Introduction to Composition
9
What is a Composition? • In the visual arts, composition means, “the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art” • Confusing? Let’s look at the dictionary definition for help: “the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole” – Other examples: music (sounds arranged to make a song) and bread (flour, salt, butter, and other
description
Teach introductory art students about composition through the study of balance.
Transcript of Introduction to Composition
What is a Composition?
• In the visual arts, composition means, “the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art”
• Confusing? Let’s look at the dictionary definition for help: “the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole”– Other examples: music (sounds arranged to make
a song) and bread (flour, salt, butter, and other ingredients make a loaf of bread)
Types of Composition
• Compositions may be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial in nature.
• Let’s take a look at these different types of balance.
• Now, let’s see if we can identify different types of balance in artwork.
Women of Tahiti by Paul Gauguin, 1891
Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889
Mask, Benin, Africa, c. 1500-1600
Campbell’s Soup I by Andy Warhol, 1968
Mexico Salvate! by Judithe Hernandez
Islands, North of Greenland by Lawren Harris, 1930
Reclining Figure by Henry Moore, 1931
