Gestalt #2 - Grayscale Edition

Larger shapes in the back, and smaller shapes in the front? Interesting...

What's been added?

The biggest addition that the gray values have added to this piece is a sense of depth, as the viewer is now able to distinguish which lines come forward in space and which ones recede back. In the original composition, it was unclear if each of the lines were on the same plane, or if they were staggered in implied three-dimensional space. With the addition of gray values, however, the ambiguity has completely vanished, and the viewer is easily able to tell where each line falls in space. The other aspect of this composition that adds resonance is the fact that it deviates from what is expected when it comes to implying depth in a composition. Usually, larger objects in a composition are expected to be in the front, while smaller objects are expected to recede in space. However, this composition instead sets the large shapes in the back of the composition, and the small shapes in front, which has been emphasized by using high and low levels of contrast (high levels to bring small shapes forward, and low levels to bring large shapes back into space).