Shaping the View: Symmetry and BalanceLesson Two of the Curriculum Unit: Everything in its right place: An Introduction to Composition in PaintingIntroductionArtists often structure their compositions in particular ways in order to convey a sense of harmony in the picture. How do artists go about communicating stability and equilibrium through the organization of their paintings? Why might an artist choose to structure a painting in a way that conveys an asymetrical impression? In this lesson students will be investigating the use of symmetry and balance in painting, and how it is used by artists to convey information about the contents of the painting. Students will use the viewing experiences of the activities in the first lesson of this curriculum unit, Shaping the View: Composition Basics as the basis for discussing some additional compositional techniques found in the images in this activity. The activities in this lesson provide a brief overview of a few techniques used by artists to guide their audience through their paintings. Some of these examples overlap with other important elements that students should be aware of when viewing works of art, such as color and line. Guiding Questions
Learning ObjectivesAt the end of this lesson students will be able to:
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
Suggested Activities1. Mirror, Mirror: Symmetry in Painting2. Balancing Acts1. Mirror, Mirror: Symmetry in PaintingSymmetry is an element that is often used in paintings, although it is not always obvious at first glance. Paintings which exhibit a basic symmetry generally present a well-balanced and harmonious composition. In this activity students will view examples of paintings that will help them to recognize symmetry, even when it is not immediately apparent. You may wish to begin this activity by discussing the definition of symmetry in the visual arts with students:
The upper portion of this painting exhibits an immediately recognizable symmetry. The placement and number of figures on either side of the Virgin Mary are nearly mirror images-for every angel on the left side of the painting there is another angel on the right side. But does symmetry in art always appear as a mirror image? Divide the class into small groups. Assign half of the groups to view one of the following paintings, and the other groups to view the other. Both of the following images are available from the EDSITEment-reviewed web resource The National Gallery of Art:
Ask students to identify similar objects or figures within the composition of this work. How do these objects relate to one another within the composition? Are they on opposite sides of the painting? On the same side? Once they have had a chance to examine the painting, ask students to work together to answer the following question:
Students assigned to the Benton image should recognize that while this image does not present as strictly an ordered mirrored composition as that found in the Bergognone image, students should not have difficulty in identifying the symmetry represented by the two mountains which appear on either side of the central peak. While there are differences in the foreground of the image- such as the shape of the lake and the placement of the two riders- students should also be able to find a rough symmetry in the two green slopes and two stands of trees. Students should remember that the correspondence between objects, figures, and landscape elements does not need to be exact. For the students assigned to the Avercamp painting, they will see that unlike the Bergognone image—or even the Benton image—students may not find the symmetrical elements of this watercolor's composition immediately obvious. Many of the symmetrical elements found in this image are distanced from each other by the use of techniques such as atmospheric perspective (objects in the distance are painted in lighter shades with less clear details), giving the impression that some features of the landscape or figures are located far away from the viewer. Despite the placement of objects and figures at different positions within the imagined distance from the viewer, it is still possible to find symmetrical elements within Avercamp's painting. As students view this image you may wish to direct their attention first to the two towers in the image-not only the one on the left, which is referenced in the title, but also the second tower, placed in the distance, on the right hand side of the picture plane. The two structures resemble each other in their shape and architectural style, and while the second tower is located at a distance within the field of the image, that resemblance creates a kind of symmetry within the frame of the picture. Students may also note the two row boats in the image, the first tied to the shore in the foreground, and the second being rowed with two passengers in the middle ground. Again, one appears close to the viewer, and one at a distance, but students will recognize that the objects are of one kind, and that they are even placed facing each other, making them resemble mirrored images. Students may look at the ship that is moored in the waters before the distant tower and attempt to find something in the foreground which can be paired with it. They may note the appearance of a second ship in the further distance; however, astute observers may also note the resemblance between the ship's masts and the cross planted at the top of the rise in the foreground. They might also note the similarity between the shape of the ship's hull and the shape of the rise itself. Finally, they might note the greater correspondence between the ship on the right and the tower with the rise and tower on the left than between the more distant ship and any other geographic elements. Once each group has had a chance to examine either the Benton or the Avercamp have the class gather together again where each group will present and discuss their findings. 2. Balancing ActsAfter completing the previous activity students might wonder why artists would include symmetrical elements in the composition of their art works. One of the most important reasons is found in the pursuit of balance or equilibrium. Students may recall learning about triangular compositions in an earlier lesson from this curriculum unit, Everything in its right place: An Introduction to Composition in Painting, Shaping the View. In that lesson students learned that a triangle is often chosen as the overall shape of a painting's composition because it lends a sense of stability and balance. Compositions that are well balanced are often visually harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Students should remember that the visual arts played a very important role in society- particularly before the invention of the camera- and presenting a pleasing representation of a scene or person was often a significant goal of the artist and the work of art. Other important components that work together to create a sense of balance in a work of art include color (such as keeping all of the tones and saturation of a painting's color within a certain range) and proportion (keeping the relative size of objects and figures within the range of what we normally see). In the following activity students will be concentrating on balance within the composition of a painting. Begin by having students return to or look again at the following image from Lesson 1, available from The National Gallery of Art:
Students will recall Bergognone's image of The Assumption of the Virgin. Students viewed this painting in the first activity. This painting provides an example of symmetrical balance, in which the weight on the right and the left sides of the painting are equal and the focal point of the painting sits exactly at the center. Next, they should think of the Benton image they viewed in the course of that activity. In this case, the Benton provides an example of approximate symmetrical balance, in which the weight of the left and right sides are roughly equal to each other, and the focal point is at the center of the image. Have students return to the following image, which they have already seen the previous activity.
Ask students to work together to explain why they aren't equally "weighted." Students should be able to identify a number of factors in their assessments. Some of the most important of these factors include:
AssessmentDivide the class into four similarly sized groups. Distribute the following images, which are available from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The National Gallery of Art, to the class, giving one image from this list to each of the groups:
Extending the LessonYou may wish to extend the lesson by assigning a short research project for your students using the reviewed internet resources available through EDSITEment. Have students search from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art, The Museum of Modern Art's Art Safari, The Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Art Institute of Chicago to find one example each of: a symmetrical composition; an approximately symmetrical composition; and an asymmetrically balanced composition. Students should write at least one paragraph for each image that they find explaining why it is an example of one of these three elements.Return to curriculum unit overview-Everything in its right place: An Introduction to Composition in PaintingPrevious LessonNext lessonSelected EDSITEment Websites
Other InformationStandards Alignment
|