Understanding Composition
Court of the Myrtles in the Alhambra, Granada, Spain.
14th century
Villa Lante, Bagnaia, Itlay. 16th century
The symmetry in the courtyard’s and garden’s designs are reflected in the composition of the
photographs.
Court of the Myrtles in the Alhambra, Granada, Spain.
14th century
Villa Lante, Bagnaia, Itlay. 16th century
This fresco is painted on the wall of cell 7
in San Marco Monastery in Florence, Italy,
(c. 1455).
It employs the symmetrical balance and
triangular composition common in
Christian art of Europe.
U.S. Capitol, left; Nebraska state capitol, below.
Symmetry communicates
strength
formality
predictability
stability
permanence
dignity
The famous dry garden at Ryoan-ji (1499) is one of many temple gardens in Kyoto, Japan.
The composition of the stone groups is asymmetrical in plan view as well as from any viewpoint
on the veranda.
The Hollow of the Great Wave off Kanagawa from Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji
published 1830-43 by Katsushika Hokusai
negative space
positive shape
This woodblock print employs the asymmetry typical of Japanese art- the great
wave is balanced by negative space. The wave leads your eye to the focal point of
Mt. Fuji.
The façade of the Institute of the Arab World by the architect Jean Nouvel in Paris (1988)
The façade employs crystallographic balance. It lacks a focal point and utilizes
an all-over pattern.
500 years and the Atlantic Ocean separate these designs using crystallographic balance.
Ceramic tile work from the Alhambra, Granada, Spain. 14th
century
Blocks quilt, 19th century American design
The rose window from
Notre Dame Cathedral in
Paris (1163-1345.)
It utilizes radial
symmetry in its circular
design where the
composition radiates
from a single central
point.
Contemporary Full
Kalachakra Tibetan sand
mandala
The radial design is also
quadrilateral.
Photographs from the 1950’s-60’s by
American photographer Garry
Winogrand
Contrast creates a focal point,
emphasizing the figures.
Garry Winogrand creates a focal point by aligning the squeegee with
the whale’s face. This part of the image is further emphasized by the
eye contact between the man and the whale, the framing of the
window and the contrast of the two figures.
Michael Kenna’s photograph
Suspended Vine, Marly
France, (1995)
emphasis by contrast,
leading shapes and focus.
Garry Winogrand’s photograph New York City,
1963
The figures and composition are unified by the
railing visually connecting them.
photograph of the Court of the Lions at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain
The space and the photograph are unified by the repetition of the columns and their
relationship to the water rill in the center.
Garry Winogrand’s untitled photograph from the 1950’s
Imagine the composition without the man on the right.
Where is your gaze directed?
This photograph keeps the viewer’s eyes on the image
because it is human nature to follow the gaze from one
man to the next. If either of the men were not catching
the gaze of the other, we would follow the gaze of one
right out of the frame. (The repetition of hat forms also
unifies the image.)
Michael Kenna’s closely
cropped photograph of
Ratcliffe Power Station from
2003
This also demonstrates that
strong compositions often
come from engaging the
edges of the frame.
Michael Kenna’s photograph of Broughton Castle
(1977)
This photograph employs the “rule of thirds”
where dominant lines are located near the 1/3
division of the composition.
Michael Kenna’s photograph Bill
Brandt’s Snicket (1986)
The strong diagonal lines create a
dynamic composition.
painting by Georgia O’Keeffe
The vertical format of this painting by
emphasizes the verticality of the New
York skyline.
painting by retired UNL Professor Keith Jacobshagen
This painting emphasizes the flatness of the Nebraska landscape by choosing a
horizontal composition in a panoramic format.