Georgia O'Keeffe said that good composition was covering the space
in a beautiful way - an idea she got from her mentor Arthur Wesley Dow.
In 1899, Dow produced a manual that would change the teaching of art in
this country for nearly half a century. "Composition: A Series of
Exercises in
Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers", became a standard
text
for the study of art and design, and Dow's methods inspired
generations of
artists in many media. It is widely recognized as having laid the
stylistic
foundation for the American Arts & Crafts movement.
See if your local library system has a copy of "Composition" by Dow.
It has
been reprinted and is still a great source for art teachers. It was
required
reading in my "History of Art Education" course at Kansas University in
in 1972. Often the old ideas are the best ones. The book is available
on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Composition-Exercises-Structure-Students-Teachers/dp/0520207491
Woody
On Sep 29, 2009, at 3:52 PM, Boots13@aol.com wrote:
