How to Achieve Balance and Harmony in Abstract Art Composition

How to Achieve Balance and Harmony in Abstract Art Composition

Abstract art allows an artist total freedom in conveying creativity without being bound by realistic principles. Even though abstract art is not constrained to the rules of realism, there still exists the need for achieving balance and harmony in composition for the composition to be visually appealing and emotionally effective. No matter how long you've been doing abstract art, creating balance and harmony allows your work to transcend into another level and become much more interesting. Here are strategies that will help master these elements within your abstract compositions.

1. Know Visual Weight
Balance in abstract art often dissolves into the element known as "visual weight." This is an approximation of how much of the viewer's attention a given element, or portion of your painting, captures. Larger, darker, or more complex shapes make up more visual weight in a composition than smaller, lighter, or even simpler ones. Thus, it is really important to distribute visual weight equally across your canvas for a balanced piece. You only want to make one side of the artwork heavier unless you are doing it to make it count for the focal point.

For instance, if you're using a big dark shape in one corner, it's best to balance that out with lighter, smaller elements on the opposite side of the canvas. This would not drag the audience's eye to just one place in the artwork but rather to move their eyes through the piece.

2. Use Color Harmony
Color will also do a lot to help in achieving harmony in abstract art. A color scheme can bring parts of the composition together. A color scheme, discussed in detail before it even gets into the piece, can create a sense of serenity or convey a sense of excitement depending upon the mood you want to create. Alternating placement or dominance can provide balance when working with contrasting colors or shades. For example, using a jarring, bright color and then balancing it with neutral or muted tone can really make the composition harmonious without being too overwhelming to the eye.

3. Explore Proportion and Scale
Proportion and scale are factors that bring balance. To create the sensation of imbalance is when one part of the artwork is shown out of proportion compared to the rest. Having fun manipulating scale will be achieved through playful experimentation in the size of different shapes and elements. Balance larger forms with smaller ones or spread out groups of shapes. Proportional relationships often provide a rhythm in harmonious abstract composition, making the observer easily comfortable to explore the entire picture.

4. Creating a Focal Point
Abstract art does not have to set with the rules that this tradition has set but it may have a focal point for the sake of establishing balance. A focal point draws your attention and serves as a visual anchor. It may be such that it radiates at once in the form of a bold color, shape, or texture, but the focal point will thus be balanced with other related features for the sake of harmony. You can get this by dropping supporting elements that surround the center in smaller forms that will lead the eye of a viewer towards the focal point without crowding it.

5. Movement and Flow
Movement and flow is another area from which abstract art derives a form of harmony. This can happen in an abstract art by means of the directions of lines, shapes' rhythm or the way color flows from one place to another. A good balanced composition should move the eye of the viewer softly from one element to another without abrupt stops or jarring transitions. This fluid composition calls for the viewer to search into all directions of the work in a coherent and streamlined way.

Conclusion
Art is considered to be abstract in its most normal sense because through complete contemplation, it comes alive through balance and harmony. Still, it is a beauty to define the essence of emotions and ideas that cannot be presented within art itself. One can treat a composition as balanced and harmonious in his own way if it includes visual weight, color harmony, proportion, focal points, and movement. Keep trying and you'll soon find your rhythm in abstract art!

How to Achieve Balance and Harmony in Abstract Art Composition