The Power of the Center: A Study of Composition in the Visual Arts

Rudolf Arnheim

ISBN 10: 0520044266 / ISBN 13: 9780520044265

Published by University of California Press, 1982

About this Item

First printing. Volume, measuring approximately 6.5" x 9.75", is bound in brown cloth, with stamped gilt lettering to spine. Book is in near fine condition, with previous owner's name stamped at top edge of front flyleaf, together with small notation "6/55" in marker. Small price sticker appears at top of front pastedown. Dust jacket displays shelfwear, with small closed tears at top edge. Jacket is preserved in mylar cover. xii/223 pages. ".focuses on two fundamental spatial patterns whose interaction accounts for the structure of works of visual arts: the concentric or cosmic system, in which shapes are controlled by the power of an internal center; and the more terrestrial system of the Cartesian framework, in which a grid of verticals and horizontals organizes reponses to an external center of gravitational attraction. Using a wealth of examples, Arnheim shows how the complementary properties of these two systems enable visual design to represent the human experience symbolically in paintings, statues, or buildings.".

Seller Inventory # ABE-1620098904760

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Power of the Center: A Study of Composition in the Visual Arts
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 1982
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520044266
• ISBN 13: 9780520044265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Using a wealth of examples, Arnheim considers the factors that determine the overall organization of visual form in works of painting, sculpture, and architecture.

About the Author

Rudolf Arnheim is Professor Emeritus of the Psychology of Art at Harvard University. For many years he was a member of the Psychology Faculty at Sarah Lawrence College, and he spent his last ten academic years at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he now lives.