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How is art different from illustration?
The primary difference between art and illustration is intent. While
illustrators want you to understand everything in an instant, artists
intentionally keep their work provocative and open-ended. Artists use
composition to get you thinking about what lies beneath the surface;
their goal is to convince you to spend time with the image and perceive
multiple layers of meaning. Commercial illustrators sometimes graft the
look or form of fine art onto commercial messages, but the meaning of
the original artwork is lost in the process. Commercial art states the
concrete and obvious, whereas fine art explores the complex and
unknown. Original artworks invite us to consider, analyze, and
interpret the world around us.
Beauty secrets revealed
One secret to beauty in art is its underlying organization — its
rhythm, balance, proportions, and space. The artist arranges these
compositional elements in a harmonious way, creating an organic,
unified whole. Often these elements merge so seamlessly that there is
no clear way to distinguish among them.
Getting involved
A strong, unified composition draws us into an artwork, and involves
us in the complex ideas and inspiration behind it. Both of the images
below demonstrate the principles of effective composition. Click on an
image to learn more about the inspiration behind the piece.
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| Ron Kroutel |
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Margaret Neill |
Next: More about composition
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