A condition of equilibrium or finely controlled balance.
A state of physical, visual, or psychological balance in which opposing forces are held in equilibrium.
Sculptor’s note: In sculpture, equipoise describes more than literal stability. A composition may feel balanced through counteracting masses, gestures, voids, directional forces, and visual weights even when the figure itself is asymmetrical or in motion.
Etymology
From Latin aequus, “equal,” and pensare, “to weigh,” through French and English usage.
Sculptor Notes
In sculpture, equipoise describes more than literal stability. A composition may feel balanced through counteracting masses, gestures, voids, directional forces, and visual weights even when the figure itself is asymmetrical or in motion.