1. COMPOSITION

2. COMPOSITION
Composition
 The organization, placement or arrangement of objects or elements in a two dimensional space.

3. COMPOSITION techniques
Format
Balance
Figure and Ground

4. Figure and Ground COMPOSITION - Terminology
figure and ground -- The relationship between what you notice first (the figure) and everything else (the background).
 In this photograph of the sculptor
Rodin by Alfred Stieglitz, what do
notice first? Why? Can the figure
and ground be interchangeable?

5. Figure/Ground Reversal
COMPOSITION - Terminology
Figure/Ground Reversal

6. COMPOSITION - Terminology
Photographs by Aaron Siskind ( )

7. Format COMPOSITION - Terminology
format– The shape or form which defines the edges or boundaries of a work of art.
 In this painting by Mondrian the
artist has created a composition
within a square that is rotated to
create a diamond, or what the
artist referred to as a “lozenge”.
How does this shape affect the
overall composition?

8. Portrait and Landscape
COMPOSITION - Terminology
Portrait and Landscape

9. Portrait and Landscape
COMPOSITION - Terminology
Portrait and Landscape
Why would the artist Caspar David Friedrich choose to use this vertical format?

10. Portrait and Landscape
COMPOSITION - Terminology
Portrait and Landscape
Why would the artist Caspar David Friedrich choose to use this horizontal format?

11. Pictorial Balance COMPOSITION - Terminology
Pictorial balance -- The creation of equilibrium or stability within a work of art.
In this painting by Georgia O’Keefe, what is helping the painting achieve balance?

12. Symmetrical Balance COMPOSITION - Terminology
Symmetrical balance-- Balance that is achieved by arranging elements on either side of the center of a composition in an equally weighted manner.

13. Asymmetrical Balance COMPOSITION - Terminology
Asymmetrical balance-- Balance that is achieved by arranging different elements on either side of the center of a composition in an equally weighted manner.

14. COMPOSITION - Terminology
Asymmetrical Balance

15. COMPOSITION - Terminology
Asymmetrical Balance

16. Emphasis COMPOSITION - Terminology
Emphasis – Directing the viewer’s attention to a specific area in a work of art, often called the focal point.
How has the artist Julie Mehretu
created a focal point in this
drawing?

17. Lack of Emphasis COMPOSITION - Terminology
How does the lack of a focal point affect the way we see this Julie Mehretu drawing?

18. Emphasis COMPOSITION - Terminology
Emphasis can be created in various ways:
Contrast of value – Contrasting elements (dark/light) grab our attention.
Contrast of color – Areas of color that differ from surrounding colors stand out.
Isolation – Elements placed apart from other elements draw the eye.
Placement – The center of a composition is a natural focal point.

19. COMPOSITION
Drawings by Susan Jane Walp (b. 1948)

20. COMPOSITION
Drawings by Lee Bontecou (b. 1931)

21. COMPOSITION
Drawings by Andrew Wyeth ( )

22. COMPOSITION techniques
Golden Rectangle
Rule of Thirds
Positive/Negative shapes

23. COMPOSITION – The Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is a popular method for composing a picture that uses a vertical and horizontal division of the picture plane into thirds

24. COMPOSITION – The Rule of Thirds

25. COMPOSITION – The Rule of Thirds

26. COMPOSITION – The Rule of Thirds

27. COMPOSITION – The Rule of Thirds

28. The Golden Rectangle The “golden rectangle,” “golden mean,”
COMPOSITION – The Golden Rectangle
The Golden Rectangle
The “golden rectangle,” “golden mean,”
and “golden section” all refer to a
rectangle with specific proportions based
upon mathematical formulae

29. COMPOSITION – The Golden Rectangle

30. COMPOSITION – The Golden Rectangle

31. COMPOSITION – The Golden Rectangle