balance dicusses symmetrical and asymmetrical balances as well as imbalance

Balance
Balance refers to the distribution of visual weight in a work of art. In painting, it is the visual
equilibrium of the elements that causes the total image to appear balanced. Balance can be
symmetrical (also referred to as "formal"), and asymmetrical balance (also called "informal
balance"). Balance is usually a desirable characteristic of a composition. However, deliberately
throwing off the balance of a piece in order to call more attention to some aspect of an image is, at
times, desirable. For this reason, it is also necessary to discuss the concept of imbalance.
Symmetrical balance is a type of visual balance where the overall composition is arranged to look
like it is the same on both sides of the center of the design. In other words, it is a design which
could be folded in half, and as the design folds, each part of the design would match up with its
symmetrical counterpart on the opposite side of the center. Symmetrical balance is easiest to see in
perfectly centered compositions or those with mirror images. When elements on both sides of a
central horizontal or vertical line appear to be about equal in shape, weight, value, and color, the
design is in symmetrical balance. In a design with only two elements they would be almost
identical or have nearly the same visual mass. Symmetrical balance produces paintings that are
restful, calming, and visually stable. An excellent example of symmetrical balance is Leonardo
Da Vinci's Proportion of the Human Figure ﴾Fig. 1﴿. This rather hopeful
drawing illustrates that the human body can be vertically divided down the middle and the left and
the right sides will correspond. When the sides of a piece match exactly, as Da Vinci would have
us believe, it is referred to as pure or formal symmetry ﴾Fichner-Rathus﴿.
Another type of balance is called asymmetrical balance. In this case, balance is achieved by
arranging related or unrelated objects of differing visual weights that counterbalancing one
another. The advantage of asymmetrical balance is that it seems more casual, and less frigid.
Asymmetrical balance can be more intricate and complicated; it can heighten interest, bring
informality, or even produce tension in a painting. Joan Miró's The Birth of the World
﴾Fig. 2﴿ is an example of asymmetrical balance. Fichner-Rathus explains this
piece, "Against a washed, intermediate space, a figural form on the left loosely described by a
stack of black and white geometric shapes is balanced on the right by a simple sphere of highly
saturated red" ﴾p. 77﴿. Fichner-Rathus goes on to explain that the placement and
color of the objects achieve "the sense of overall balance," if the red sphere is covered up,
changed to black or white, or changed it to another shape, the piece would be thrown into

imbalance.
While both symmetrical and asymmetrical balances offer different advantages, and have been used
to create fantastic pieces, imbalance has been employed to create many incredibly visually
appealing works of art. Such imbalance is a characteristic of works of art in which the areas of the
composition are unequal in actual weight or pictorial weight. Imbalance can also allow the viewer
to sense movement. ﴾Fichner-Rathus﴿ In the case of Robert Capa's photograph
"Death of a Loyalist Soldier" ﴾Fig. 3﴿ it looks as though the soldier was trying
to make it to the center of the frame but he has been shot and is stumbling backwards from the
force of the bullet. As Fichner-Rathus argues about Niki de Saint-Phalle's Black Venus, imbalance
can do similar work while accomplishing very different effects. She indicates imbalance here
"suggests a precariously balanced body " ﴾Fig. 4﴿. In addition to this view, the
imbalance in this piece also possibly offers to the viewer a look at this Venus as though she were
standing in water without physically submerging her in a pool. The artist actually is addresses the
narrow field of what is considered to be an attractive woman, especially Western stereotypes. It's
interesting that Saint-Phalle's Venus mirrors images of the Hottentot Venus ﴾Fig.
5﴿. Being able to do two very different readings of this piece speaks to the versatility of
imbalance; it allows the viewer to play more of an active role in their viewing.
The distribution of visual weight in a work of art is referred to as symmetrical and asymmetrical
balances. These methods produce pieces that are restful and calming or tense and informal. In
addition to these methods, throwing off the balance of a piece, using imbalance, to call more
attention to some aspect of the piece can add many more dimensions to it and allow the viewer to
draw his of her own conclusions from the piece.
Works Cited
Understanding Art 6th edition, Lois Fichner-Rathus, Harcourt College Publishers, Fort Worth,
TX.
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