Contrast, Balance, Harmony

Over the last little while, I am have been somewhat intrigued by the moon and the role it seems to place in the grand scheme of themes and how it affects our daily lives, whether we notice it or not. This intrigue was only heightened by the drive home from Salt Lake yesterday. My wife had pointed out shape of the moon and that led to a discussion about the shape, impacts it gives and it's ultimate purpose. With these various thoughts and conversation points, I have decided to decipher the contrast, balance, and harmony out of a simple picture taken of the moon by David Taylor of Edinburgh, Scotland.

 Contrast

Contrast is defined nicely by Professor Young when he stated that it is the "comparing [of] fundamental opposites." He gives examples such as dark/light and fast/slow. He then mentions further that the "values are merely relative" when it comes to comparing each opposite.

When you look at this picture of the moon, you immediately identify the opposites of dark/light. What is interesting with this picture is the two opposites are not sitting on the far ends of the totem pole. Yes, there is a complete blackness for one opposite, but the variance in colors for what is supposed to be the other half has a mixture of lighter colors. Those different colors could be coming from a number of sources (i.e. shadows cast along the moon's surface due to texture of the moon, which could be caused by craters, physical surface characteristics, etc.).

Another opposite that I can identify in this picture is the concept of soft and hard. As you look at the "two sides" that meet the blackness, each interacts differently. The left side has a sharpness that the right side does not. In my opinion, it seems that the right side is a little more blended in with the blackness. It gradually fades into the darkness, thus giving it the soft component. Yet, on the left side, the lightness in colors ends sharply and immediately changes into the blackness.

Balance

There are three types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. Each balance allows the eye to see the image in different ways. When I look at image for this post, I immediately identify the symmetry in the image. The moon seems to be cut directly in half at an angle, thus splitting the image 50/50 per say. You can grow that thought by saying the difference between "white and black" appears to be the same ratio to the moon being split in half.

Yet, as I look more closely at this picture, I may even go as far as saying it could be an asymmetrical image. The moon does not necessarily take up 50% of the image because the blackness even surrounds the moon completely, thus giving it a higher percentage in the picture. Upon first glance, it doesn't necessarily give that appearance.

Harmony

As a whole, the image of the moon could be considered very harmonious. The colors, shapes, orientation, etc. seem to have a perfect blend when thought of as a whole. There doesn't really seem to be anything in the image that tries to tug the picture out of harmony. As you look at the moon in closer detail, you can see the mini shapes along the surface. They seem to add to the overall image and don't seem to distract the eye even though they don't follow a particular pattern.

Gestalt Principle(s)

While looking at this picture of the moon, I identify three Gestalt Principles: figure/ground relationship, law of similarity, and law of proximity. The figure/ground relationship deals with the moon and space (the blackness) itself. To me, the moon is identified as the figure. It rests upon space itself, thus making space the background of the image.

The principle of law of similarity and law of proximity are closely intertwined if not interchangeable in the image. What allows me to see these two principles are the multiple craters found on the surface of the moon. There is a cluster of craters towards the bottom right of the visible part of the moon. These craters are all similar shapes, thus identifying the law of similarity, but I can also identify those craters to follow the law of proximity because they are all "physically" close together in the image.

Final Thoughts

The moon has always played a part in the life of man throughout history. It plays different roles depending on the generation and the need they have of it. In olden times, the moon was a key source of light when the sun would set for the day. Today, many humans rely on the ability it has to produce tides for a good surf. Whatever the need it provides, humans have taken advantage of it.

In my mind, when I look at this image, I can't help but identify some symbolism behind it and how it represents today's modern society. There is no longer this distinction in humanity when it comes to things being black/white, there is always room for grey and personal interpretation. Look at the movement of the LGBTQ +, it definitely is symbolic in the picture where there are different shades represented on the moon and how humans have their particular preferences. The list could go on and on, but I hope you can see the point I am making.

I have enjoyed taking this simple image and dissecting every facet from it that I could.