Universal Principles of Art

8 BALANCE

A COMPOSITIONAL PLEASURE

A sense of balance can be one of the paramount intentions in composing a work of art and a source of pleasure for the viewer. Balance is generally a compositional quality that can be achieved in many different ways. In looking at a painting, the eye tends to assign varying senses of weight to elements within the composition and enjoys a more satisfactory experience when they seem to be balanced across the painting around an axis. Of course, balance can always be achieved by a purely symmetrical composition, but usually this feels less interesting than the possibilities involved in balancing asymmetrical elements.

When elements are dynamic—that is, they feel as though they are in movement—the eye is more satisfied ...