Am I Unbalanced

Understanding Formal Analysis

Discover how to analyze the formal aspects of a work of art by learning about the elements of art and principles of design that are used by artists working in various media can help you become an even better artist.

Artist who can identify the elements and principles and evaluate their role in the composition of a work of art will be better able to understand an artist's choices. They will be better equipped to address whether a their work of art is successful, and why and when it just doesn't feel right what may be the problem.

Below are two of the elements of design  : 

Balance is the concept of visual equilibrium, and relates to our physical sense of balance. It is a reconciliation of opposing forces in a composition that results in visual stability. Most successful compositions achieve balance in one of two ways:asymmetrically.

 Balance in a three dimensional object is easy to understand; if balance isn't achieved, the object tips over. To understand balance in a two dimensional composition, you must use your imaginations to carry this three dimensional analogy forward to the flat surface.

1. Symmetrical and 2. Asymmetrical Balance

1. Symmetrical  or formal balance is

where elements are given equal "weight" from an imaginary line in the middle of a piece. For the most basic example of symmetry, think of your eyes in relation to either side of your nose. My husband has a degree in engineering and this is the kind of balance he loves. I keep saying things like " We don't need 4 window all the same we could have one large and 2 small and create more interest. We visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and as you are going up the grand stairs there are two large painting from the Kleur series one was geometrical and balanced that is the one my husband like best the one on the other side had swish of colors like many rainbows,that is the one I liked best both were balance just differently.

2.Asymmetrical balance occurs when several smaller items on one side are balanced by a large item on the other side, or smaller items are placed further away from the center of the screen than larger items. One darker item may need to be balanced by several lighter items. Although asymmetrical balance may appear more casual and less planned, it is usually harder to to use because the artist must plan the layout very carefully to ensure that it is still balanced. An unbalanced page or screen creates a feeling of tension, as if the page or screen might tip, or things might slide off the side, just as the unbalanced balance beam would tip to one side

Visual interest is what you balance in in art. 

Different colors, shapes sizes, etc. create different degrees of interest. It is the distribution of this interest that you need to control. I will talk about some of  the abstract (non-figurative) aspects of balance to make it easier to understand how balance works. I will discuss different way to balance you are with line color shape and texture in my next post.

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