54 MOTIF
A RECURRING IDEA
A motif is an element in a composition or design that can be used repeatedly for decorative, structural, or iconographic purposes. A motif can be representational or abstract, and it can be endowed with symbolic meaning. Motifs can be repeated in multiple artworks and often recur throughout the life’s work of an individual artist.
APPROACHES
• Decorative
The motif as an individual element is repeated within a strict geometry to form a decorative whole. This is most usually the case in textile or wallpaper design.
• 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, ...
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