COMPOSITON IN ART

 So what's composition?

Composition describes the way we arrange the elements and subject in our artwork. This can be in a painting, drawing, photo or other types of art.  

Artists make many choices and decisions when creating a work of art.  You have created a composition and maybe never thought about it.

People compose letters, songs and works of art.  When all the pieces and parts come together by the decisions you make, you are making a composition.  

Let's look at a clip of Contemporary artist Adam Milner.  Where did Adam get his composition inspiration?  See if something Adam saw in New York inspire his art?

First, deciding the direction of your paper is a choice you make for the composition of your art.  

Is your subject TALL or WIDE?  

Which paper direction would be best for a Tall subject like a portrait, building, tree or standing person? 

Which paper orientation would be best for a landscape, still-life or an ocean sunset?  

Will you arrange your work Vertically...nice and tall?

or maybe you will work wide with a horizontal format.  A horizontal format is great for a landscape.

Think about the horizon line where the sky appears to meet the ground.

Maybe you will orient or turn your paper in another direction!

Which direction did Mondrian paint his work?

Try these composition Strategies:

Maybe you will work in an irregular format.  Consider a geometric or organic shape rather than a rectangle or square.

You can arrange the subject and elements in your composition SYMMETRICALLY 

• Diego Rivera, Flower Day, 1925

OR maybe you will arrange the subject in your art asymmetrically.  one side might appear visually heavier.

Will you use contrast in your work?  When you put two very different elements like light and dark in your work.  

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye                                                                Bridget Riley

or will you work large or small.  Deciding to work big or tiny is part of making a choice for your artwork composition.

When one shape or object is in front of another you are overlapping in your art.  Overlapping is a choice you make in creating your art.

Look at the space and shape around and inside the art.  Positive and Negative space can create an interesting composition.

Will your composition fill the page?  Will your composition run off the page?  or will your subject be inside the border of your paper?

Will you fill the picture plane?  Will elements of your art run off the paper?

Will you add texture to your composition?  Will some areas be rough, smooth, bumpy?

Sam Gilliam really pushed the idea of composition.  He made his paintings on draped  cloth

You get to choose where you place the subject and elements in your art.

Will you orient your paper horizontally or vertically?

Will you work in a size that is large, medium or small?