At the turn of the twentieth century, Arthur Wesley Dow literally -wrote the book- on composition--and this is it Dow's Composition exercised an enormous influence on emerging modern artists of a century ago. A thought-provoking examination of the nature of visual representation, it remains ever-relevant to all the visual arts.
A well-known painter and printmaker, Dow taught for many years at Columbia University and acted as a mentor to countless young artists, including Georgia O'Keeffe. His text, presented in a workbook format, offers teachers and students a systematic approach...

Arthur Wesley Dow taught at major American arts training institutions for 30 years including Teachers College, Columbia University; the Art Students League of New York; Pratt Institute; and his own Ipswich Summer School of Art. His ideas were quite revolutionary for the period, he taught that rather than copying nature, art should be created by elements of the composition, like line, mass and color. He taught many of America's leading artists and craftspeople, including Georgia O'Keeffe, Charles J. Martin, two of the Overbeck Sisters and the Byrdcliffe Colony.

Arthur Wesley Dow was an American painter, printmaker, photographer, and influential arts educator. He taught many of America's leading artists and craftspeople, including Georgia O'Keeffe, two of the Overbeck Sisters and the Byrdcliffe Colony. Dow was largely inspired by Japanese art to this work on Compositionn.