Poore's three small drawings: classic scales with equal pans on equal arms; a steelyard, where a small weight hangs far out on the long arm; and a seesaw seen in depth, with a large figure near the pivot and a small one far out and farther back.

Concept · Arranging the Picture

Asymmetric Balance and Visual Weight

Asymmetric balance uses unlike sides that still feel even. Visual weight is how strongly any part pulls on the eye.

Poore compared it to a steelyard, a scale where a small weight far from the pivot balances a big one close to it.

  • A shape alone weighs more than the same shape in a group, Poore said.
  • Strong contrast adds weight, Poore noted; the Getty adds color and texture.
  • The small balancing weight must not become a rival point of interest.

See

Image: Project Gutenberg · Public domain

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