Abstract Thinking Strategies for Strengthening Composition
Composition is the way in which all of the elements of a work of art work together to create a complete and compelling artwork.
Using abstract thinking strategies is valuable for a lot of different people. Having abstract thinking skills in relation to composition can be used in creating dynamic and unique graphic design campaigns, marvelous architecture and feats of engineering (like the Ruyi Bridge in China! Check it out!). This lesson will explore and practice abstract thinking strategies in relation to composition.
Our main term: Composition |
Composition: the final product Composing: the process of designing a composition Composed: past tense of composing |
How can we become more original and compelling visual artists? Being an original artist means creating unique and compelling works of art. Whether it is sculpture, drawing, painting, whatever... it requires the ability to come up with an idea and bring that idea to life. Artists benefit from having intuitive skills that take an idea and create a composition that successfully portrays this idea to the viewer.
"Abstract thinking is a higher-order reasoning skill. It deals with conceptual ideas, patterns, and theories" (Le Cunff). Practicing abstract thinking exercises in color, shape, light, structure, and so on establishes intuitive behavior and skills of a dynamic and original artist. With abstract thinking we can start to make intuitive decisions based on past experience identifying relationships between different things like color and shape.
Froebel's Gifts: Tools for Play
We start practicing abstract thinking skills in Kindergarten with what is known as Froebel's gifts. Froebel's gifts are various sets of objects used for play that utilize abstract thinking! "The [gifts] that Froebel developed and how children engage with them are grounded in three ideas: forms of life – using the blocks to create and represent things and events from the world around them, forms of beauty – focus on the aesthetic, symmetry, pattern, order, design, etc, forms of knowledge – exploring mathematical forms and scientific concepts such as size, shape, area, stability and balance" (jnovakowski, 2021).
There are 10 gifts: (1) small colored yarn balls, (2) solid wood forms like spheres, cubes and cylinders, (3, 4, 5, 6) sets of smaller cubes or shapes that combine to make the same size and shape as the larger solid wood forms, (7) parquetry tablets, which are flat colored geometric shapes, (8) colored sticks and rings, (9) small flat circles of various colors that represent a point, and (10) a framework set such as Tinker toys.
*click on each number in the paragraph above to see images and learn more about each gift.
Even though Froebel's gifts were designed for young children, their concepts are invaluable to a practicing artist. During play Froebel encouraged modification over giving up and starting over when something wasn't working. The same can be said for an artwork—if the composition is lacking or something is throwing off the whole don't start over, adjust, modify, and most importantly identify what isn't working and why. This type of practice helps to build the instinctual thought that makes it faster to identify issues in the future and even avoid these issues all together!
The abstract nature of art: auditory and visual composing.
When music is written it is composed of notes, rhythm, pattern, volume, and so on. The same goes for painting or drawing. An artist is composing with visual elements rather than auditory elements. Abstract ideas like emotion or movement are accomplished by leveraging the medium (art materials) in a way that tells that story or creates that reaction from the viewer of the artwork. Kandinsky is an artist from the late 19th century. His work is a perfect example of how to translate strategies like we discussed with Froebel's gifts into an artwork.
Watch this video and answer the questions below:
Kandinsky and Color |
How does Kandinsky describe melody in a visual work of art? Does the sound of one color change when it is placed next to or blended with another color? For example, how does a solid yellow change when it is blended partially with a warm orange? How can music be used to expand our understanding of how an artwork is composed? |
Studio Practice
Watch this video and write down, to the best of your ability, what sounds you hear when you see each color. Watch it again and write down what emotion you are reminded of for each phase of the video. Take it a step further by watching it again and writing down what images enter your mind during each phase of the video.
Use your notes on the sounds, emotions and images to create a work of art. Think about how you can build a composition that mirrors the videos colors and transitions. This can be representational or abstract and you can use any materials that you choose. Have fun and please share your work in the comments below!
Vocabulary
Composition the way in which all of the elements of a work of art work together to create a complete and compelling artwork.
compelling something that is persuasive and gripping
intuitive working on instinct, occurring without conscious thought
Sources
Inventing Kindergarten Book by Norman Brosterman (1997)
The Musical Color Wheel Video by Corbin Bumeter (2017)
Froebel's Gifts Article and Video by Froebel USA
Great example of each Gift Video by Froebel USA
Froebel's Gifts Podcast by 99% Invisible (2019)
Froebel's Gifts: Science and Math Article by jnovakowski (2021)
Images
parquetry tablets by Froebel USA
"Vassily Kandinsky, Bild mit rotem Fleck" by f_snarfel is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
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