Art Companion: Chapter 29, Integrating Theme and Technique
The Art Studio Companion: A Master Class for Artists
Note: This morning I ordered the third print proof, hopefully next week I will know if it is good to go.
Unpacking Counterpose, a Painting on the Theme of Conflict
In this study, we explore how to integrate a theme of contrast in emotional expression, body language, light, and a special focus on complementary (opposite) colors.
The Problem of Ends and Means
In traditional art, classical techniques can inadvertently stifle personal expression. The rules, passed down through generations, often result in students producing artworks that have the same style, and too often, similar content. Though the ends and means match, their individuality becomes straight-jacketed. Instead of traditional mastery giving them freedom, it becomes oppressive.
On the other side of the artistic spectrum, free spirits can employ stream of consciousness for both subject and technique, matching ends and means. Unfortunately, they often fail to develop a visual grammar that communicates effectively on an adult level; instead, it's like listening to an infant cry or giggle. Instead of achieving freedom, which is their goal, their lack of aesthetic tools holds them back from growth.
Then there are artists who attempt to merge traditional means with unconventional ends, or vice versa; for instance, employing a beautiful technique to portray disgusting content, or an incompetent technique to depict beauty. Such attempts often result in confusion for the viewer, as the ends and means cancel each other out.
For an artist to effectively convey their vision’s theme, it's crucial for them to shape both the subject matter’s expression and the technique in a way that reflects the vision’s theme.
To illustrate how a painting's theme drives technical and content choices, I've selected Counterpose, which explores the theme of balancing conflicts.
209 Newberry, Counterpose, 1990, oil on linen, 36×42″.
Balance of Contrasts
I painted Counterpose during a time when I was trying to find a balance between opposing forces, such as the conflict between time to paint versus money work; the good life versus frugality; fortifying my spirit versus practicality; and living on a Greek island versus surviving in a metropolitan city. The pressure was unrelenting, and I was on the cusp of exploding. The odd thing was that all of it combined to create a kind of painful ecstasy. The concept of Counterpose is about that state, an ecstasy of contrasts. Now, how was I going to express it?
The model and I worked on finding a pose that would express that tension. My idea was that if we could balance the conflicting contrasts, it would achieve a counterbalance resulting in a paradoxical harmony. We found a pose that had tremendous torque, where every limb felt pushed or pulled. The foreshortened perspective intensified and condensed the contrast of the pose, like an angular torsion spring.
210 Demo of diagonal red axis lines.
In demo 210, I show diagonal red marks highlighting axis lines, close to paralleling each other. This illustrates the parallel diagonal alignments of her left thigh, breasts, shoulders, and left thumb. Additionally, her face has two more marks with slightly different angles.
211 Demo of diagonal white axis lines.
In demo 211, I show white diagonal lines that also run parallel to each other, but they run perpendicular to the red marks in image 210. These lines mark the axis lines of her chest, hip, right foot, left and right forearms, cast shadow, and the directional light on her face.
212 Demo of perpendicular red and white axis lines.
In demo 212, I show both sets of the parallel diagonal axis lines and how they are perpendicular to each other. These axis lines cause great contrast of her body’s parts, emphasizing the theme of contrast.
Contrast of Tone
213 Newberry. Counterpose reduced to grayscale.
In image 213, I converted Counterpose into grayscale so that you can better see the contrast of light and shadow. There is dramatic light on her face, chest, hip, and her right arm and hand. As well as the front carpet and futon. This is countered by rich shadows running the length of her body, accentuated by very dark cast shadows, especially around her head and her right hand.
214 Demo of Counterpose simplified to abstract tones.
In demo 214, I simplified the painting's tones to abstract shapes, showing a well-balanced contrast of light and dark shapes, while the gray shapes set off the contrast of lights and darks.
