This is the 3rd and last textbook in the series of "Fundamentals of Art". The previous two editions are dedicated to Fundamentals of Drawing and Fundamentals of Painting. In the book Fundamentals of Composition, the author, on the basis of his own creative work and experience working with students, tried to show and explain how the painting is born. On the examples of outstanding Russian and foreign artists, he shows the process of working on sketches and explains the importance of collecting material when creating a realistic work. Professor V. A. Mogilevtsev introduces the reader to visual means and talks about the most important of them. The text is accompanied by a large number of illustrations. The visual information carries the main information load, which makes this book the most understandable and convincing for young artists. This textbook will be interesting for anyone who wants to comprehend the secrets of professional art excellence.