Artificial rules of composition

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Painting-Portrait ART

When I'm faced with a blank canvas, I naturally think about what to place and where, and because I'm letting go of some of the rules and concepts that I think are artificial, I feel it's much easier to make decisions about composition. For me, the only rule of composition is that there are no rules. In the final analysis, my standard is very simple, is to see whether the effect after comparison makes me like.

Composition cannot be accomplished by a set of so-called rules of composition, but I would like to mention here what I call artificial rules and concepts, which include the following ideas: there are good and bad tastes; Some things are inherently beautiful, while others are ugly or mediocre; A drawing or painting must be spatially balanced; You can't arrange anything in the front of the rectangle; There can be no horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines in the middle of a painting; Each rectangle has its own aesthetic center point, and there should be not only two elements in a composition, but one or five; If the method avoids two, they must be of different size, shape, color, or tone; Certain lines and colors have inherent qualities of joy, sadness, calm, tragedy, peace, excitement, etc.

These articles could go on, but they all have two things in common: first, many artists have always taken them very seriously (and still do); Second, they are all outdated and irrational, although some of them seem logical.

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Principle of composition

Although the rules of composition vary from time to time and from school to school, the underlying theories of these rules (both those developed by the modern movement and those formulated by the classical school) remain discordance. In painting, these principles are first to attract the attention of the viewer, then to let the viewer pay attention to the important areas in the painting, and then to make it as attractive as possible to the viewer for a long time. I think it is lawful to use any method or means to achieve this end.

A close examination of my own paintings and those of artists who have had a profound influence on me shows that they often have such a few points of composition. The first is overall simplicity. Even strong compositions (no matter how large or complex the subject matter) are basically simple.

What is associated with simplicity is the harmonious use of individual painting elements to form a unified composition. In most cases, the light used on the object (if there is only one light source) is a natural unifying factor. Equally important in harmony is a unified tone, areas of color, lines that form a whole, carefully handled borders, and a masterful combination of all these elements in a single dominant element.

The first principle is subtlety. If the composition of a painting is clear at a glance, it will not achieve the desired effect. Like other elements of painting such as color, form and subject matter, composition is an organic part of the whole work. In body painting (except for purely decorative paintings) every element should be subordinate to the temperament of the subject.

To say more about composition would require a set of rules, and I am against rules. However, I would like to point out one point after comparison, which is not to limit any possibilities conducive to the arrangement of the composition. Under the premise of simplicity, harmony and subtlety, there is much room for innovation in the composition, which can be observed in new ways. If possible, a painter should come out of the frame of a reliable, true, secure composition. While there's no harm in using the old ways (I use them myself), there's no harm in trying something new.

Composition changes: All four compositions can be used in place of the composition on page 35. Each of them is satisfactory. Because the light and dark tones of the large pieces are arranged differently from the position of the human body. Their composition is also slightly different in atmosphere from the final composition after comparison.

Human body: oil on canvas. This little exercise was decided after I considered the four compositions on page 34 and compared them. Two main considerations: First, the model's posture is lonely and friendly, I feel that it is better to paint small. Second, I put the human body in the center right position, because most people look at pictures and read from left to right. If the human body is placed on the left side of the painting, the viewer's gaze from left to right may ignore the human body and stay on the large background and foreground.