Editorial Review
Learn principles of composition, classical and modern, through analysis of works from Middle Ages to present — Goya, Cézanne, Hopper, many others. Excellent discussion on the importance of balance, entrance and exit, circular observation, angular composition, etc. 148 illustrations, 9 in full color.
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Customer Reviews
Pictoral Composition 
2008-07-19
Excellent book on various composition arrangements. This book is for the beginner as well as professional.
Needs more color 
2007-06-12
This is a nice book for artist's. Even though most pages are in black and white, it is usefull and has a lot of info for readers. Im happy with it.
Valuable but requires a struggle 
2007-01-30
There is a lot of really great information in here, especially for someone who has not had much education regarding composition; but it reads like an archaic, academic classic from a bygone era - when education was more of a sink-or-swim, weed'em-out affair than the more approachable style of current times. My copy shows copyright 1967 (not 1976 as Amazon reports), and the writing style is rather difficult. The author sometimes uses key terms (e.g., "axial plane") for several pages before doing us the favor of explaining just what that term means. Other passages were written so formally and distantly, I had to read them several times over and struggle with them before I had the "aha!" moments. The concepts then felt really valuable, almost like a secret code I had just broken. I just don't think it has to be that challenging. As I said though, there is a lot of good information in here,and I am excited about how this information will improve my painting and give me more confidence, as well as the ability to speak about compositional concepts with some expertise.
This book is really good 2007-01-05
This book is a good option to learn principles of art.I passed my Introduction to Art cass with an "A",in Barry University.That means for me that this book could be a support for any art class. I strong recommend this book.
Jesus Martinez
A worthwhile investment 2006-11-08
This is the best book I've read so far on composition. Poore doesn't deliver anything that you wouldn't find in any book on painting, but to have it all in one book is superb. Most "how to...." books on painting provide a chapter on the subject, typically a brief introduction. In the 95 pages Poore is able to delve much further covering virtually every aspect of what makes a painting look good. Topics include:
a) The importance of balance and the various things that can affect it.
b) Entrance & Exit - getting in to and out of a picture
c) Circular observation and composition
d) Angular composition
e) composition with one or more units
f) how to use light and shade to balance the painting
The examples are well chosen, although there were one or two that, to me, didn't get a particular concept across. The writing style is a bit dry but certainly rewards perseverence. I've given it 4 stars in the hope that the bible of composition is out there somewhere. Well worth the money and if nothing else it provides an excellent checklist for you to follow in your art.
Composition made simple... 2006-11-05
Learn principles of composition, classical and modern, through analysis of works from Middle Ages to present — Goya, Cézanne, Hopper, many others. Excellent discussion on the importance of balance, entrance and exit, circular observation, angular composition, etc. 148 illustrations, 9 in full color.
Consise and accurate. 2006-05-10
Although probably designed for beginners, this is the first book I?ve read that teach you something concrete on how to construct or to analyze a painting correctly.
Classic Rules of Compositon Told. 2004-09-23
This book tells the classic rules of composition "that no one wants to tell you" and that others say "everybody knows" when in fact they don't. It covers the subject from the old school of classic composition. It is a masterpiece of information that I wish I had read years ago. Very highly recommended.
Its good 2003-09-11
I find the basics to be very detailed. which is good. But it is slow and it starts to lose my interest a bit. Maybe it is just to basic for me. But, for any beginner I think this would be a good start.
Compact, concise yet complete 2003-06-20
I bought this book looking for formalized rules of composition. I got exactly what I asked for, though I must admit Poore writes like the page they tore out of the textbook in "Dead Poets Society." The first chapter on balance was the most formulaic and I felt at times that Poore was stretching his examples to fit or coming up with rules on the fly. I got more out of the following chapters on entrance and exit, circular observation, and angular composition. The strongest section of the book was on composition with one or more units, particularly on how to pose two people for a portrait. The last chapter on light and shade was also good.
It is well worth the time and money to read this book, though it may not be where you stop.
