Division of Area
The massing of detail should be as simple as possible and to some extent should be guided by the scale. One expedient in panel designing is to draw within the area, whether it be square, rectangular or any other shape, a circle or oval to control the predominant detail in contrast to that which is to be less conspicuous.
No. 215. Phases of Elaboration of Simple Shape.
Large areas may be sub-divided into several masses, but the grouping of these must be controlled by the general shape. When dealing with borders a suggestion was made that the undulate stem could follow the lines of adjacent circles, and this device is the basis of most of the scrolling growth lines that are characteristic of Renaissance ornament.
No. 216. Byzantine Panel. Composition based on Circles.
No. 217. Romanesque Lunette Panel. Composition based on Circular Shapes.