Way(s) of creating harmony – What?? (Mr. Naveed)

 In Arthur Dow's book on Composition, we learned the fundamentals that define harmony. We were exposed to Opposition, Transition, Repetition, and  Subordination. 

Now, I know that these four concepts feel like meaningless words on a piece of paper. But when explained, one can truly admire the harmony that Dow wants to create. 

Opposition is when two lines of opposite directions meet to form something. It is like the corners of a square, which ultimately allows us to distinguish length and breadth. 

Transition is when another line is added to lines of opposition to pacify the harshness that they might present. My example of that is the edges of a table. The table was built with opposing lines but the smoothness allows it to be comfortable rather than jarring. 

Repetition is the action of homogenous lines or patterns being repeated to emphasize the basics of a painting. 

Subordination. I do not understand this. Dow describes Subordination as a concept that allows unity to be subjected to order. Our discussion in Class explained that Subordination is a dominating element of a painting. It could be the branches or the trunk itself in a tree. 

But that opens a world of subjectivity. How can we agree on the same form of subordination? It seems as if subordination is the focus of a painting. But then does it make it an error to have a subjectively distinct focus for all of us? Or is that exactly the harmony that could materialize from such confusion?          

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 13, 2022 at 4:44 PM

    It's not that subordination IS a dominating element or a focus, but that the existence of subordination presupposes something it is subordinated to, the dominant part of an image. Think about how an ancient temple might be placed on a hill to draw the eye. In that case, the architects positioned it so that the contours of the hills would all be subordinated to the temple -- that is, would make it look more imposing and dominant. Or if you imagine a busy junction, notice how the lines of the road etc. might be subordinate visually tothe Stop sign or traffic lights.

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