Breaking the Rules of Art

In my previous posts, we learned about some rules to follow to improve your artwork or design. However, we are talking about art, which can be interpreted, or created in any shape, and still be a great piece without the use of any such rules.

However, in order to break the rules, you should first know the rules!

Such as "Girl with Mandolin" by Picasso.

This piece breaks rules but at the same time has the sense of color balance and balance of elements.

Pablo Picasso is well known for his famous works of cubism. However, what many do not know is that he possessed the talent to paint such works as the “Primera Communion”.

Some might wonder why an artist would go from painting realism into something like cubism. Picasso may have said it better himself.

Think of it like this, when you go to make an omelet, you may add what you like to them such as ham, cheese or mushroom. You know what ingredients will work and what doesn’t. More importantly, you know how to make an omelet. If you didn’t then the other ingredients would not matter.

Well the same could be said in art and design, if you don’t know how to do it, then what you add to it will not matter.

This painting of a sunset for example shows the complete opposite of using color for depth.

by Connie Mulloy

Cool colors such as blue, are usually set within the background, and warm colors in the foreground. This painting does the reverse, yet it works.

Perhaps one of the most famous artists to have broken the rules of art is Claude Monet. He is the original artist to do Impressionism.

By taking away the details as in the way others would paint, Claude Monet replaced them with bigger strokes of paint that would give you the “Impression” of what was painted.

Another way to think about breaking the rules is that in order to do so, one must bring their own originality to the work. Every artist who breaks the rules does it differently and is remembered for different reasons.

Take for instance, M.C. Escher, who did not focus on such things as rule of thirds. Instead, his focus was on illusion of perspective such as this drawing where we see the ladder impossibly resting on the bottom floor.

Basically, if you want to be remembered as a great artist, first learn the rules, then develop the talent to use those rules, then break those rules in a way that no one else ever had done before.

You don’t have to over think it, just try something different. It could be one small change such as what Auguste Rodin had done with his sculptures.

Auguste Rodin had sculpted famous works such as “The Thinker”

Is he famous because he could sculpt like that of Michelangelo? No, he did things differently. His sculptures were more blocky and exaggerated in proportion. Many of his sculptures, including “The Thinker”, had larger than life hands.

So if you want to be unique and want your work to stand out, break the rules! But first learn them.