Composing with Pyramids and Triangles

Pyramids and triangles are everywhere in great artistic compositions whether they be sculptures, paintings or photographs. Here is one that started as a photograph, then was turned into a giant sculpture: Joe Rosenthal’s Iwo Jima flag-raising photo, now the United States Marine Corps Memorial on a bluff in Arlington, Virginia overlooking the capital.

Since it faces east, it’s a natural for sunrise shots like this one. 

But the point is the shape, which becomes more obvious in a closeup view like this one. 

Some less obvious triangular/pyramidal compositions: 

The first of these is a predawn shot by me with a detail from the artillery group sculpture in the Ulysses Grant Memorial west of the Capitol. The horses’ hooves frame the Capitol dome.  The second shows the pediment on the opposite east side of the Capitol. This is a marvelous sculpture grouping called The Genius of America.  (Click on the link to read its history from the Architect of the Capitol.)  The triangle in my photo has the U.S. Flag at half-staff as its apex, with the three Genius figures (L to R: Justice, America and Hope) as its base. 

The triangular shape makes for good compositions, in my mind, because it’s simple and regular, and the upward thrust gives it some dynamic oomph. 

But don’t take my word for it.  Renaissance masters like Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael all used the pyramid composition copiously in their paintings (and of course, Michelangelo in his sculptures like the Pieta in St. Peter’s in the Vatican).

The first in this group is a Botticelli Madonna (with five angels). Next is Leonardo da Vinci’s Baptism of Jesus. Then Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo (Holy Family). Last, Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinches. (All these snapped by me in a whirlwind tour of the Uffizi in Florence.)

Doorways, especially arched doorways, lend themselves to pyramid/triangle compositions. I explore that in another blog post. Click here to read it.