Pictorial Composition: An Introduction (Dover Art Instruction) Kindle Edition

With out the basic understanding of composition no work of art can be good. Before even beginning to draw or paint any picture everyone should read this book first. I learned a lot about what makes a painting bad or good just by reading this book.

I picked this book up at the suggestion of the great contemporary realist painter, Will St. John; I think he learned from it. This is the abridged and updated 1969 Dover edition of _Pictorial Composition and the Critical Judgment of Pictures_, which Poore originally published in 1903, and which is out of print; there are paper copy facsimiles of the 1903 version to be bought and unfortunately I found out the hard way they contain no illustrations so they're useless. Get this one.I've read a lot of books on composition but still find so much to learn from the Poore that I keep having to put it down and absorb what he's just taught me. His instruction is succinct and clear. I wish I'd stumbled on this decades ago. You'll find more modern books on composition but the ones I have are just a waste of your time compared to this one. Poore analyzes in a deep way why pieces work and why they don't and how to fix them. The modern books I have just list formulae, do circles or steelyards, or golden sections, etc., and the writers aren't really capable of analyzing the subtleties of why something works when it's oh-so-close and why it doesn't, or why a certain composition might be the wrong one for the subject matter. Poore really knows his material cold and is articulate enough to explain reasons in very few words. Composition is the most important aspect aspect of painting; you can have great anatomy, brushwork, and color and if your composition is faulty the piece falls apart, whereas with a great composition, the rest just falls into place, and for the most part, mistakes are forgiven. So this is a great book on composition. The other great book I have read is also ancient and out of print, Cyril Pearce's _Composition_, referred to me by Stephen Bauman, and worth finding. The Poore is a little better but they talk about completely different things so to me, they compliment each other. If you're serious about improving your painting, search out them both.

I was curious to see just what makes 'a good picture' and picked this up. It is informative. In the beginning it explains balance and contrast, but then as it gets to the midpoint of the book, the formulas start to look like something out of a Calculus book - too damn much thinking required. I gave it three stars because the first half of the book was useful to me.

This is one of the most thorough books in the teaching and analysis of composition I've ever had the fortune to read. All my other art books mention the neccessity of sound composition and eye movement but none give the detailed breakdown of how that's accomplished or why it fails. This book does. You aren't just told - it's broken down for you explicitly with dozens of examples from famous paintings. All kinds of compositions are examined.Here is a list of the chapter titles and some (would be tiresome to include it all) of what they teach1. Balance - rules, scale of attraction, vertical/horizontal balance, natural balance, apparant/formal balance, balance by opposition of line, balance by opposition of spots, transition of line...etc, etc, etc.2. Entrance and Exit - getting into the picture, getting out of the picture3. Circular Observation - circular composition, reconstruction for circular observation4. Angular Composition - the triangle, the vertical line in angular composition, angular composition based on the horizontal, line of beauty, structural line5. Composition with One or More Units - 2 units, 3 units, groups, the figure in landscape6. Light and Shade - pricipality, gradationColor Plates.....If you really want to learn composition and get it down cold - get this book. It's a priceless gem.

I had decided to 'get back to basics' with drawing, and realized that my comprehension of composition was lacking. I wish I had come across this book back when I was a student.I can recommend this book as a stepping stone for studying composition.

The are many developed ideas and techniques that may be remembered and employed by photographers to improve his or her photos. To be read and reread.

covers only the basics and doesn't do a good job of even that.

Amazing resource! A great introduction for folks who work best in the studio using clear terms to define and plan their compositions. For those who work more intuitively, this may not be the book for you. But I know for myself, after years of working intuitively (and using A LOT OF PAINT to "trial and error" my way through a painting), and being stubbornly disinterested in understanding the mechanics of building a work of art that achieves the level of balance, emphasis and contrast that I admire in the works of artists I look up to... I have found this book to be incredibly helpful.

This book isn't well written; it needs to be simplified to make it a more practical guide

The rudiments of good composition are explained and (mostly) understood. The book is a good guide for analysis and appreciation of painting composition

As a photographer, the best book I ever read on composition.Recommended to me. Exceptionally written, I suspect by a very wise man.Not a word wasted. Every image in the book is examined and explained. No philosophy,nor exercises. Just how an image(s) works.A great book.

Excellent. Very helpful and informative

Fantastic book. I've been searching for the right book on composition for a long time, and now I've finally found it.