ART AND PSYCHOLOGY

Gestalt Principles Applied to Visual art

I. Gestalt • Psychology of Perception

Theory of • Objective – to better understand the human perception and
Perception behavior
• Suggests that humans process information as one whole
rather than each individual element
• Proposes that people make sense of the world by taking
separate and distinct elements and combining then into a
unified whole

A. Gestalt 1. Pragnanz
Principles 2. Figure/Ground
3. Similarity
4. Proximity
5. Closure/Reification
6. Objectification or Categorical Aspection
7. Emergence
8. Multistability
9. Invariance
10. Continuity
11. Symmetry and Order
12. Common Fate

Note* numbers 7-12 are not included in the eLMs.

1. Pragnanz
/ Law of
Simpplicit
y

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 When we see the Olympic rings, we see five
interlocked rings instead of "C" and lens shapes. The
circles are simpler shapes to process than the C or
lens shapes.

• The human mind tends to simplify complexity.

• The human mind prefers order to chaos.
• Pragnanz help us see order and regularity in a world of
visual competion.

Attached Link: Discussion about Law of Pragnanz

https://venngage.com/blog/law-of-
pragnanz/?fbclid=IwAR12CNBSei07pl7YTvGEY_1BJOI0KZJmVc
k4gaRxn20aKC-TmYqTzc3O2tU#pragnanz

2. Figure /
Ground

Rubin's Vase is a classic illustration that demonstrates

the principles of figure/ground and multistability. If you
consider a white background, you see a black vase in
the foreground. And if you consider a black background
color, you see two faces looking at each other.

• This law examines how the eye can separate shapes in

a design from the background of that design

Attached Link: Discussion about Law of Figure/Ground:

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-figure-ground-
perception-2795195
3. Similarity

• The human eye tends to perceive similar element in a design

as a complete picture, shape or group, even if those
elements are separated.
• The human eye tends to build a relationship between similar
elements within a design.
• The brain seems to craft a link between elements of a
similar nature. Then, we perceive them in a relationship with
each other, separating them from other elements in a
design. Human eyes are good at filling in “gaps” or
connecting “dots”.

Attached Link: Discussion about Law of Similarity:

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-law-of-
similarity-gestalt-principles-1#the_law_of_similarity-1

4. Proximity

• The law of proximity describes how the human eye

perceives connections between visual elements. Elements
that are close to each other are perceived to be related
when compared with elements that are separate from each
other.
• The law of proximity allows us to use whitespace, for
example, to build perceived relationships between different
elements (Soegaard, 2020).

Note* For more discussion, please check the link provided on

the References – authored by Soegaard.
5. Closure/
Reificatio
n

• Closure is the illusion of seeing an incomplete stimulus as

though it were whole. Thus, one unconsciously tends to
complete (close) a square, circle or triangle that has a gap
in one of its sides or arc.

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

6. Objectific
ation or
Categoric
al
Aspection
/
Emergenc
e

Instead of interpreting each blotch separately, we

immediately identify a Dalmatian from a collection of
oddly shaped black blotches. In other words, the
Dalmatian emerges from the seemingly random
scene.

• We perceive the world without thinking too much about

understanding every small thing around us. This ability
to quickly make sense of our environment is essential
for survival.
7. Common
Reagion

• We perceive elements that are in the same closed region as

one group. To apply this principle to your interfaces, group
related objects together in a closed area to show they are
separate from other groups.
8. Multistabil
ity

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 In the Necker cube optical illusion, you can interpret
it as a three-dimensional cube with the "front" face
either toward the lower left or the top right. A third
interpretation is that intersecting lines create a
diamond in the center. Often, when we interpret the
image one way, we find it hard to see the other
interpretations.

• When images are ambiguous and present two or more

meaningful interpretations, we experience the sensation
of switching between them. We cannot see the multiple
versions simultaneously. This switching sensation is
called multistability.
9. Invariance

• We tend to perceive basic shapes as identical despite

various transformations:
▪ Rotation
▪ Movement
▪ Size Alteration
▪ Stretching

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 ▪ Different lighting conditions
▪ Variations in parts

10. Continuity

• The principle of continuity states that when individual

elements of a visual image are aligned in a way that
suggests a continuous line, they will be perceived as an
integrated whole.
• This principle states that human eye groups elements that
seem to follow a continuous path in a particular direction.
• The human eye follows the paths, lines and curves of a
design and prefers to see a continuous flow of visual
elements rather than separated objects.
11. Symmetry
and Order

If you were to conduct a survey and ask people

around to group the given symbols, the probability of
getting the matched brackets on the right as an
answer is higher than the pair of brackets on the left.

• Humans tend to see visual elements as grouped

when they are arranged symmetrically.
• Human mind tends to favor symmetrical forms

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 12. Common
Fate

• In nature, we see this in things like flocks of birds or schools

of fish. They are made up of a bunch of individual elements,
but because they move seemingly as one, our brains group
them together and consider them a single stimulus.
• This principle refers to the human tendency to perceive
visual elements moving in the same direction or in unison
as grouped.
• Visuals need not be moving to convey motion.

Perception of Space: Perspective

I. Projection

• The process of transportig the visual image of an object into

the picture plane (from eLMs)
• projection is a means of organizing space, relationships
between objects, and the observer's presence in an image.

