composition (plural compositions)

composition (plural compositions)

1. The general makeup of something.
2. (obsolete) An agreement or treaty used to settle differences; later especially, an agreement to stop hostilities; a truce
3. The proportion of different parts to make a whole.
4. (obsolete) An agreement to pay money in order to clear a liability or obligation; a settling. [16th-19th c.]
5. (law) an agreement or compromise by which a creditor or group of creditors accepts partial payment from a debtor.
6. A mixture or compound; the result of composing. [from 16th c.]
7. An essay. [from 16th c.]
8. (linguistics) The formation of compound words from separate words. [from 16th c.]
9. A work of music, literature or art. [from 17th c.]
10. (printing) Typesetting. [from 19th c.]
11. (mathematics) Applying a function to the result of another.
12. (obsolete) Consistency; accord; congruity.
13. Synthesis as opposed to analysis.

Composition

Everybody immediately responds to subject matter in art. 

A picture of a butterfly and a picture of a snake do not get the same response.
In addition to subject matter*, the formal aspects of visual composition are like the grammar of a language. In writing, a story is written with words - subject matter. Like good literature and good poetry is more than words and subject matter, art is more than pictures. The organization, the sentence structure, the style, and so on can make or break a good story. In art, the way the formal elements are arranged can make or break a good picture idea.
 

The use of design principles applied to the visual elements is like visual grammar. When children learn art, it is like learning to read and write the language of vision. When they develop a style of expressing visual ideas, it helps them become visual poets. Looking for the visual effects of design principles does not have to limit an artist's options. It can focus an artist's experimentation and choice making.

Composition

1. a:  the act or process of composing; specifically :  arrangement into specific proportion or relation and especially into artistic form
   b (1) :  the arrangement of type for printing <hand composition> (2) :  the production of type or typographic characters (as in photocomposition) arranged for printing

:  the manner in which something is composed

b :  general makeup <the changing ethnic composition of the city — Leonard Buder>

c :  the qualitative and quantitative makeup of a chemical compound

:  mutual settlement or agreement

:  a product of mixing or combining various elements or ingredients

:  an intellectual creation: as

a :  a piece of writing; especially :  a school exercise in the form of a brief essay

b :  a written piece of music especially of considerable size and complexity

:  the quality or state of being compound

:  the operation of forming a composite function; also :  composite function

Composition

 Composition

 

Word Origin and History for composition

late 14c., "action of combining," also "manner in which a thing is composed," from Old French composicion (13c., Modern French composition) "composition, make-up, literary work, agreement, settlement," from Latin compositionem (nominative compositio) "a putting together, connecting, arranging," noun of action from past participle stem of componere (see composite ). Meaning "art of constructing sentences" is from 1550s; that of "literary production" (often also "writing exercise for students") is from c.1600. Printing sense is 1832; meaning "arrangement of parts in a picture" is from 1706.

Composition

 Composition

In the visual arts—in particular painting, graphic design, photography, and sculpture—composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
The term composition means 'putting together,' and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing to photography, that is arranged or put together using conscious thought. In the visual arts, composition is often used interchangeably with various terms such as design, form, visual ordering, or formal structure, depending on the context. In graphic design for press and desktop publishing composition is commonly referred to as page layout
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Reseach Metdhology

What is case study research?

Whilst it is possible for dissertations to be entirely literature-based, the most common form of dissertation takes the form of a case study. Here the focus of attention is on a particular community, organisation or set of documents. The attraction of this kind of dissertation is that it stems from empirical curiosity but is at the same time practical. You may be interested in a wider question but a case study enables you to focus on a specific example. A major challenge in case study dissertations is connecting your own primary research or re-analysis with the broader theoretical themes and empirical concerns of the existing literature.

What's an empirical study?

Most dissertations demand either primary or secondary research. In other words, you usually have to analyse data that you have either collected yourself or data that is already available. The reason for this is that the questions dissertations usually address take the following form: Is x happening? Is x changing? Why is x happening? Why is x changing? These questions demand primary or secondary analysis of data.

Methodologies

Methodologies

Introduction

The way you approach your question will have a profound effect upon the way you construct your dissertation, so this section discusses the types of research you might undertake for your dissertation.  The use of literature and case studies is considered and the merits of primary research are debated and advice is given on the use of existing research data. You may not be fond of statistics, but the potential relevance of a quantitative approach should be considered and similarly, the idea of qualitative analysis and conducting your own research may yield valuable data. The possibilities of using quantitative and qualitative data are also discussed.