Contrast of Color
Lastly, adding complementary colors, opposites, into the mix. Using the color wheel is essential in understanding complementary colors. The color wheel came about from Isaac Newton’s famous prism experiment, in shining a white light through a prism resulted in dispersed colors in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and violet. The same format colors as a rainbow. When these colors were brought full circle, by connecting red and violet, it resulted in our modern color wheel. These colors have their basis in reality, giving the color wheel real-life validation.
In the color wheel, when the colors that are on the opposite ends are blended, they make gray, canceling each other out—signifying that they are indeed on opposite ends of this spectrum. Adjacent color when mixed create other colors, not gray. Understanding that the color wheel shows true opposites is helpful when we discuss contrasts such as light versus shadow and foreground versus background.
Knowing that I would be playing with color complements (opposites) in Counterpose, the first place I started was contrasting her red-orange hair and turquoise material covering the futon, demo 215. The futon's turquoise raw silk as a foil to her red-orange hair was made with the theme of contrast in mind—they are on opposite ends of the color wheel.
215 Demo of complements of orange hair vs. turquoise futon.
216 Demo of complements of yellow light vs. purple shadows.
Next was creating the color contrast between light and shadow. In demo 216, shown are two swatches from the painting Counterpose, the yellow highlights on her breast, and earthy-purple shadow of her back and hip. When the color of light or shadow is used, it is like a tint or a veil of color infusing whatever is lit or shadowed.
217 Demo of complements of the futon’s foreground vs background.
Similar to contrasting the hues of light and shadow, I did something similar to the foreground and background shown in demo 217. I gave the foreground a yellow-green tint and the background its opposite, a magenta tint. You will notice that this set of colors is only on half the color wheel. It is because the intense turquoise color is mixed with either the foreground or background tints: turquoise + yellow-green foreground = green; and turquoise + magenta = purple. Hence, the futon undergoes a change from green in the foreground to purple in the background.
Also, the complementary color tints of the foreground and background help drive spatial depth, as the futon traverses from one colored atmosphere to its opposite. This intensifies the conflict between closeness vs. distance, adding another element that supports the painting’s theme of contrast.
218 Demo of complements of the carpet’s foreground vs background.
The foreground carpet in Counterpose is the same carpet hung on the wall behind her. It is a wool Turkish carpet I bought on my trip to Turkey in the late 1980s, its colors are beige and earthy-rust colors. Because of the cool-yellow light in the foreground and the purple-magenta depths in the background, they dramatically changed the colors of the carpet. In the foreground, the carpet’s original colors are bathed in yellow-greenish light, which creates pale gold, yellow, orange, and light green. While in the background, the carpet takes on variations of orange, magenta, violet, and blue-purple. To my artist's eye, seeing the same carpet undergo radical color changes through depth creates a magical feeling.
Summary
This tutorial showed how Counterpose's theme of contrast was fortified by dramatic contrasts in pose, light, and color theory. Through merging technical skill with thematic ends, we learn how to find meaningful resolution in even the most challenging works. As the saying goes, there is no light without dark, just as there is no color without contrasts.
Pro Tip: Of course, if you have a concept like "calm" for a painting, you will want to adjust the pose, light, and color harmonies accordingly. For instance, trying horizontal relaxed poses, delicate lighting, and muted color harmonies. The idea is that the theme or feeling you want for the painting will benefit greatly by matching technical-themes.
Practice
As always, it is crucial to reinforce your understanding through practice. For your assignment, consider the mood, feeling, or idea you want your painting to express. If it's a figurative work, contemplate poses that will effectively convey your chosen theme. Deliberate on complementary lighting and carefully select color choices that best exemplify the intended mood or concept. Factoring in these elements will elevate your work to the next level.
Aside from the grasp, clarity and expertise in Michael's work,
his ability to communicate with words, sets him apart.
He is a natural teacher as well as an artist.
This book, like all his others, is a gem. - Martine Vaugel
That is exceptional. Seems like you captured everything you want to know about composition with one example. Super.
This is fascinating. Thanks for sharing it with us. Your book should come in by Saturday !