The Artist's Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
Explore the Toolkit
See Artists In Action
Encyclopedia
 

Line
Shape
Color
Space
Texture

Balance
Emphasis
Movement/
Rhythm

The Artist's Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
EncyclopediaBalance

 

There are three different types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial. The human figure in this diagram is symmetrically balanced; the same on the left and right sides of a central axis. The tree is asymmetrically balanced; its branches are not distributed equally on each side but their total weight is balanced left and right. The sun is an example of radial balance; all its rays are equal in length from the center.

Balance diagram  

 

This silver cross is symmetrically balanced: it's right and left side show the same decoration and cut-outs. The bird is perfectly centered, each wing extending into an arm of the cross.

Jhon Goes In Center, Warrior's Cross, 1991, German silver, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund

Jhon Goes In Center
Warrior's Cross
1991
German silver
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund
Enlarge

 

This sculpture is asymmetrically balanced. The weight of the shape on the right side is balanced by the number of smaller objects on the left side, and the space that they seem to enfold.

Alexander Calder, Mobile, circa 1948, iron, paint, Walker Art Center, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Maslon

Alexander Calder
Mobile
Circa 1948
Iron, paint
Walker Art Center
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Maslon
Enlarge

 

Two-dimensional works of art such as paintings, prints and photographs use the principle of balance to organize objects and shapes in a composition. This diagram shows how art elements balance around a center point just as a see-saw balances. If the art elements do not balance, the visual scale will tip and give the viewer the sensation that parts of the composition are falling out of the picture.

Balance diagram  

 

The mother and child in this painting are placed at the center of the composition, directly on the central vertical and horizontal axes. The symmetrical balance is reinforced by matching figures on either side of the throne and by the artist's equally strong emphasis on horizontal divisions of the composition.

Bernardo Daddi, Madonna and Child with Saints Helen and Peter and Saints Catherine and Paul; The Angel of the Annunciation; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata; The Virgin of the Annunciation; The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John, 1339, tempera and gold ground on poplar panel, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund

Bernardo Daddi
Madonna and Child with Saints Helen and Peter and Saints Catherine and Paul; The Angel of the Annunciation; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata; The Virgin of the Annunciation; The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John
1339
Tempera and gold ground on poplar panel
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund
Enlarge

 

In another panel of the Daddi triptych, an asymmetrical balance occurs when the three smaller shapes on the right balance the large figure on the left of the composition. The strong diagonal division created by the mountain reinforces this asymmetry.

Detail of Bernardo Daddi's Madonna and Child with Saints Helen and Peter and Saints Catherine and Paul; The Angel of the Annunciation; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata; The Virgin of the Annunciation; The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John, 1339, tempera and gold ground on poplar panel, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund

Bernardo Daddi
Detail of Madonna and Child with Saints Helen and Peter and Saints Catherine and Paul; The Angel of the Annunciation; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata; The Virgin of the Annunciation; The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John
1339
Tempera and gold ground on poplar panel
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund
Enlarge

Symmetry and Asymmetry  |  Balance with Color  |  Other Types of Balance

 
Walker Art Center The Minneapolis Institute of Arts ArtsConnectEd