Analyzing art/Composition

=Composition=

"What do the delightful petal arrangement in a red rose, Salvador Dali's famous painting "Sacrament of The Last Supper", the magnificent spiral shell of mollusks and the breeding of rabbits all have in common? Hard to believe, but these very disparate examples do have in common a certain number of geometrical proportion known since antiquity; a number that in the nineteenth century was given the honorifics "Golden Number", "Golden Ratio" and "Golden Section"."

- Mario Livio

There is something inspiring in the recognition that the arrangement of objects in a painting is not accidental, and that certain arrangements can be found not only in art, but also in nature itself. This kind of repetition brings alphabet to mind - think about composition as you think about letters. They create the sentence and express ideas, they are (more or less) universal and hence understandable for the recipients.

Types of composition
In this section we will focus on the importance of composition. As Wikipedia explains, composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art. There are many types of composition. Realizing which of them were applied to the work of art you are looking at might help understand the piece's meaning.

Perspective
Now that we know the basic types of composition, we might move to the next point. There are many more tools which help organize a painting.

The Golden Ratio, which creates perfect harmony, was known as "The Divine Proportion" and the secret of beauty since the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci used this tool in many of his works.

Worm's-eye view presents the scene as seen from a very low point of view. Automatically, the image makes an impression of huge, majestic, scary, divine, powerful or horrid - which means that the perspective augments the feeling that would normally be awaken by the painting. To give you an example: imagine that while strolling in the woods you encounter an enraged wolf. The scenario is scary enough itself, but seeing the very same wolf from down below would be much more terrifying, as the animal would be in the center of your vision, becoming the main focus and blocking your view.

Bird's-eye view can function in the opposite way. Seeing things or scenes from above adds the reflexive, tranquil tone to the painting. It allows the viewer to grasp every detail without the impression of interaction; like an omniscient narrating voice in a novel, the viewer sees and knows everything.

Low horizon gives an impression of a spacious, vast place. It is often used in landscapes - it helps present the view as peaceful and free. Friedrich's View of a Harbour above illustrates this state of tranquility: we can sweep through the entire scene, and it is highly unlikely that something will jump out and surprise us.

High horizon automatically closes the view, directs attention to the ground and to the moment captured in the painting. Look again at Chełmoński's Partridges: the eye is immediately drawn to the foreground and the space around the birds. The painting was not designed to admire distant views.

Exercise
Check your ability to recognize various types of composition taking this online | Quiz.