Understanding Composition

Firstly I researched into the meaning of the word composition and other words that linked with it. Then decided to type in other words that meant the same as composition and it lead me to knowing a deeper meaning of the word. Composition means the way something is made up and formed into another object or image. The combining parts of something that is transformed into something else or a whole again. A composition of photography, paintings, graphic design or sculptures.

The 8 elements of composition:

• Unity - do all of the parts of the composition feel as if they belong together?
• Balance - the sense that the painting "feels right"
• Movement - direct the viewers eye in and around the painting/arrangement of objects/ positions figures
• Rhythm - repeated colour/ underlying shapes\ lets you read the artwork at a certain pace
• Contrast -strong contrasts and differences  in shapes and colours / type of colour/ light or dark/ size.
• Focus - the viewer's eye ultimately wants to rest and look at the most important.
• Pattern - regular repetition
• Proportion  - how things fit together and relate to each other in terms of size and colour

After finding out the meaning I looked into several images, some more simple than others. However most of them include some kind of human figure or parts of. Although some also use random shapes to create a new composition or a new piece of artwork. Most composition work uses solid colours and makes comparison with in the paintings or images.

Both of these pieces of artwork below intrigue me as the abstract style  and chosen colours, in my opinion work well. They don't always have a meaning behind the artwork but when they do it is very clever and deep. Some composition work uses shapes and and strange objects.

Another type of composition work is using human painted figures and placing a triangle shape around the main part of the painting explaining the focus on the most important part of the piece of art work. I like this idea as it emphasises the painting and adds a more dramatic look to it. At first I thought it was linked with religious meanings but I was wrong. I will use this style of painting with in my work, however make it slightly more abstract like the image above.