Project #22 Silohouettes

Minimal art can be very evocative.  For example silohouette art using shapes and contrasting figure and background can be just as powerful as a very detailed drawing or painting in a different way. Sophie Lecuyer's light grey on black silohouette above does a beautiful job of being both powerful and subtle.

Silohuettes are like shadows, they show the outline of a person or object and give an impression of the volume of the object.  How it commands space and interacts with the negative space around it.

Silohouette portraits were made for hundreds of years before photography was available and afterward.  It was a relatively easy and inexpensive way to create an image of someone for remembrance. The portrait above by Elle Y has nice small details that add movement to the crisp image. Walker Evans (second image from the top) and other photographers have used shadows and silohouettes to create mysterious portraits of people.  William Kentridge (below) uses silohouettes almost exclusively in his artworks from paintings to puppets.  

Illustrators use silohouette to create playful scenes.  Some are clean and crisp, others are a bit muddy and messy.  

Silohouettes can create a portrait, tell a story, catalogue the shapes of a group of objects.  They create a landscape or garden or still life.  You can cut them out of paper or draw them or paint them.  They are very versatile.

The higher the contrast between the object and background the more punch they will have on the viewer but you may want something more subtle.  Think about what kind of mood you want to create then choose a color for your silohouettes and get started.