It's Not the Size of the Paintbrush, It's the Notion of Motion

With this session we'll be exploring Motion and how to convey it in an unmoving medium, such as painting. The terms this session are.....

- Anticipated Motion

- Illusion of Motion by Repeated Figure

- Illusion of Motion by Blurred Outline

- Illusion of Motion by Multiple Image

Let's jump right in with some examples.

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Anticipated Motion is when the elements in a piece of art signify that an event or action is about to take place. As seen below, the motion is milliseconds from taking place. This image produces a sense of anticipation and tension, and makes for a dynamic image.

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The Illusion of Motion by Repeated Figure is employed when a single artwork has the main figure repeated in various situations or actions in order to imply motion. This technique was often employed in ancient times in order to tell a narrative within a single artwork. Below is a contemporary example.

The movement of the man is implied by way of having himself repeated in three frames, and his movement can easily be seen by the mind's eye. Triptychs were very effective at conveying this type of illusion, and remain so to this day. A better example (one less within the realm of Multiple Image, which will be discussed in a moment) is given to us by the esteemed artist, philosopher and billionaire, Justin Comley. His highly acclaimed piece below, "Man Picking Up Child", is an example of Illusion of Motion by Repeated Figure. 

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When an object has a blurred outline (especially when other elements within the image are not as blurred) the effect generates a feeling of motion. This is the Illusion of Motion by Blurred Outline. The figures below that are moving the most are the most blurred ones, and this fact is not lost on the viewer.

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The Illusion of Motion by Multiple Image creates a sense of motion by showing the same object or figure in an artwork in multiple poses or positions, often overlapping. And after the advent of photography, it wasn't long before some clever darkroom-dwelling madman discovered the ability to expose an image more than once, thus producing the same effect via photography. Here are two examples of this type of illusion.

With the above image, the sense of motion is created by parts of the figure and bicycle being repeated across the painting. With the image below, the sense of motion is created by having several hands and balls repeated, implying the act of juggling.

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The illusion of motion can be used to create dynamic and engaging designs and artworks. These have been a few examples of such work.