“And after drawing comes composition. A well composed painting is half done.”Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947)
A composition in a painting is by definition the arrangement of shapes and colors on a surface. Placement is obviously important and needs some thought. What is a good composition? Opinions differ. Like everything in art, there are no rules. There are some techniques and strategies that you might find more effective and expressive than others.
I know I have a composition that works for me, when my eye gets drawn to the entire surface of the canvas and not to just one area and, when both positive and negative spaces have been treated with equal importance. A successful composition may also include some tension or drama even some ambiguity as well as more quiet passages. The decision behind placement ultimately has to do with intent beyond merely engaging an interest. Do you intent to report visual accuracy? Do you intent to create an illusion of depth? Do you intent to suggest a mood or an emotion? Do you intent to show movement or stillness?
When composing my paintings I try to stay away from the predictable. I search for a more unusual perspective. Yet, at times I go against my own guidelines. For example, who hasn’t heard: “don’t put your subject matter dead center!” Well, the design of many of my floral paintings is often centered, but this is usually offset by the choice of bold colors and brushstrokes.
The illustrations below say more than words and explanations
1. Boring 2. More interesting 3. Much more interesting
So, before you start your painting give some thought to where you are going to put what. What are you going to include and exclude? What is your intent? A few quick sketches might be helpful in order to select the composition that most pleases you. Happy painting!
Yvette Stenzel
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