Episode 215: Balance and Order (2)

Today’s episode will focus on composition. Composition can be balanced or unbalanced, always accompanied by order. Balance in art is different from the common understanding – it does not necessarily mean putting two equal things on both sides. Disproportion can also be considered balance in art. Buddhists believe everything is energy, and all things can achieve balance. Moreover, all artworks must have a certain order, not necessarily neat but possibly orderly within chaos. For example, Chinese ink painting has strict order like using red for roses, while freestyle ink uses more flexible order allowing different colors or shapes for roses yet still with planning.
Even kindergarten kids have order in their daily activities. During recess they may run around and scream freely yet remain within school boundaries without bumping into teachers – this is the order they establish themselves. Another example is renowned director Wong Kar-wai’s movie “In the Mood for Love” which were called cinema classics despite having little script. Returning to Chinese art, Zhang Daqian’s later abstract works also look disorderly but were thoughtfully planned.
The balance between freedom and structure depends on the artist and audience. Cantonese opera also has “scattered edition”, referring to a slow, irregular rhythmic freedom controlled by the performer, contrary to fixed rhythms.