introduction
what is composition
levels of abstraction
how does the image work
the frame
in the frame
  up and down
  left and right
  distance from the center
  distance from the frame
  sides of the frame
  mutual influence of the objects
format
third dimension
sharpness 
color and tone
rhythm
active and passive space and surface
differences among the media
evolution of the aesthetic standard
bibliography

on composition

Some ten years after being written, this thesis for my graduate degree finally bugged me enough to translate it into a more accessible language, partly because of this text's popularity among my friends at the time. Some of these views aged better than others; the point is that I at least find them interesting enough to consider. The biggest task was the removal of the adolescent (and perhaps Croatian) mysticism, and to attempt explaining and bringing everything to the ground, or at least daylight. Still, there is some pretentious heady stuff here at times, so feel free to laugh at me if you feel teased, cheated, or taken for a ride.

The illustrations are left as they were: images that I just happened to have taken that year, without any intent for this purpose, and therefore quite imprecise for it - but realistically practical, for the same reason. They could be swapped by any 6 months output of mine, or perhaps by your work too.
Predrag Dubravcic