Ultimately, you’ll be considering what decisions each artist made in creating his or her work. We call these principles of composition. For example, you could discuss:
- Contrast/harmony/indifference
- Pattern/rhythm/progression
- Stability/change
- Density/space/balance
But what does an artist work with to make these compositional decisions? You first need to identify basic elements of design, so we can see how the artist used them. Elements of design include:
So: Examine each element of design, and consider what principles of composition are at work in each element.
These terms are carefully chosen so they can apply to sonic and visual elements and help illuminate relationships across media.