Spatial Balance of Color Triads in the Abstract Art of Piet Mondrian

Abstract

We examined the interactive contribution of the color and size of the three areas occupied by the primary colors red, yellow, and blue in adaptations of abstract compositions by Mondrian to the perceived weight of the areas and the location of the balance centers of the compositions. Thirty-six art stimuli were created by experimentally changing the colors in the three areas of six original works so that the resulting five variations and the original constituted the six possible spatial arrangements of the three colors in the three locations. In experiment 1, design-trained and untrained participants determined the location of the balance center of each composition seen on a computer screen and rated the apparent weight or heaviness of each color area. In experiment 2, untrained participants determined the location of the balance centers of the compositions when projected to their actual size. It was found that, for both trained and untrained participants, the perceived weight of a color, especially red and yellow, varied as a function of the size of the area it occupied. Furthermore, participants in both experiments perceived shifts in the locations of the balance centers between the originals and their altered versions. Only the trained participants, however, perceived significant shifts in balance centers among the five variations of the compositions, demonstrating their superior sensitivity to the contribution of color to balance structure. Taken together, the findings demonstrate the existence of a color-area-weight relationship among color triads in abstract displays and the influence of this relationship on color balance in abstract compositions.

Learning visual balance from large-scale datasets of aesthetically highly rated images

“…There exists a body of work endeavouring to understand visual balance and its relation with symmetry [4] about vertical [5][6][7] and horizontal [7] axes, content of the scene [8], color contrast [9,10], and styles in abstract and representational artworks [11][12][13][14].…”

Aesthetic Preference for Spatial Composition in Multiobject Pictures

“…Subsequently, Locher et al (2005) examined the perception of balance in six abstract paintings by Piet Mondrian together with variations of those paintings in which the colors (red, blue, and yellow) were interchanged. They found that Mondrian's originals were all judged to be balanced near the center, whereas the manipulations were generally perceived as less well balanced.…”

Measuring pictorial balance perception at first glance using Japanese calligraphy

“…Various investigations linked balance to composition “correctness”, “rightness”, or “goodness”, comparing original compositions with perturbed versions, producing theories based on aesthetic experience and viewers' art expertise (Locher 1996, 2003; Locher and Stappers 2002; Locher et al 1998, 1999, 2005, 2007; McManus and Kitson 1995; Nodine et al 1993). The directionality of elements and their implicit dynamic quality contribute to their weight and composition balance (Locher and Stappers 2002; Locher et al 1998; Mead and McLaughlin 1992).…”

“…The directionality of elements and their implicit dynamic quality contribute to their weight and composition balance (Locher and Stappers 2002; Locher et al 1998; Mead and McLaughlin 1992). Studies suggest that both art-trained and novice viewers rapidly achieve complex global impressions of artwork gist including balance perception (Locher and Stappers 2002; Locher et al 1996, 2007; McManus et al 1985), perhaps within 100 ms, though these studies did not employ methods to isolate early processing from later cognitive processing.…”