What are the basic principles of the art of composition?

One of the basic and traditional rules of the art of composition was written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato centuries ago, "Composition is to discover and embody the diversity in a whole." It is a concise and general illustration of how a painter should arrange the composition of a painting. Variety may lie in form, color, and the placement of major components in a work. Variety means creating variations in form and color that will catch the viewer's attention, arouse their interest, motivate them to look closely and enjoy it. However, this variety should not be too much, or the audience will become upset and lose interest. Diversity must be present in a certain order, in a kind of overall harmony. In other words: Unity in diversity, Find change in unity. This is the most basic law of composition art. In terms of the form of composition, according to the distribution and combination of the subject, it can be divided into circular composition, "S" shape composition, triangle composition, quadrilateral composition, T-shape composition, etc. No matter what kind of composition form, all achieve unity by symmetry or balance. Symmetry means order and unity, and asymmetry means freedom and diversity. Artists often use symmetrical composition when expressing serious themes. In the Coronation of the Virgin, Velazquez uses symmetry to make the coronation solemn and sacred. More artists use asymmetric composition to express their creativity. In an asymmetric composition, the weight of form and color is compensated and balanced by deviating from the central axis. Successful painters always draw on the strengths of their predecessors and find their own way in composition. Every masterpiece has a unique new exploration in the form of composition. As Ruskin said, "There are no fixed rules in the art of composition. If there were, Titian and Veronais would be ordinary and ordinary people."