THE PRINCIPLES OF FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
The basic principles are general guidelines to produce a pleasing and harmonious composition. These are universal to any style of flower arrangement.
(i) Location and style : Flowers can beautify any location such as coffee table, dining table against wall study table. bath room sill etc., but in each instance, the composition must be designed to suit its setting.
Traditional symmetrical arrangements like pyramidical. round and oval bowls always glorify a location where the vase has to be viewed from all sides. Symmetry also works well in large room. where complementary arrangements have to be made on two corresponding sides, as for example, fan shaped or triangular arrangements placed against opposite wall. Such arrangements fall into the category of western. mass styles.
Geometric and modern arrangements too, are better placed against a wall or in corner. where their form and outline stand out clearly. Selection of style depends on availability of material. Traditional western arrangements employ more flowers, especially if the, are to be viewed from all sides. Where there is a scarcity of flowers. it would be a good idea to make an Ikebana. geometric or a modern arrangement which allows for the addition of accessories like branches and foliage so that the lack of flowers is compensated.
(ii) Selection of vases : Conventional round of oval bowls are suitable for flow. western table arrangements. Vases with a stem are preferable for fan-shaped and triangular styles which require flowers and foliage to flow over the rim of the bowl and trail down. Such bowls may be used as well for Ikebana, but shallow trays are traditionally used for basic eastern styles. Long cylindrical sleeves are used for both Ikebana’s, geometric and modern styles. The flowers and materials should go well with the container. e.g. Ferns and roses look better in glass / silver vase.
(iii) Depth and rhythm : There should be an element of depth in the composition, this is achieved through the creation of rhythm. Hence, in the overall arrangement. the material should have uneven lengths and so appear to move as in the receding and increasing note of music. A few shorter lengths of material placed behind or in a front facing design, or some short flowered inserted within all around style, will definitely contribute to this element of depth.
(iv) Transition : Rhythm and depth are achieved to a large extent by grading the material and arranging it in different lengths so that it converges towards the focus in a combination of shorter and longer heights, and at the same time maintaining the frame work of the design. No two items of similar heights are placed together.
(v) The focus of the arrangement : Flowers are arranged to attract the eye so an arrangement must have a focus of interest, the central point where the vision first paused before moving on to the rest of the composition. Focus is the centre of attraction. It is generally at the base of the design. near the rim of the vase, unless. as an exception it is an abstract modern style. It is usually the heaviest largest. brightest flower or group of flowers and leaves that create this focus. All the other materials used would be harmonious to it in proportion and balance, using a skilful combination of contrasts and textures. More important, there would be an overall rhythm in the design that has culminated in the focus so that the entire arrangement appears to stem from this point.
(vi) Proportion : The material used to arrange should be proportionate to the vase. A general yardstick to determine this is to establish the length of the tallest branch or flower and this should be approximately equal to the height plus width of the container. If the material is light and slim, or if the container is large, the height could be increased one and a half times or even twice this measurement. Similarly very heavy material could be decreased in length.
In any case. never let the material overshadow the bowl and for this reason. avoid top heavy branches and trim the foliage if necessary.
(vii) Balance : A symmetrical arrangement. achieves an even balance. First adopt central length and scale the rest of the material in an equal distribution on either side, In classical western arrangements, therefore, this balance is immediately evident. Modern Styles are usually based on an asymmetrical arrangement of material. But here also balance is achieved. For example flowers predominant on one side may be balanced by more leaves on the other side. Similarly, strong colours may be balanced by any other form, such as figurine being placed on the void side. Ikebana is largely based on angular asymmetry but achieves a balance through sheer artistry in the placement of material. Basically, visual weight should be evenly distributed even though the design may be asymmetrical. Material should not appear cramped and heavy. If there is more concentration of material for the sack of the design, it must be compensated by some other element. For instance, all the flowers and foliage are on one side, the vase itself may be placed on one side of the table so that its visual weight will be balanced by the centre of the table.
By
Ms. M.Darneshree
Assistant Professor
Department of IDD
