Objective
To introduce a range of organizational methods and "compositional strategies" including "typology," "unity," "emphasis" (focal point), "balance" as aids to pictorial design.
Reading page 74-82
Discussion:
While you have used grouping or unity principles in Unit III (Unity) to focus attention and move the eye across the picture plane, we are now going to explore several methods for creating effective overall 2D compositions.
Balance--the equal distribution of visual "weight"--is a feature of many effective compositions. Imagine a balance beam--like a seesaw--with a fulcrum at its midpoint. As you know, two objects of equal weight, placed at opposite ends of the beam, will achieve equilibrium across the two sides of the beam. Similarly, a composition can be balanced by adjusting the distribution of "weight" across the picture plane. This balance can be achieved in many ways.
The most straightforward method is to distribute elements equally on both sides of an imaginary centerline by repeating or reflecting shapes from one side onto the other. This vertical "mirroring" is called symmetry. An inkblot is a perfect example of a symmetrical composition--that is, a composition that repeats the same elements on both sides of a central vertical axis. (It should be noted that while the elements are not "identical"--they are "left hand and right hand versions" of one another--the result constitutes perfect "symmetry" nonetheless.)
The use of asymmetry can result in compositions that are still "balanced" as far as visual weight. The difference is that elements such as value, color, shape, texture, and line are used in varying combinations to achieve that balance.
Radial symmetry can be used to create "multi-symmetrical" compositions that have a strong visual center of interest and a high degree of optical energy. Radiation patterns include: centrifugal (radiating from inside to outside--like a starburst), concentric (target like forms), spiraling (iris and nautilis shapes), centripetal (radiating from outside to inside) patterns.
Another compositional strategy includes allover composition or crystallographic balance where equal emphasis is given to every area of the picture plane. Examples of this range from Jackson Pollack's allover drip paintings to simple checkerboard patterns where every square is identical.
Finally, there are mathematical systems for determining "perfect proportion" and balance that date back to the ancient Greeks. One of the most famous systems is that of the Golden Section.
Vocabulary/Concepts
UNITY: gestalt, proximity, repetition, continuation, unity with variety, stress on unity, stress on variety; EMPHASIS: by contrast, by isolation, by placement, degree of emphasis, absence of emphasis; BALANCE: horizontal vs. vertical balance, symmetry, asymmetry, radial balance, balance— by color, by value, by shape, by texture, by position, by eye direction; combinations of strategies, all-over pattern ("crystallographic balance").
7) Plan and execute a balanced design with focal point, based on a radial composition, asymmetry, symmetry derived from your own vocabulary of symbols.
