In this painting, represented texture plays an important part in creating asymmetrical balance. The figure of the girl wears a black dress covered by a smooth white smock and a soft white shawl. The texture of the colorful embroideries to the viewer's left balances the smooth surfaces of the young girl's clothing.

Removing the main figure reveals the large, lush textural background that Degas used to counterbalance the figure.

This asymmetrical composition is organized around a diagonal axis. The red square at the lower right is balanced by the large amount of white space in the upper portion of the painting. The parallel black diagonal lines near the top of the composition create tension between shapes and space.

This composition is arranged around a center point, like the spokes of a bicycle wheel or the rays of the sun. This is called radial balance.

In the five-pronged star at the center of this basket we see another interpretation of the sun, radiating out toward the edges. The radial design is an integral part of the way the basket was woven.

Various methods of achieving balance can be discussed separately, but in fact artists usually use several of them together. In this painting balance is achieved through equal amounts of contrasting, complementary colors, the centrally placed house, and the even distribution of brushstrokes across the entire canvas.