Using Composition As A Tool

Still Life With Three Puppies, by Paul Gaughin, 1888 is the painting that is most intersting to me. The composition in this painting, to me, seams more balanced, and yet also very shakey. this is because the puppies are all together in a half circle around the same spot in the painting, this provides stability. The aspects of the piece that make it feel out of balance are lighting, object placement, and proportion. the top half of the painting is much brighter and much more open than the bottom half of the painting which has much darker tones and it much more full. the botton half looks like a table top with a table cloth with some fruit on it, though the top half looks like the puppies are on the floor, the middle of the painting, the area with the cups, adds to the unballanced look also because the cups are at an angle. Though the main action fills up the entire space of the paitning, it still had an unbalanced/uneven look to it.