The triangle is a compositional element that has been used in visual art throughout history.
Triangles are inherent in perspective, a characteristic artistic technique developed during the Renaissance. It is based on a triangular theory of vision, where lines recede to a point on the horizon to imply depth. This concept revolutionized visual art and the artists ability to create 'real' space in their paintings.
Symbolically the triangle can represent a spiritual hierarchy, particularly in Christianity where the Trinity is depicted in three points of significance. Renaissance artists also used shapes and lines to arrange figures into a triangle on the surface of a painting for both hierarchical and compositional reasons—a practice modern scholars call triangular composition.
The orientation of a triangle can be important to it's meaning also. A point-up triangle might represent a strong foundation or stability, as it is rooted to the ground through a solid base. Point-up triangles can also represent ascension toward the spiritual world, while the point-down triangle can represent a descent into the physical world.
TWFA artists Clementine Barnes and Briony Barr are exploring the triangle as an aesthetic and structural element, focussing on the shape and how complex structures can be built from the simple triangular form. The pieces are both minimal and complex at the same time and are a great contemporary take on a form that has been used in visual art for centuries.
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Collage Pyramid, 2014. Print by Briony Barr[/caption]
Written by
Art, The Urban List & Design Tribe[/caption]
