Classical Ideas

The Golden section was formulated by the renaissance artist to state in a clear way what they believed was the most important elements in defining a painting of the classical period. These same standards are still seen as important elements in contemporary art academies today. The seven elements have been modified over the years which I will explain in the third distinct way to paint. If we study each section separately you will find each one of these parts can take a great deal of time to understand.  Also note that studying them separately is not correct and they should be studied in context to how they work together.

Golden section:

1. Form

2. Composition

3. Perspective

4. Proportion

5. Lights & darks

6. Color

7. Motion.

The classical process emphasizes lights, darks and form first. The underline structure of these painting requires an intense understanding of drawing a verity of subjects.

All forms are defined by light and dark areas that describe subtle transitions as well as the shape in illusionary space. The artist must be able to draw these forms using shadowing like chiaroscuro which leads the eye around the form and in space. Without the lights and darks the forms will appear flat, not 3 dimensional. Artists spend a great deal of time studying forms by drawing them hundreds of times until they feel convinced they know the form.

Form is defined in terms of:

1. Gesture and motion

2. Positive and negative shapes,

3. Light and darks, 

4. Color,

5. Texture,

6. Features eyes, nose, mouth, etc.,

7. Bone and muscle structure

8. All the natural elements associated with it.

Composition:

The other main consideration the artist must make is how all the subjects fit together in a composition. The idea is that the painting is made with illusionary space and the artist is going to place subjects into this space so they are logical, balanced, natural, interesting and recognizable. Most spaces in a realistic sense have a foreground, middle ground and background.

Define what kind of space is it?

1. Interior

2. Exterior

3. landscape

4. Dream

5. psychological

6. A mixture of several

1. What is the perspective? Are we looking down on the figures?

2. What are the proportions? How big is the subject compared to the other subjects?

3. What is light and what is dark? Are there more dark areas then light or is it equal? What is the balance?

4. Movement, how do we move the eye around the painting? It everything straight or are some things lean to one side?

5. Color, What are the colors and how do they balance together? What is the relationship between subjects, are they even or odd?

Develop the illusionary space.

The artist has a couple of tools that tell us where to look, how fast and where to go first and clues that direct our eye and mind in the painting.

1. Perspective

2. Proportion

3. Over lapping

4. Directing shapes

5. Lights and darks

6. Color

Perspective:

Nicolas Poussin was a neoclassical painter who focused on compositional and color concerns His beautifully balanced, clear and logic paintings where innovative. His ideas on composition enabled him to arrange forms in space without being bound to copying landscapes in a literal sense. Poussin copied landscape elements in nature and painted them in the studio according to his own aesthetics.  He used a number of tools to invent and get it right. During his time ideas of one point and two point perspective where used to create objects in space and make them appear correct by using simple rules. He used visual information to create compositions according to his sense of aesthetics.

One Point Perspective: From this perspective, there is one viewpoint. VP represents view point or eye level. Space expands from the viewer's point of view. One point perspective is a relationship between foreground and background. Consider the box as extended space.

Two Point Perspective: This perspective allows you to visualize an object in space. In this sense, you see the shape in a ¾ view. Compositionally the sides point us back into space, which leads us into other areas of the picture plan.

Consider a single light source casting a single shadow in a logical direction. Leonardo Da Vinci 1452 illustrated this idea using candlelight. Notice as objects are located in different places the shadows direction changes. This is another version of one point perspective.

Proportion:

Proportion is the size of an element in relationship to another element, large in the foreground and smaller in the back ground. The opposite can be true and logically seen small trees up against a large sky.  Proportion is also a way to create tension or drama. Large areas of darkness create a somber sense, emotions, and a feel of quite or urgency. Different size shapes can create interest and move our eye around and promote motion. Consider balancing proportions of value to create a sense of light and balance. Color is also affected by proportion, more reds will create a different feeling then if there are more green which promote an otherworldly effect. Lost of grey may suggest depression, quite, thought, or a storm.

Over lapping: Shapes overlapping creates a sense of space and order. The Chinese use the overlapping devise in their paintings and ink drawing to show foreground and back ground.

Lights & Dark

The parts are seen in terms of a visual comparison expressed in values, shapes and proportion that serve the hole. Compositions may be limited to selected values or a full range of values 1 – 10. 

Relationships between distinct shapes and values are what matters, so as to covey a harmonic tension, perspective, ideal, balance and pattern throughout the composition. The marking method used can communicate weight and tension. Consider Poussin's Theory of Modes, the harsh treated harshly and the delicate treated delicately.

An artist's esthetic style is developed by inventive explorations and experience. This is thought of as a constant search to understand invention.

The principle of harmony and proportion in a drawing should ultimately convey a feeling. By beginning with the harder pencil, the drawing is developed by layering hard to soft shades of graphite in sequence until the darkest areas are rendered last with the softest pencil, hard to soft, H6,H4, H2, HB, B2, B4,B6. The drawing can be a study in shading, drawing natural forms, invented forms, and a composition of shapes and value relationships. It is the artist that determines the form the drawing takes, but it is the visual consistency of the drawing and purpose that determines when it is finished. Artists can use the sequence from hard to soft numbered pencils to render the drawing in stages of completion. Begin with the H6 pencil, render the composition in it's entirely. The darks should be the darkest marks the H6 will make without pressing too hard. This first stage should be corrected and adjusted the way you want, but light. In essence, it will be a complete drawing made with light marks.  Pick up the H4 and darken all those areas that need to be darker again without pressing to hard. Once you have covered everything that needs to be darker go to the next softer pencil. Each stage of completion is an opportunity to darken and adjust values. Continue to work your way down getting softer. You can use any combination of hard to soft that works with your personality. The secret is to work in stages of completion and balance the values so the whole drawing has a specific feel.