All Things Fine Art

Students of art must learn to shift their perception from the organic reality of subject matter to the non-subjective elements of design in order for their works to become interesting and vital. This is an issue that all beginners face and why their paintings often look flat and generally uninteresting. They lack the visual and emotional energy appeal that entices the human eye and brain.

In my previous articles on notan I referred to drama and dynamic composition.  These desirable elements of art are created differently. While one focuses on value the other embodies movement or the flow of a painting created by the unequal treatment of space. Each however, lends itself to creating the energy that captures the eye and guides it through a work of art.

“Antiques”, 11x14”, oil on canvas, plein air, $550.

WHAT IS DYNAMIC COMPOSITION

The concept of yin and yang in composition as used in notan (two values of light and dark) creates drama through the balance of opposing light and dark contrasts. Drama has appeal to the human eye as it imparts mystery and discovery in our works. We might think of this more as light vs. shadow and we can then see how this balance adds “staging” to an otherwise drab, every day, run-of-the-mill subject. The thirty foot rule of grabbing attention requires dramatic value contrasts and an excellent composition. Together, there is nothing that shouts a louder “Hey! Look at ME” from across the room.

Once a painting has a viewer’s attention it has to have something in it to visually entertain at close range. That something is most emphatically, a dynamic composition which is based on the idea of movement and energy.  A painting that has been so designed will have interest and hold the eye of the beholder. There is nothing static or boring about a subject that has been so composed.

Irregularity is visual jewelry for the eye.

The elements used to create the effects of movement and energy (tension) in art include the treatment of line, shape, size relationships and edges as well as gradation of value and color, Each of these elements play a highly important role in creating visual movement.

In, “Antiques” above, note the use of notan which has created drama through the contrasts of light and dark and warm and cool. Conversely, the drama of notan has been used in concert with the yin and yang of diagonal, horizontal and vertical lines (of various widths and lengths and colors) throughout the painting. The use of these directional lines plus irregular shape/size relationships all interact to force the eye to travel up, down, across and from front to back in the picture plane…this is dynamism at work.

When planning a painting look for ways to create tension. A simple rule of thumb that helps to establish this is to remember that all lines, shapes and edges must be different, one from another. Think in terms of the canvas being a space. You must ask yourself, how can this space be divided into interesting shapes? Whether we use thick and thin lines, geometric shapes, irregular edges or gradated value/color shapes, dynamism is created through variation. In other words, the more variation, the more interest is created.  Irregularity is visual jewelry for the eye.

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To read related articles about the use of notan see the February, 2013 blog posts listed in the archived list (bottom left-hand panel on this blog page).

"Sunflowers", 14x11", oil on canvas, $650.

A Note Regarding this Series on Notan….

When I began my series on notan in February, 2013 it was not my intent to expand on the various concepts of composition.  I wished only to offer a simple explanation to help inexperienced students or those not familiar with the concepts of notan and its benefits. However, due to the many comments and inquiries from artists since my articles were published by FASO I decided that I need to reconsider. Thus, this post, and future posts on this subject, will explore the issue in more depth.

While artists who are pursuing a career in art or professionalism in their work require full intelligence of all aspects of art, more casual artists may be looking merely for self-gratification and/or success in a less involved manner. I enjoy students in each of these categories and strive to present the principles of art and design according to the level of student need. Thus, my blog series on notan is simplistic in its delivery to afford beginners and casual painters as well as the more skilled a better grasp of this abstract concept early on in their development. 

MORE ON NOTAN

The theory of notan is based on the idea of the Chinese philosophy of yin (dark) and yang (light) which means, simply put, a balance of opposites such as light and dark, warm and cool, etc..  This said, we have to take the concept one step further to an understanding that yin and yang are complimentary to one another and therefore create a greater whole than when the elements are represented individually. In this way, balance occurs. This creates, in art, an interaction (unity) between the physical and metaphysical aspects of a subject. That is a lot to think about. But, when we begin to wrap this philosophy around the principles and elements of art we see more clearly how a subject can be best represented on canvas or paper. It also brings to bear the idea that notan is not just light and dark, it can be warm and cool colors, lost and found edges, thick and thin paint application, and so on so forth. The concept is almost endless in its applications.

NOTAN AND THE COLOR NOTE

Color is one of the most complex subjects a student of art must learn. To put it simply, in today’s world, color has literally become a science. We’ve gone from the time of Rembrandt when artists worked with only a few pigments that they made themselves to the present where thousands of choices in brand, hues and mixtures are available. It is almost impossible for the average artist to know all there is to know about this vast field. However, if once again we strive for simplicity, then several things are possible that can help to take the mystery out of color. First, working with a consistent limited palette over a period of time increases the learning curve. Secondly, is the color note, which is the correct combination or mixture of pigment(s) relating to a specific plane on the subject, as it is dictated by light. A color note is made up of the correct hue (such as the yellow pear) its value (light or dark), temperature (warm or cool) and intensity (saturated or dull). As our eye moves around the pear, we find that as the light strikes or not, the color note makes subtle to dramatic changes. If we record each color note correctly, we then represent the pear correctly.

My method of mixing pigments is to look at the subject (a specific area to be painted), create the perceived mix on the palette adjusting the elements of the color note to match, look at the subject again and compare it to see if it works. I might also add a touch of it to the area to see if it reads correctly. If not, I alter the elements of the color note until it does. Representational painting has much to do with correctly visualizing and interpreting light effects accordingly. If a color note is incorrect and randomly placed on the painting then ensuing color notes will not read correctly. It is at this point that a painting can go downhill quickly. This is where students run into trouble with mixing color. They see “red” and they mix a red without tweaking the elements of the color note to get a match. The best advice I can offer is to slow down.  Take time to really look at your subject and mix accordingly. Learn to see and to mix what you see by keeping things simple and using the yin and yang built into the color note, i.e.: light/dark, warm/cool and saturated/dull.

In the painting above of "Sunflowers", note how each petal and each part of each petal has it's own color note. These variations create the effect of realism and tell a story. They also help to move your eye around in the painting. The next article in this series will look at the dynamics of compostion which create movement.