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

Kinds of
Projection

A. Flat • The design that does not attempt to show depth or

Projectio perspective in images, using simple design and color
n choices
• Absence of curvature or surface detail of a two-dimensional
work of art.

Note* Please check the eLMs if you’re looking for sample images

B. Perspectiv
e
Projection

• Perspective projection is used to draw the three dimensional

picture of an object as it appears to the human eye.
• Perspective projections are also called central projections
and are one technique for showing a three-dimensional
object on a flat surface

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

II. Perpective
View

• Worm’s-Eye View
• Normal Perspective
• Aerial View/Bird’s-Eye View
III. Linear
Perspective
Drawing

▪ A system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface. All

parallel lines (orthogonals) in a painting or drawing using this
system converge in a single vanishing point on the
composition's horizon line
▪ Two-Point Perspective
▪ Threee-Point perspective

Symbolic Meaning: Psychoanalyzigng the Artist and the Art

I. Psychoanal • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

ytic Theory ➢ father of Psychoanalysis
of Beauty

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 ➢ Theory of Subconscoius Mind
According to Freud, thoughts and
emotions outside of our awareness continue to
exert an influence on our behaviors, even
though we are unaware (unconscious) of
these underlying influences. The unconscious
mind can include repressed feelings, hidden
memories, habits, thoughts, desires, and
reactions.

• Carl Jung (1875-1961)

➢ Theory of the Collective Consciousness
The collective unconscious contains the
whole spiritual heritage of mankina’s
evolution born anew in the brain structure of
every individual.

• Psychoanalytic Theory of Beauty

The psychological state of mind that
(subconscious) that perceives and conceives whether
a thing or a person is beautiful or ugly (from eLMs).
Freud speculates also that the sense of beauty has
its roots in sexual stimulation and principally in the
libidinal excitation produced by looking at a sexual
object; the appreciation of artistic beauty is a
sublimation of this earlier sexual excitation (Clack,
2021).

II. Trauma • Discussion about the controversies of Leonardo da Vinci

▪ Homosexuality (the Monalisa)
▪ Leonardo da Vinci and a Memory of His
Childhood - Book writtend by Freud about his
psychoanalysis of da Vinci’s sexual life.
Freud claimed that “Leonardo da Vinci was a
repressed homosexual.”
▪ Contributing factors to the claim:
-Had no children
- never been married

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 - no female companion

Note* Please check the eLMs for more detailed discussion

Sublimal Suggestion and Escapism in Art and Music

Arthur Schopenhauer
• Music is a way of escape from the suffering of human
life.
I. Escapist
• According to Schopenhauer, music is not a
Theory of
representation of Ideas, but rather of the Will itself. Music
Music
and the world are expressions of the same metaphysical
principle, the Will. This motivates Schopenhauer’s
remark that music could exist even if there were no world
at all.
II. Subliminal • Subliminal messages are hidden words or images that
messages are not consciously perceived but may influence one's
attitudes and behaviors. The use of subliminal messages
- especially in advertising - has been controversial for
decades
• It showed that not only are subliminal messages capable
of getting through to an audience, but the more negative
the subliminal message, the more likely it will be recalled.
The results also said that the humans are programmed
on a subconscious level to respond to stimulus
containing a potential threat
A. Types of • Visual cues that are flashed so quickly (milliseconds)
Subliminal that people don’t perceive them
messaging: • Sub-visual messages are made up of visual cues
and can appear in TV, print, and other visually -
• Subvisual based mediums. One example of a sub-visual
messages message is a company logo flashed briefly on-
screen, disappearing so quickly that you don’t even
realize you see it. Or, sub-visual messages can
involve visual cues that are incorporated into
company logos, communicating specific ideas to
the user’s brain in a very indirect manner.
Note* Pease gather more examples for subvisual messages

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

 • Subaudible • Sub-audible messages include audio content that
messages is inserted into another, different piece of audio. For
example, a voice recording might be added to the
audio of a song or interview, but at a very low
volume that makes it nearly impossible to detect.
Even though the volume makes the message very
subtle, the listener’s brain may still “hear” it and
store it within the subconscious.
Note* Pease gather more examples for subaudible messages
III. Backmasking • Backmasking is subliminal messaging in audio,
using either a voice recording played in reverse or
played normally. This is probably the type of
subliminal messaging that has the most notable
presence in urban legend and conspiracy theories,
but it actually isn’t used that often

Note* Pease gather more examples for backmasking

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3

REFERENCES

Clack, B. (2021). Freud and Psychoanalytic Aesthetics. Retrieved from Routledge

Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/thematic/freud-and-psychoanalytic-
aesthetics/v-1
Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, August 30). What are the Gestalt Principles?
Retrieved from Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF.: https://www.interaction-
design.org/literature/topics/gestalt-principles
Soegaard, M. (2020, January 20). Laws of Proximity, Uniform Connectedness, and
Continuation – Gestalt Principles (Part 2). Retrieved from Interaction Design
Foundation - IxDF: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/laws-of-
proximity-uniform-connectedness-and-continuation-gestalt-principles-2

CORNELL NOTES: | GROUP 3