The artist arranges balance to set the dynamics of a composition. Visual BalanceĪll works of art possess some form of visual balance – a sense of weighted clarity created in a composition. The following page explores important principles in composition. Some artists today like to bend or ignore these rules and by doing so are experimenting with different forms of expression. A good knowledge of composition is essential in producing good artwork. The center of interest will be strong and the viewer will not look away, instead, they will be drawn into the work. The artist who works with the principles of good composition will create a more interesting piece it will be arranged to show a pleasing rhythm and movement. In any work of art there is a thought process for the arrangement and use of the elements of design. This is sometimes referred to as visual impact. The principles of design help you to carefully plan and organize the elements of art so that you will hold interest and command attention.

Too much unity without variety is boring and too much variation without unity is chaotic. Any list of these effects may not be comprehensive, but there are some that are more commonly used (unity, balance, etc). When we say a painting has unity we are making a value judgment. So, the word “principle” can be used for very different purposes.Īnother way to think about a principle is that it is a way to express a value judgment about a composition. On the other hand, a principle can describe a high quality standard to strive for such as “unity is better than chaos” or “variation beats boredom” in a work of art. On the one hand, a principle can be used to describe an operational cause and effect such as “bright things come forward and dull things recede”. There are at least two very different but correct ways of thinking about principles. Using a chemistry analogy, the principles are the ways the elements “stick together” to make a “chemical” (in our case, an image).

The principles help govern what might occur when particular elements are arranged in a particular way. The principles are based on sensory responses to visual input: elements APPEAR to have visual weight, movement, etc.

The first way to think about a principle is that it is something that can be repeatedly and dependably done with elements to produce some sort of visual effect in a composition. Incorporating the principles into your artistic vocabulary not only allows you to objectively describe artworks you may not understand, but contributes in the search for their meaning. Yet all of these rely on basic structural principles that, like the elements we’ve been studying, combine to give voice to artistic expression. Visual art manifests itself through media, ideas, themes and sheer creative imagination.

Pictures of unity in art