Today we look at what contrast is in relation to various fields of art and science. We find this term in music, mathematics, physics and literature, in the theatrical context and in cinema. Contrast is also of great importance for photography and even for a painting written in paints or pencils.
General short concept
To begin with , we determine what contrast is, regardless of any industry. The term comes from the French word contraste, which translates into Russian as "the opposite." The essence of contrast is the difference between two (standard version) elements. Their differences may lie not only in size, but also in shapes, colors, age ... in addition, contrast can occur to us in intangible things. These are music, associations, dreams, dreams, people's behavior, voices, impressions and so on.
Music and its expression
Every musician knows what contrast is in music. We will use their knowledge and enrich our horizons. Bright, emotional and creative works are based on contrast. It is achieved by comparing fundamentally different musical units. For example, it may be the contrast of shades - a sharp transition from a loudly played chord to a quiet search of notes. The difference can be in frets - the first part of the work is performed in minor, and the final - in major (Fantasy in D minor by Mozart). Similarly, contrasts in musical art manifest themselves in rhythm (size change in the middle of a piece), in pace, in strokes. Pieces in which smooth legato and jerky staccato alternate are very original.
Painting
Since the inception of the very first types of art, people knew what contrast was, but they used this technique very carefully. In antiquity, in the Middle Ages, and even in the Renaissance, the color scheme was in vogue in the same vein. That is, if the picture should be dark - then all of its elements consist of either gray tones or brown. If something bright is portrayed, then all the colors are selected in accordance with this rule. At the end of the 19th century, creators began to depart from these standards, and the brightest, most expressive contrast was used. Moreover, it consisted not only in color, but also in forms. For example, Van Gogh focused on the combination of the brightest shades in his works. Salvador Dali experimented with forms, and also compared the most incompatible objects. Pablo Picasso knew how to distort proportions so that they looked deliberately wrong, but at the same time unique and very beautiful.
The photo
Nowadays, contrast is a definition that many people associate with film or electronic versions of pictures. The bottom line is that the photographic material conveys the difference in characteristics of different parts of the image. It can be very dark and very light colors, cold and warm tones, which in total creates a saturation of the picture, makes it holistic and bright. The most striking technique in photography is optical contrast. Its basis is that one subject, which plays the main role in the picture, is very different (by any sign) from the background. Optical contrast is divided into color (also found in the design of clothes and premises), as well as the contrast of lighting (the play of light and shadows).
Literature
In this area, you can most clearly see what the contrast of images is. Any work, whether it is a story, poem, poem or novel, consists of the main characters. The most interesting thing is that this role is not necessarily people. It can be birds (Lermontov, “Birds of Heaven”), animals, natural phenomena (Fet, “Spring rain”), atmosphere (Block, “Night, street, street lamp ...”), etc. The contrast here consists mainly in antonyms. They can be found either in the description or in direct speech. The second contrast of the images is directly portraits of the main characters. Bad - good, high - low, sick - healthy, rich - poor, etc. In this context, the works of Dostoevsky can be considered contrasting. He clearly shows the reader the difference between rich people and those representatives of society who have just removed the bonds of serfdom.
Cinema
Another type of art where you can clearly see what contrast is is cinema. In principle, it can be combined here with the theater, since the principle of the actors' play and scenarios are identical. As in literature, contrast is based on images and atmosphere. The type of behavior of the heroes is being worked out. Someone behaves majestically, someone is low, some actors have a good mood - others have a depressed, someone trusting, someone sneaky. Any play, any film and any picture is built on this. It is safe to say that without contrast it is impossible to write a single novel and, accordingly, it is impossible to put on a play or make a film on it.