ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION IN ART

COMPOSITION
IS THE TERM USED TO DESCRIBE THE ARRANGEMENT
OF THE VISUAL ELEMENTS IN A PAINTING OR OTHER
ARTWORK. IT IS HOW THE ELEMENTS OF ART AND
DESIGN - LINE, SHAPE, COLOR, VALUE, TEXTURE,
FORM, AND SPACE - ARE ORGANIZED OR COMPOSED
ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF ART AND
DESIGN - BALANCE, CONTRAST, EMPHASIS,
MOVEMENT, PATTERN, RHYTHM, UNITY/VARIETY - AND
OTHER ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION, TO GIVE THE
PAINTING STRUCTURE AND CONVEY THE INTENT OF
THE ARTIST.
COMPOSITION IS DIFFERENT FROM THE SUBJECT
MATTER OF A PAINTING. EVERY PAINTING,
WHETHER ABSTRACT OR REPRESENTATIONAL,
REGARDLESS OF SUBJECT MATTER, HAS A
COMPOSITION. GOOD COMPOSITION IS
ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF A PAINTING.
DONE SUCCESSFULLY, GOOD COMPOSITION
DRAWS THE VIEWER IN AND THEN MOVES THE
VIEWER'S EYE ACROSS THE WHOLE PAINTING SO
THAT EVERYTHING IS TAKEN IN, FINALLY SETTLING
ON THE MAIN SUBJECT OF THE PAINTING.
"COMPOSITION IS THE ART OF ARRANGING IN
A DECORATIVE MANNER THE DIVERSE
ELEMENTS AT THE PAINTER'S COMMAND TO
EXPRESS HIS FEELINGS."

HENRI MATISSE
ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION
THE ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION IN ART
ARE USED TO ARRANGE OR ORGANIZE THE
VISUAL COMPONENTS IN A WAY THAT IS
PLEASING TO THE ARTIST AND, ONE
HOPES, THE VIEWER. THEY HELP GIVE
STRUCTURE TO THE LAYOUT OF THE
PAINTING AND THE WAY THE SUBJECT IS
PRESENTED. THEY CAN ALSO ENCOURAGE
OR LEAD THE VIEWER'S EYE TO WANDER
AROUND THE WHOLE PAINTING, TAKING IN
EVERYTHING AND ULTIMATELY COMING
BACK TO REST ON THE FOCAL POINT.
In Western art the Elements of
Composition are generally considered to be:
UNITY

UNITY IN AN ARTWORK CREATES A SENSE OF

HARMONY AND WHOLENESS, BY USING
SIMILAR ELEMENTS WITHIN THE
COMPOSITION AND PLACING THEM IN A WAY
THAT BRINGS THEM ALL TOGETHER.
The Old Guitarist 1903-1904
Pablo Picasso
BALANCE

BALANCE IS THE SENSE THAT THE PAINTING

"FEELS RIGHT" AND NOT HEAVIER ON ONE
SIDE. HAVING A SYMMETRICAL ARRANGEMENT
ADDS A SENSE OF CALM, WHEREAS AN
ASYMMETRICAL ARRANGEMENT CREATES A
MORE DYNAMIC FEELING. A PAINTING THAT IS
NOT BALANCED CREATES A SENSE OF
UNEASE.
BALANCE IS ONE OF THE EASIER ELEMENTS OF
COMPOSITION TO SEE, AND YOU'LL SOON
DISCOVER WHETHER YOUR NATURAL INCLINATION
IS TOWARDS A PERFECTLY BALANCED OR
SYMMETRICAL COMPOSITION OR AN
UNBALANCED, ASYMMETRICAL ONE. IT'S NOT
THAT ONE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER, BUT
WHICHEVER YOU CHOOSE AS THE UNDERLYING
COMPONENT OF YOUR COMPOSITION HAS AN
IMPACT ON THE OVERALL FEELING OF THE
FINISHED PAINTING. SYMMETRICAL TENDS TO FEEL
CALMER AND ASYMMETRICAL LIVELIER.
SYMMETRICAL BALANCE CREATES
HARMONY
The face in a portrait is typically the focal point, and
this painting is no exception. We're seeing the face
straight on, and there's balance created as we're
seeing equal amounts of the face on either side of the
nose. (If the face had been at an angle, we would see
more of one side of the face than the other.) Yet if you
draw a line down the center of the face, you'll notice
it's not positioned in the center of the canvas, but a
little way to the left. So the balance is undermined
somewhat, though without careful looking it's hard to
put your finger on exactly why. But the composition
results in the face looming out of the painting towards
the viewer, giving it more impact.
SANDRO BOTTICELLI
THE BIRTH OF
VENUS (C. 1484-86)
MOVEMENT

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GIVE A SENSE OF

MOVEMENT IN A PAINTING, SUCH AS THE
ARRANGEMENT OF OBJECTS, THE POSITION OF
FIGURES, THE FLOW OF A RIVER. YOU CAN USE
LEADING LINES (A PHOTOGRAPHY TERM APPLICABLE
TO PAINTING) TO DIRECT THE VIEWER'S EYE INTO
AND AROUND THE PAINTING. LEADING LINES CAN
BE ACTUAL LINES, SUCH AS THE LINES OF A FENCE
OR RAILROAD, OR THEY CAN BE IMPLIED LINES,
SUCH AS A ROW OF TREES OR CURVE OF STONES OR
CIRCLES.
The Starry Night - 1889
Vincent Van Gogh
RHYTHM

IN MUCH THE SAME WAY MUSIC DOES, A PIECE

OF ART CAN HAVE A RHYTHM OR UNDERLYING
BEAT THAT LEADS YOUR EYE TO VIEW THE
ARTWORK AT A CERTAIN PACE. LOOK FOR THE
LARGE UNDERLYING SHAPES (SQUARES,
TRIANGLES, ETC.) AND REPEATED COLOR.
Convergence 1952 Jackson Pollock
FOCUS OR EMPHASIS

THE VIEWER'S EYE ULTIMATELY WANTS TO

REST ON THE "MOST IMPORTANT" THING
OR FOCAL POINT IN THE PAINTING,
OTHERWISE THE EYE FEELS LOST,
WANDERING AROUND IN SPACE.
CONTRAST

PAINTINGS WITH HIGH CONTRAST - STRONG DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK, WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT FEEL
THAN PAINTINGS WITH MINIMAL CONTRAST IN LIGHT AND
DARK. IN ADDITION TO LIGHT AND DARK, CONTRAST CAN
HAVE DIFFERENCES IN SHAPE, COLOR, SIZE, TEXTURE, TYPE
OF LINE, ETC.
PATTERN

A REGULAR REPETITION OF LINES, SHAPES,

COLORS, OR VALUES IN A COMPOSITION.
PROPORTION

HOW THINGS FIT TOGETHER AND RELATE TO

EACH OTHER IN TERMS OF SIZE AND SCALE;
WHETHER BIG OR SMALL, NEARBY OR DISTANT.