Emphasis

Emphasis is used to draw the audience's attention to a certain spot or focal point in the artwork. This can be done many different ways. Color, contrast, isolation, and grouping are just a few ways that emphasis can be used. Anselm Kiefer's Heliogabal has at least three separate focal points. The painting is of a body of water at sunset. The main focal point in the sun in the center of the portrait. It is the main focal point because when you first look at the painting, it is the first thing you look at. The sun is set off through contrast from the blue ocean. It is intensely bright compared to what the water looks like. The second focal point is the orange part of the sunset just above the sun. This draws you to the third focal point of the word Heiogabal written into the sunset in orange and yellow. All three focal points are emphasized through direction. The water looks like it fades into the sun, while the vertical lines of the sunset lead you directly to the three focal points. The scale of the painting also helps with emphasis. The sun is smaller than everything else and as you progress through the paintings, each focal point becomes a little bigger.