In the Eye of the Beholder

All that Glitters oil 22 x 28

Painting is subjective.  There are basic concepts that make a piece a good painting. Concepts like composition, color, balance, and rhythm, and drawing.  But after that, the definition becomes blurred.  Perhaps you prefer very detailed renderings of fruit.  Or painterly interiors. Or works that recall the past. Maybe you like the color blue.

What makes a painting "worthy" or "good" has been weighing on my mind lately.  Sometimes I feel like there is a very narrow definition. And the tastes of the general public or the magazine editors are not always a good barometer. Sometimes I imagine Cezanne or Matisse standing before a room of contemporary paintings.  Which would they think were the best?

Breaking Rules



Richard Diebenkorn oil  Interior with View of the Ocean

 There are lists of rules about what makes a good painting.  And, in general, they should be followed.  However, there are paintings that break these rules and still succeed as paintings. Every year I give my students an assignment which allows them to break the common rules. Place your subject or horizon line in the middle of the canvas. Use an even number of objects in your still life. Use paint straight out of the tube. Use black.  It can be a challenge of its own.

I've used Richard Diebenkorn as an example.  He divides his painting in half with the large window on the right.  But he balances it with the shape of the window on the left.  He also places his subject, the chairs, smack in the middle of the painting. He uses a local color there to catch the viewers eye. He does use an uneven number of chairs. He then structures several yellow triangles to add movement and activity to the bottom half of the painting. Notice how he uses complements. I'm guessing there is some black paint out of the tube in there as well, but I could be wrong. The painting works, but it breaks a number of rules.

Salt Brush in Morning Light oil 16 x 20

Here is a recent painting of mine.  I've placed my subject in the center of the page, but balanced it with the shapes at the top of the painting. There are two rooftops that provide structure to an otherwise organic subject. I was interested in the way the light on the bushes led the eye through the painting and I have emphasized that by letting it occupy the mid-point of the painting.