Composition

1. Composition The term composition means; putting things together an arrangement of items/objects put together in a pleasing way. Organising layouts to create visual space Choosing the size, shape and orientation of the paper whether it is portrait/landscape, If the image is to be cropped, (use of a view finder). The use of space and line is very important when creating your composition.

2. Building a simple composition The artist has chosen Landscape for the orientation of the paper Using line and perspective the artist has begun to create space and direction of movement for the viewer

3. The lines of composition here are used to create tension and drama The title of this piece is; Life and Death’ by G F Watts

4. This painting is by Paolo Veronese The main lines of focus are used to create fluidity (the flow)and unity of the painting. Our eyes will naturally move across the picture plane because there are lines of fluidity embedded (put into the picture, the initial drawing out before the painting is done over the top)into the composition.

5. Now look at the following compositions, pick out the focal point in each painting Above Cezanne ‘still life with jug’ To the right Durer ‘self portrait’

6. This artist used an almost grid technique to plan his work and the reason for him working in this way is because he was a draftsman. I have put a few lines on for you, so you may see the central lines and understand the original painting as been cropped allowing for a better composition and the focus on remain on the sitter and not the view out of the window to the right. You can also see the lines of direction from the nose to the middle finger and the tops of the shoulders to the frame of the window. See which other lines of direction you can line up with. When you create a composition consider these lines, they give you a point of reference and enable you create balance.

7. In Cézannes work we see the use of line, height order and complimentary colour to create a pleasing composition. Note that the purple tones in the jug (to the right) reflect the yellow tones at the opposite end of the painting, whereas the orange hues compliment the blue tones of the table cloth and the background. Where the artist as placed red he also uses touches of green to keep the harmony and balance of the painting.

8. Important things to consider when you are creating a composition • Shape and proportion • Balance • Harmony, the use of colours and shapes that work well together • The orientation of your paper • The area within the field of view used for the picture ("cropping") • The direction followed by the viewer's eye when they look the image. • Colour • Contrast: the value, or degree of light and dark, used within the picture to create drama or direction. • Rhythm, this is the fluidity, the flow of the lines and general feel of the work • Perspective • Knowing what your focal point is