| At the end of every class I attend at my gym, the | | | | first learning to make marks on paper. They |
| instructor starts the ending stretch by saying, "Stand | | | | consistently draw a circle with a vertical and |
| on your right foot, bend your left knee, and hold on | | | | horizontal axis through it no matter what culture they |
| to your ankle." We attempt to balance in that | | | | are growing up in. There is an inherent comfort and |
| position sometimes extending the arm opposite to | | | | security in this simple balanced design. |
| the bent leg to help even the balance. Physical | | | | The second type of balance is more complex. It is |
| balance is easy to understand...if you are not | | | | asymmetrical or informal balance. It involves placing |
| balanced, you begin to fall over. Paintings also must | | | | objects or shapes in a way that will allow objects of |
| be balanced. The three dimensional physical balance | | | | varying visual weight to balance around a fulcrum |
| that we are familiar with is transferred to a two | | | | point. You can imagine a balance scale that |
| dimensional composition. We must use our | | | | represents the visual "weights". You can have a large |
| imaginations to carry this three dimensional analogy | | | | heavy weight on one side balanced by several lighter |
| forward to the flat surface. Balance can be achieved | | | | weights on the other. In a painting, this could be a |
| by the location of objects or shapes, volume or sizes | | | | cluster of small shapes balancing a larger shape on |
| of objects or shapes, and by color-balancing lighter | | | | the opposite side. Color or lights and darks can also |
| colors with darker colors, or bold colors with light | | | | be balanced against each other. In abstract paintings, |
| neutral colors. | | | | it is rarely this simple. Even in Robert Motherwell's |
| There are two basic types of balance in paintings- | | | | simple black and whites that are perfectly balanced, |
| symmetrical and asymmetrical. Symmetrical is the | | | | there is not a clear division of black and white shapes. |
| simpler of the two and is divided into two more | | | | The artist breaks up the contrasts throughout the |
| types: bilateral and radial. In bilateral, there is a central | | | | composition but balances the shapes and colors |
| axis to the painting and everything on one side of | | | | nonetheless. Look at my "Tenuous" abstract painting |
| that axis is mirrored on the other side. The axis can | | | | on my website for an example of asymmetrical |
| be vertical or horizontal. The shapes, colors, and | | | | balance. If you were to quantify the white and dark |
| textures are perfectly balanced because they are | | | | shapes, you would probably find that they balance |
| repeated exactly on each side. In radial symmetry | | | | each other over the composition. However, the |
| the elements are arranged around a central point. | | | | shapes are not simply divided half and half. Most |
| You could draw two axes, one horizontal and one | | | | abstract paintings are asymmetrical because |
| vertical. The elements are repeated four times in the | | | | asymmetrical balance is more interesting, both to the |
| composition. The most common use of radial | | | | artist and the viewer. I invite you to look at the |
| symmetry is in a mandala-a circular design that | | | | abstract paintings on my website and see if they are |
| appears in every culture throughout the world. I have | | | | balanced to your satisfaction. As a viewer growing in |
| photographed mandalas in my travels all over the | | | | knowledge, you now have two things to look for in |
| world. They can be seen in gothic church rose | | | | abstract paintings: is the painting balanced and does it |
| windows, in Mayan designs and in Tibetan sand | | | | have unity? |
| paintings. We are probably hardwired to create this | | | | In my next series of articles, I will be explaining three |
| type of balanced painting. Children throughout the | | | | more of the Principles of Design: Harmony, |
| world create a mandala-like drawing when they are | | | | Dominance and Contrast. |