1. Chapter 11: Balance and Rhythm
Foundations of Design
Chapter 11: Balance and Rhythm

2. Balance
Balance in art refers to the distribution of the weight a composition, actual or apparent.
Greek artist Polykleitos was the first artist to notice the body’s weight shift while at rest and developed a set of rules.
Fig Doryphoros by Polykleitos of Argos

3. Actual Balance and Pictorial Balance
Actual weight = actual balance.
Sculptures that have “actual weight’ also have to have “actual balance” in order to stand.

4. Pictorial Balance
Pictorial balance - the distribution of the apparent or visual weight of the elements in works that are basically 2D.

5. Horizontal Balance
Horizontal balance - when the elements in the left and right sides of the work seem to be about equal in number or visual emphasis.
Horizontal balance creates stability and serenity.
Fig Emile d’Erlanger, La Baronne by Romaine Brooks

6. Vertical Balance
Vertical Balance - the elements above and below the horizon line appear to be equal in number or balance.
Fig I Saw Three Cities by Kay Sage

7. Diagonal Balance
Diagonal Balance - when a work has equal visual weight on either side of the diagonal.
Fig London Portrait by Adil Jain

8. Radial Balance
Radial Balance - balance in which the design elements radiate from the center point.
Radial balance is common in nature.
Need not be exclusive to circles.
If the circle is incomplete the human eye will complete the circle.
Fig The Great Ladies Transforming Themselves into Butterflies by Judy Chicago

9. Types of Balance
Symmetry - when the two sides of an image look the same.
Bilateral Symmetry = Pure or formal symmetry - when the 2 sides are exactly the same.
Symmetrical Balance- when the 2 sides of an picture look similar and create balance in the composition.
Fig Four Quad Cinema by Philip Taaffe (Op Art)

10. Approximate Symmetry
Variations can add visual interest to a composition.
Sometimes an approximately symmetrical work will feature element that are clearly different but have been given equal emphasis for symbolic as well as compositional reasons.
Fig Mestizo Cesar Martinez

11. Asymmetrical Balance
Asymmetrical Balance - a art piece that feels balanced but is not the same on the either side of the composition.
There is a human tendency to look for balance.
How to create:
Repetition of linear elements
Strategically placed color.
Stabile - a standing version of Alexander Calder’s mobiles.
Fig Pedestrian’s Foot by Otto Steinert

12. Achieving Balance in Asymmetry
Value and Color - the high contrast of values can be used to create balance.
Shape and Texture
Position - A larger object placed near the center of a composition can visually balance a lighter object further from the center.
Fig Verde by Deborah Butterfield

13. Allover Pattern
Sometimes a composition is balanced in that there is equal visual weight in every part of the work.
Fig Double Wedding Ring by Emma Hall

14. Imbalance There is a certain level of comfort in balance.
The view will try to impose balance.
Not all art is about comfort, not all art aims to be aesthetically pleasing.
Some work tries to shock or discomfort a viewer.
Crazy Quilts - use a fabric in a random design to create an overall pattern.
Fig Death of a Loyalist Soldier by Robert Capa

15. Rhythm Abrupt changes in rhythm are jarring and discomforting.
Humans seek balance and find security in rhythm.
Rhythm is created by repetition.
Repeated patterns convey a sense of movement.
Rhythm can move a viewer visually and emotionally.
Rhythm can create a psychological response.
To Create Rhythm:
Repeat color
Line
Shape

16. Types of Rhythm Regular Repetition Alternating Rhythm
Progressive Rhythm
Easiest
Most precise way to create rhythm
Property or Minimalist artists.
Fig North Artillery Shed by Donald Judd.

17. Alternating Rhythm
Alternating Rhythm - When different elements in a work of art repeat themselves in a predictable order.
Fig Untitled by DingYi

18. Progressive Rhythm
Progressive Rhythm - The rhythm of a piece seems to increase or ‘progress’
Minor variations can add interest to a composition.
Whereas regular rhythm and alternating rhythm suggest repetition, movement, and exaggeration, progressive rhythm seems to suggest change, whimsy, and defeat of expectations.
Fig A207 Recall by Jackie Ferrara