The power of movement in attracting attention is well illustrated by a very homely example. A green insect upon a green leaf runs an excellent chance of escaping attention so long as it remains quiet, but let it begin to move across the leaf and it is discovered. So also apparent movement in design to a lesser degree attracts notice and interest. This movement is secured by anything which causes the vision to follow its course. The eye runs along a straight line, whatever its direction; it follows a twisted vine-branch along its sequence of curves. A diagram will make the subject additionally clear.

Diagram 5. - Movement as illustrated by various forms of windows.

A square, as shown in figure I, has equal sides and is static.

Figure 2 is the form of the classic window of the Greeks. It has a slight upward movement because the perpendicular lines are longer than the horizontal ones, but the difference is not great and with its right-angled corners the window is reposeful.

Figure 3 may represent the arched window of the Romans. Not only because of its greater height but owing to its curved top, it immediately attracts greater attention than the previous example.

Figure 4 is the form of the narrow, pointed-arch window of Gothic architecture. Its strong upward tendency is at once noticeable, and it is this movement toward the heaven above, carried out also in other details, which renders Gothic architecture so symbolically appropriate to ecclesiastical uses.

Now all of these differing forms have been good because symmetrical - the two curved sides of the Gothic arch, for instance, are equal and move toward a common centre. But suppose we built a window of the form of that arch cut in two longitudinally, as it is in Figure 5: the vision is immediately twisted off to the right at its top. This is movement indeed, and wrong movement.

This quality of movement may therefore be good or bad in itself. An architectural design or the pattern upon a settee or chair-covering may be intricate, one side may be unlike the other, but if in its totality its balance is perfect in form, colour, and intensity, and if its movement is directly perpendicular or horizontal it is good design. If it fails in any of these respects it is faulty. A Louis XV chair of the best form does not contain a straight line; it is entirely curvilinear, but these curves are so beautifully proportioned, so admirably supplement each other, that this chair is a marvel of graceful elegance and rhythmical movement (see Diagram 17 on Page 237): the Mousul rug with diagonal stripes, mentioned a few pages back, is, on the contrary, simplicity itself, but it disturbs any room in which it is placed because these stripes are in conflict with the lines of the room.

The Abuse Of Movement

But a perfectly designed rug if thrown down upon the floor at a wrong angle will be equally irritating (Plate 50); so we see that a good thing may be wrongly used and that the quality of movement may also be bad in its employment. In this case it is the direction of the edges of the rug which is in conflict with the direction of the walls of the room. Now if we place several other rugs, each at a different angle, the result will be simply distracting; because nowhere will there be any repose for the eye and the vision is involuntarily carried from one direction to another.

Here, then, is the practical use of a knowledge of movement.

I. Articles of furnishing must not only be good in themselves but must rightly be placed.

II. It requires great carefulness of selection to find several Oriental rugs that will harmonise sufficiently well to be used in close proximity upon one floor.

III. It is next to impossible for the general householder to use several textiles of strongly marked, varying patterns in one room without conflict. And this disturbance will be increased infinitely if there are also incongruities in colour, intensity, value, and scale.

The Value Of Movement

But the admission that there are abuses connected with a quality indicates that there are advantages to be gained from its right employment. One of these has already been indicated in relation to Gothic Architecture, and the same upward movement often has its value in the home.

If a ceiling is unduly low for the proportions of the room its apparent effect may be heightened by the perpendicular movement of a striped wall-paper. This will also be of advantage if some of the pieces of furniture to be used would be a trifle too tall for a happy result in the room without this aid. Likewise, a chair-back which strikes one as low in proportion to the remainder of the piece or its situation may apparently be raised by using upon it a striped fabric or one with a strong upward movement in its design. Remembering this principle, such a covering should not be used upon high-backed furniture.

Naturally the contrary effect will be produced by horizontal lines. A too lofty ceiling may seemingly be brought lower by a set-down picture-rail, a canopy or a frieze: if still too high, a wainscot, or even a moulding run around the wall at the height of the window-sill, will reduce this appearance materially. Strong horizontal mouldings lower the apparent height of a piece of furniture in which the general movement is upwa.rd. When a window is too tall and narrow, its proportions may be changed greatly by heavy curtains extended beyond its framework out upon the wall surface at the sides and by the horizontal lines of a deep valance. On the contrary the effect of a low window will be heightened by keeping the curtains the width of the casings at the side and setting the valance higher than the top of the window, its lower edge hiding the top casing. The first example is only partially due, however, to the quality of movement and the last one is wholly a real change in proportion; these being mentioned here because of their practical usefulness.

The value of movement is most frequently seen in its ability to produce interest. If every surface in a room were rectangular and patternless the repose of that room would be so marked as to cause irritation to living, active human beings: so monotonous and tiresome would it become that we should intensely feel the need of stimulation. Interest might partially be supplied by the intelligent use of colour, but we should nevertheless be depriving ourselves of all the facilities afforded by beautiful design. The mention of these two qualities together incidentally leads us to the truth that colour accentuates the strength of design. A blue fabric may have a pattern in its weave and the design may not be very perceptible, but note how strong it becomes if the background remains blue and the pattern be woven in gold or yellow. So also is the pattern accentuated by a difference in intensity: the fabric may remain all blue, but if either the design be very dark or very light and the background be its contrary the pattern will stand out strongly. If, therefore, there should be much visible pattern in the coverings of furniture we should use for the curtains either a perfectly plain textile or one in which the design is of the same colour and intensity as the background. If we employ strongly patterned goods throughout the room, and particularly if the designs are different and of strong movement, repose will entirely have disappeared and, again, we shall have nothing but conflict.

Some movement seems to be inherent in all design, unless neutralised by an equal movement in the opposite direction - as in a block pattern: even if a furniture-covering or a wall-paper be covered with small dots, the vision overleaps the spaces between and follows the lines of dots in one direction or another. If these be very small and unaccented by colour or contrast they will likely escape attention, but set, obtrusive designs of this character such as bouquets or medallions on wall-paper become simply maddening.

But here, the amount of space covered has its influence - the old fashioned sprigged-patterned chintzes on a chair are quaint and charming, as the distance for the eye to travel is small, whereas an entire wall covered with the same design would become distracting.

Then, too, if stripes are combined with small figures the effect is redressed: the eye is kept right by the perpendiculars and does not wander off on diagonal lines.

It will be seen, then, that in all these matters there is a reason for everything - no effect occurs by haphazard, but all is actual and is quickly understood when once pointed out.

Colour, contrast, pattern and movement are the life of furnishing: but as our own lives are composed of both action and repose our furnishing should comprise both, and not an undue proportion of either.