December 2017
Intermediate to advanced
208 pages
3h 39m
English
A motif is an element in a composition or design that can be used repeatedly for decorative, structural, or iconographic purposes. It can be representational or abstract and is sometimes endowed with symbolic meaning. Motifs often recur throughout the work of an individual artist.
• Decorative. The motif as an individual element is repeated to form a decorative whole.
• Structural. A motif is repeated within a composition to create or reinforce a stable structure. The Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) used a variety of abstract motifs, triangles, points, lines, and circles to construct numerous compositions.
• Symbolic. A motif is given symbolic significance.
• Narrative. A motif is given a particular meaning ...