The rule of thirds is a common approach for composition in many mediums. I really loved the explanation of the origin of this rule made by Nathan Fowkes on Bluesky.
The (not) rule of thirds.
— Nathan Fowkes Art (@nathanfowkes.com) January 8, 2026 at 2:19 PM
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The justification presented by him is very logical:
- Any object in the middle of the composition tends to became predictable and boring
- Any object on the border of the composition don’t feel comfortable for the viewer.
This leaves only where the thirds reside. Those why a rule exist are more important than the rule itself. On Art & Perception - Balance Rudolph Arnheim comments about the forces being applied into an object being when he present the structural skeleton.
“No object is perceived as unique or isolated. Seeing something involves assigning it a place in the whole: a location in space, a score on the scale of size or brightness or distance.”