Packet 8.

Balance & Symmetry

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE
An identical design on each side of a space that is divided in the center by an imaginary centerline. The face is an example of Symmetrical Balance. The design on one side of a face is a mirror image (nearly identical) of the other side. Opposite sides are equal and balanced by matching elements.

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE
Design elements on each side of Artwork, if divided in the center, are different. Opposite sides are Balanced, not by mirrored or matching elements, but by different elements that attract the eye equally. This type of Balance is more interesting and most typically seen in Art.

RADIAL BALANCE
In this organization of design, Artistic elements branch out in all directions from a center point. This type of Balance exists in the design of a spider web or the spokes of a wheel.

Here are some examples of these three basic types of Artistic BALANCE:

SYMMETRICAL (or Formal), ASYMMETRICAL (or Informal), RADIAL

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

By Richard Lindner

Cyclist

Mask of Tutankhamen

Portrait by Vincent van Gogh

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol

Composition by Piet Mondrian

Mosaic Panel Iranian, 15th Century

Mexican Paper Cutting