Chapter 5, Composition in One Easy Lesson

From my upcoming new edition of The Art Studio Companion

41 Paul Cezanne, Still-Life with Apples and Oranges, 1899. WC.

In this study, we look at a compositional rule that makes or breaks a successful artwork. Composition arranges elements within a work to create a meaningful whole.

This Paul Cezanne still-life painting is overloaded with ornate fabrics, ceramics, and about 30 fruits. His mastery of the corners gave him a sound foundation to pile on objects in the painting, and he succeeded in making one of the best compositions I have ever seen.

A composition is the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole. A good metaphor is that it represents the parts and elements of our lives integrated into a whole being. A composition is not simply an art technique; it is a passionate act of combining parts or elements to create something magnificent. It represents an elegant solution to living a magnificent life filled with purpose, balance, and fulfillment.

Essentially, a composition is the arrangement of objects, forms, positive and negative spaces, colors, and tones within the border of the canvas or paper. There are unlimited possibilities for creating compositions, which can cause a lot of problems for the painter. I recall reading an article that listed 28 rules of composition, which can be overwhelming, especially since the composition is the starting point. This tutorial came about because I wanted to teach an easier and more digestible way to compose. The conclusion I came to is that there is one common denominator for creating a superb composition:

An excellent composition has interesting shapes, colors, or tones in all four corners.

42 Richard Diebenkorn, Cityscape 1, 1963. WC. With my markup.

Richard Diebenkorn is a modernist landscape painter whose abstract style makes it easier for us to see his compositional arrangement. His corners contain unique shapes, they also have “weight.” A weight translates as substance versus a tiny sliver. There are many complex shapes inside the body of his composition, but by making the corners interesting he extends the composition outwards, giving the painting an expansive quality.

43 Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Water Pitcher, 1665. WC. With my markup.

With Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Water Pitcher, I have drawn an oval on the image. What concerns us are the colors and shapes outside of the oval. In the four corners, we have: the motifs of a map; the carpet-covered table; abstract shapes of the window and light on the wall; and, in the bottom left, nuanced shadowing.

44 Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656. WC. With my markup.

The Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez is one of my favorite paintings.[1] In its corners, we have: the shape of the canvas within the canvas; the group of children with a dog; the window niches and framed paintings; and, in the upper left corner, a pocket of light on the ceiling.

45 Van Gogh, Room at Arles, 1889. WC. With my markup.

A nice contrast to Las Meninas is this Van Gogh painting of his bedroom. Though Van Gogh’s style is less realistic, he just as carefully organized the composition as did Velázquez.

46 Pablo Picasso, La Famille de Saltimbanques, 1905. WC. With my markup.

Pablo Picasso has a great arrangement of tones and objects in his corners. Of particular interest is how he shaped, weighted, and almost mirrored the clouds in the upper corners to complement the lower corners showing the man’s feet on the ground and the woman’s skirt.

47 Vermeer, Girl with a Red Hat, 1665. WC. With my markup.

Another favorite painting of mine is this Vermeer. Normally, when I think of portraits, it seems they focus mostly on the face and leave the background vague. Vermeer carefully composed the whole painting, not leaving the corners to chance.

In this essay, we explored the concept of composition in art, focusing on the arrangement of objects, forms, colors, and tones within the borders of a painting. We observed the works of renowned artists like Cezanne, Diebenkorn, Vermeer, Velázquez, Van Gogh, and Picasso to understand how they utilized the corners of their compositions to create visually captivating and harmonious artworks.

We discovered that an excellent composition involves intriguing shapes, colors, or tones in all four corners, serving as a foundation for a remarkable piece. By paying attention to the corners, artists extend the impact of their compositions beyond the central elements, achieving a feeling of painting expanding.

Moreover, we discussed not only a superb composition but also how the organization of it serves as a metaphor for life giving us a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our artistic endeavors.

Practice

As always, it is crucial to reinforce your understanding through practice. We studied how an excellent composition has interesting things in all four corners of the artwork. I recommend before starting a new work, to make at least ten compositional thumbnail sketches (about 2x3 inches), taking care of the four corners, then pick your favorite to serve as a guide for your artwork. You will be pleasantly surprised by how expansive and satisfying the result feels.

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[1] My favorite top 20 artworks, in chronological order:

1.       Thutmose - The Head of Nefertiti (c. 1345 BC).

2.       Phidias (attributed) and Agoracritos - The Three Goddesses from the East Pediment of the Parthenon (c. 438-432 BC).

3.       Myron - The Riace Warriors (c. 460-450 BC).

4.       Leonardo da Vinci - Study of Hands (c. 1474-1478).

5.       Michelangelo - David (1501-1504).

6.       Rembrandt - Danaë (1636-1643).

7.       Velázquez - Las Meninas (1656).

8.       Vermeer - Girl with the Red Hat (1665-1666).

9.       Delacroix – Liberty Leading the People (1830).

10.    Édouard Manet - Olympia (1863).

11.    Gustave Courbet - Women with the Parrot (1866).

12.    Claude Monet - The Magpie (1868-1869).

13.    Cezanne - Mont Sainte-Victoire (1882-1885).

14.    Edgar Degas - The Tub (1886).

15.    Van Gogh - Summer Harvest (1888).

16.    Paul Cézanne - Still Life with Apples and Oranges (1899).

17.    Picasso – Boy Smoking a Pipe (1905).

18.    Martine Vaugel - The Praying Mantis (1980).

19.    Peter Schipperheyn - Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006).

20.    Abiodun Olaku - Conversations (2014).