Talk:Composition (visual arts)

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1 Short-term goals
2 Long-term goals
3 Terminology
4 Some missing concepts
5 Composition vs. elements of design
6 New Image
7 Rule of Thirds

[edit] Short-term goals

I think it makes more sense to make each "heuristic" its own primary section, so I'll remove the heuristics section and bump everything else up a level.

I'd like to have a sample image to demonstrate each primary concept.

I'm not familiar enough with the topic to determine whether the four "primary elements" are comprehensive, so I'd like to review the literature.

[edit] Long-term goals

All fair and good, but the page seems to focus explicitly on photographic composition. What about composition in other forms of visual art, notably painting? Either make the discussion less obviously focused on photography and applicable to all visual art, or add a separate section for said miscellaneous visual art forms.

[edit] Terminology

The terms "subject" and "ground" should be properly introduced (and "ground" should be used).

[edit] Some missing concepts

Negative space
Balance
The subject should not be facing out of the image
A moving subject should have space in front
Color
Geometry
Line
Contrast
Rhythm
Light
Eye movement
Pattern
Repetition (Perhaps same as pattern; rhythm also comes into play, as does geometry)

[edit] Composition vs. elements of design

I want to make sure that I don't confuse composition with design elements. For example, shapes are a design element; what you do with them is composition.

Or at least, that's how I interpret the distinction. A formal art education would help here. Anyone? -JohnRDaily 23:45, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Here's my take. Design elements are: tone, repitition, shape, line, movement, color etc.

Composition is the placement of design elements to correspond with the artist's intent by utilizing compositional principles such as balance, perspective and proportion.

So, you're correct. In discussions addressing formal aspects of an artwork, compostional principles and design elements are discussed (sometimes interchangably) because they are dependant on each other. --Mrs Scarborough 18:44, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New Image

I've added an image to help illustrate the concept of simplification. It's my own, so there shouldn't be any problems. escapologist 13:18, 25 July 2006 (UTC)