Creating a Dynamic Composition
Compositions can be static or dynamic. In this exercise, we will recreate the dynamic movement found within a painting, using rectangles in Illustrator. Dynamic compositions are full of energy or movement. Angles are used to create motion. While a flat horizon line is at rest, a triangle is in motion. The repetition of even spacing is easy on the eye, as our minds predict the simple rhythm of an evenly spaced grid. Angles and uneven spacing between objects causes our eyes to move back and forth. This physical movement translates into the perception of movement within a composition. Use a figurative painting from the artists listed below as the guideline for your dynamic composition with rectangles.
Go to artstor.org and register if you are not already registered. You need to be on campus to do this. Search for a figurative painting from one of these artists: Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, or Gustav Klimt.
The rules:
We are only using the rectangle tool to create this composition.
There will be no outlines on your rectangles.
You can only scale your rectangles and rotate them.
You should not use gradients.
Your composition needs to be 11 x 17 (tabloid), landscape or portrait.
Use layers to organize your composition.
Do NOT use the direct select tool to modify your rectangles.
You have 2 class periods to work on this assignment.
You have 2 class periods to work on this assignment.
The Poet, 1911, Egon Schiele, oil on canvas
Example
