Composition (visual arts)
Composition can apply to any work of art, from music through writing and into photography, that is arranged using conscious thought.
In graphic design for press and desktop publishing, composition is commonly referred to as page layout.
Many subjects, for example Saint George and the Dragon, are often portrayed in art, but using a great range of compositions even though the two figures are typically the only ones shown.
The viewer unconsciously "reads" the image through the continuous arrangement of different elements and subjects at varying distances.
Lines can also direct attention towards the main subject of the picture or contribute to the organization by dividing it into compartments.
Horizontal lines, commonly found in landscape photography, can give the impression of calm, tranquility, and space.
Changing the air only by some degrees or some centimeters lines in embodiments can vary tremendously, and a distinct feeling can be transported.
[clarification needed] Straight lines are also strongly influenced by tone, color, and repetition concerning the rest of the image.
This important element of design, especially in painting and drawing, allows the artist to create the illusion of light through value contrast.
[8][9] The artist determines what the center of interest (focus in photography) of the art work will be, and composes the elements accordingly.
Some principles of organization affecting the composition of a picture are: The position of the viewer can strongly influence the aesthetics of an image, even if the subject is entirely imaginary and viewed "within the mind's eye".
There exists a tendency to perceive things as larger than they actually are, and filling the frame fulfills this psychological mechanism.
In photography, altering the position of the camera can change the image so that the subject has fewer or more distractions with which to compete.
There are numerous approaches or "compositional techniques" to achieve a sense of unity within an artwork, depending on the goals of the artist.
[10] However, there are artists such as Salvador Dalí who aim to disrupt traditional composition and challenge the viewer to rethink balance and design elements within art works.
Conventional composition can be achieved with a number of techniques: The rule of thirds is a composition guide that states that arranging the important features of an image on or near the horizontal and vertical lines that would divide the image into thirds horizontally and vertically is visually pleasing.
The golden ratio is thought to have been used by artists throughout history as a composition guide, but there is little evidence to support this claim.
An even number of subjects produces symmetries in the image, which can appear less natural for a naturalistic, informal composition.
[11] Images with clutter can distract from the main elements within the picture and make it difficult to identify the subject.
Clutter can also be reduced through the use of lighting, as the brighter areas of the image tend to draw the eye, as do lines, squares and colour.
A similar approach, given the right equipment, is to take advantage of the Scheimpflug principle to change the plane of focus.
Related to the rule of odds is the observation that triangles are an aesthetically pleasing implied shape within an image.
In a canonically attractive face, the mouth and eyes fall within the corners of the area of an equilateral triangle.
Artists will often strive to avoid creating compositions that feel "static" or "flat" by incorporating movement into the image.
