The last essay discussed the elements of design and the rules of composition, or at least began to. If you have read it you may remember the list of the elements of composition. If you do not remember or did not read it you may refer to the "archives" selection at the bottom of the previous page. When talking about Art, Visual Art, one of the most common expressions one hears it is reference to a piece's "colors". You'll notice that in the list there is no "color". Color is actually a combination of three items on the list, Hue, Value, and Contrast.

Hue is what one would first think of as color. Hues are three primaries, Red, Yellow, and Blue, or mixtures of these. Green, for instance, is yellow with blue. But, all greens are not alike. That's when value and contrast come into play. By adding varying amounts of white or black one can tint a mixture of green up lighter or tone it down with black to produce an infinite variety of greens with one mixture of blue and yellow. There is much also about color that is perceptual. A given green will look different against a purple as opposed to an orange.In setting colors in close proximity to one another we use the element of Contrast.

That's three new elements of composition, Hue (red, yellow, or blue or any mixture there-of), value (light or dark), and contrast (the visual effect produced when different visual elements are placed in immediate proximity). Contrast certainly then involves more than contrasting colors. Values can contrast as well. Light set against dark can build drama in a painting. Little color may be involved. In even more subtle ways, Forms, Textures, and Lines; I suppose even Edges can Contrast when played against each other.

A rule of composition? Good compositions engage all edges of their periphery however they take care not to draw the eye into the corners. Corners have enough visual weight of their own. See if there are any lines leading directly into or visual magnets drawing your eye into the corners of your pieces.

Steve B. Lance