Balance
Principle of Design
Think of some examples…..
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Balance
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Balance of the universe
work hard – get a massage
exhausted - sleep
hungry – eat
too much junk – garage sale
late – rush
sick – take medicine
save up – spend money
smells bad – lysol
short – wear high heels
Balance
• Life
• Balance….
– School
– Family
– Friends
– Work
– Balance the check book
– Balanced meals
Balance
• The distribution of visual weight within a
composition.
• Visual Weight – through use of the
elements. Must be seen, can’t be weighted
physically.
• A sense of balance is inborn.
• As children we develop a sense of balance
in our own bodies – equilibrium.
Imbalance
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Lack of balance
Disturbs us
We want to “fix” it
Uneasiness/unsteadiness
Annoys you
• Balance beam – gymnast falls off
• Straighten a picture on the wall
Imbalanced
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Uncomfortable
War
Traffic
Hurricane
Oil spill – pollution
Rollercoaster
Grabs attention
Uneasy feeling
Balance in Art
Visual Balance
VISUAL BALANCE
• Because of our sense of gravity we are
accustomed to seeing more weight on the
bottom then on top. This results in stability and
calmness.
• Solid shapes weigh more then open shapes
• Shapes that go beyond the upper corners tend
to rise, while shapes that go beneath the lower
edge tend to sink
• The vertical, horizontal and diagonal orientation
of an element also affects its visual weight
OPTICAL CENTER
• All images have
an optical and
actual center
• Optical center is
about ¼” above
actual
• Actual center will
make your
composition
bottom heavy
Symmetrical Balance
• How do you feel
when you look at
the following image…….
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• Vitruvian Man
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Harmony
Organized
Quiet
Peaceful
Calm
Order
Static
FORMAL BALANCE
• Conscious symmetrical
repetition while clearly
creating perfect balance can
be undeniably static, so the
term of formal balance is
used to explain the same
idea.
• Can have a strong sense of
symmetry in an asymmetrical
work by having the emphasis
on the central axis and
common elements on both
sides.
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Domenico Veneziano: The St. Lucy Altarpiece
Central Axis
• Line of Symmetry
• Imaginary line that
works as a guide
Max Ernst
CENTRAL AXIS
• An imaginary line that divides the picture
plane evenly in half
• We always assume a horizontal balance
with a center vertical axis with the left and
right sides achieving a sense of
equilibrium.
• Also a vertical balance with a horizontal
axis dividing top and bottom.
• Vertical Axis
• Measures
horizontal
balance
• Horizontal
axis
Measures
Vertical
balance
Approximate Symmetry
• Slight variations in
symmetrical balance
Asymmetrical Balance
• Informal
• Balance of unlike
objects or elements.
• Weigh the same but,
• different elements.
• Based on eye
attraction.
ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE
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Balance is achieved with
dissimilar objects that have equal
visual weight or equal eye
attraction.
Alternate term is informal
balance
Asymmetrical balance seems less
planned and casual yet it is more
intricate and complicated to use
than symmetrical balance.
Attempting to balance dissimilar
items involves more complex
considerations and more subtle
factors.
Kathe Kollwitz: Mother with Dead Child
http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/watch_balance_symmetrical.cfm
• Monet
• Thomas Hart Benton
Value
• More contrast = more
weight.
• Black against white is
heavier than white
against grey.
• Felix Vallotton
Hand out
• Image B
• A darker smaller element is visually equal
to a lighter,larger one.
Which seems more attractive…
Baugin: Still Life with a Chess
Board
Color
• Studies have proven that our eyes are
attracted to color.
• Given the choice we will look at color over
black and white.
• We will choose a brighter color over a
neutral.
• Brighter color = heavier.
Shape and Texture
• Large shape with out
texture balances a
small shape with
texture.
• Larger = heavier
• Textured and detailed
= heavier
• Small = lighter
• Solid = lighter
Hand out
• Image E
• Please turn page
• A small complicated shape is balanced by
a larger, more stable shape.
• Image A
• A small textured shape can balance a
larger, untextured one.
Position
• Principle in psychics two items of unequal
weight can be brought to
equilibrium by moving the
heavier item to the center.
• This effect seems to be
casual and unplanned.
• It can cause a
composition at first
glance to seem
unbalanced.
• Aubrey Beardsley
Hand out
• Image D
• A large shape placed near the middle of a
design can be balanced by a smaller
shape placed toward the outer edge.
Eye Direction
• Carefully plotted
• Makes viewer look in
specific direction
• More weight in that
direction
• Subliminal arrows
• Edgar Degas
Carel Willink: Townview
Radial Balance
• Radiate from a central
point
• Symmetrical horizontal and vertical
• Frequently found in
nature.
TYPES OF RADIAL BALANCE
• Centrifugal Balance:
– Occurs when the visual
forces expand outward
• Centripetal Balance:
– Occurs when the visual
forces move inward,
suggesting a
compression of space
Crystallographic Balance
• All over pattern
• Adeline Harris
• Quilt
No Balance
Homework
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Find examples of…
1. Symmetrical/Formal
2. Approximate
3. Asymmetrical/Informal
4. Radial
5. Crystallographic
Do not use example shown in class
Please number all examples.
The End