Repetition / Rhythm

In art, repetition refers to repeating visual elements, such as lines, colors, shapes, or textures. Repetition helps the artist highlight important elements. It can also help draw the viewer's eye to different parts of the work. Repetition can also be used to create rhythm and movement in a work.

Fig 5.1. Repetition, Movement, Rhythm.

We usually think about rhythm in music, but rhythm in music has a similar meaning. While musical rhythm is a repetition of sounds that creates a pattern, in art the repetition occurs in the visual elements of the work. Different kinds of repetition can create different types of rhythm. The repetition of a single element or the repetition of two or more elements in a pattern can create a rhythm. A progressive repetition, in which an element is repeated with progressive changes, such as becoming increasingly small or increasingly light, can also create rhythm. Figure 5.1 has a repeating pattern. The pattern has rhythm because it is repeated at equal intervals.

Header Art Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.