variations and movement of repetitive patterns, inviting the eye to dance around the picture, resting on some patterns for a while before moving on.
Busy clusters of repeated patterns may create a sense of chaos, or of an impending storm, whilst fewer and more subtle repetitions create a sense of calm and restfulness.
Straight lines force the eyes to move quickly across the scene compared to blocks of colours, shapes, or values of light and dark, that hold your attention for a moment or more, in the same way that pauses do in music.

'Nightfall in the Favela da Rocinha' by Adelino Alves

'Harmony' by HM Shen

'up and down' by renate

'Winter' by Jure Kravanja

'Harmony' by girdan nasution

'Rhythm' by Zoltán K. Bartha

Rhythm may be regular or random in nature, expanding or diminishing, loud or muted, rapid or leisurely, and it is through skilful application of these that artists and photographers are able to create movement and life, transforming mere pictures into true works of art.

Besides bringing a picture to life, rhythm is important in creating and maintaining unity, harmony, and balance in a photograph, gathering all the elements together in a unified way. Alternatively, a stormy, chaotic, or frenzied atmosphere could be achieved by creating rhythms that deliberately upset the balance.

'Rhythm' by Adam Chen

'Columns' by Harry Lieber

'Cycle in Gold' by Lars van de Goor

'Relax and Smoking' by Mieke Suharini

'Parallel' by Mohammadreza Momeni

'Winter's Rhythm' by Sebastian Prioteasa

'In a storm of colors' by Thierry Dufour

'B&W Harmony' by Florentinus Joseph

The use of rhythm applies to all genres of photography, from abstracts to still life, portraiture, and nature. Although its use in portraits is not all that obvious, subtle use of rhythm influences the mood of the picture and moves the focus gently around the picture towards the subject’s eyes.
Nature has its own intrinsic rhythm which, if harnessed, can result in masterpieces of photographic beauty.

'Happiness' by Dilek Yurdakul Uyar