Composition is, by definition, the act or process of “arrangement into specific proportion or relation and especially into artistic form.” This can apply to written and visual arts, and other areas as well. Composition can be practical, it can be adventurous. Whatever it is, it is the individual’s sense of design.
One of the most challenging areas of composition is deciding how much is enough? That will be dependent on a number of things – what are you trying to express? In the old days, when photography did not exist, detail in Western art was much appreciated. Being able to capture realistically an object or person was highly prized. Detail was also valued in Asian art, but differently; scrolls made for a visual adventure, section by section, as can be seen in part of Long Scroll of Sesshu below, unlike the more limited flat surfaces of books.
Besides hand scrolls, multiple scrolls, such as this one presented in the Weng Collection’s catalog, hung side-by-side, created a larger work with individual panels, such as the triptych of Western art.
With photography, realistic and intimate recording of details became possible, and simplification and interpretative exploration began in the visual arts. Zen in the east influenced ink painting because of its simplicity and focus of the moment in which the painting or calligraphy was produced.
Simplicity may have multiple levels. A single line or movement may be repeated. Details can also be within those elements. For instance, in a garden, a curved walk may be the most dominant visual detail, but within that curve may be found many details, such as rocks or leaves or plants.
Simplicity by itself may fail. Placement of elements in that simple composition need to be considered. The most common compositional element discussed in photography is the Rule of Thirds. If you are unfamiliar with the rule, draw a tic-tac-toe grid: this is the Rule of Thirds. Where the lines intersect is where you should consider placing the subject of interest. Placement of subject in each of those four intersections gives a different energy to each picture. Using this same precept prevents placement of horizontal or vertical focal subject in the dead center of the picture.
A picture or painting based solely on horizontal and / or vertical elements is tedious. In this mix something needs to break this up. Diagonal lines, shapes such as circles or triangles, or curves are compositional elements which add visual interest. Balancing all of these can create a visually dynamic composition, but too much or wrongly placed, these same elements may destroy an otherwise compelling composition. At the same time, it is also necessary to consider colors, contrast, and scale. These, too, impact the final image.
How the eye is led to the focal point of the image is key to good composition. This can be called framing. In photography, placement of objects in the foreground is common. Shadows and bright areas are other ways to accomplish the directional sense in a composition. Combine these with diagonals or curves, and the eye is led along a visual path to the area of interest. In photography, this can be a bit of a challenge, but with cropping and airbrushing, distractions can be minimalized or removed. In painting, these elements are far more easily avoided.
In photography, the natural world continually gets in the way. We have all taken portraits of people with things protruding from their heads. Painting a portrait, this is much less likely to happen. Avoiding these distractions can be a challenge, simply because the photographer can be very focused on the subject. However, as one progresses in understanding composition, these become more than obvious, and easier to avoid. What is more subtle is an awareness of color. For example, a person in a blue jacket against a background similar in shade (degree of blackening) or color may be more difficult to assess. Similarity in color is called a merger. This is where an understanding of contrast is important.
Contrast may be high or low. High contrast images display few shades of grey; low contrast studies contain many. If you are not sure about this, take a color photo or paint a picture, and then change it to black and white in your photo editing software. It becomes much more apparent when you do this. Short scale / high contrast subjects can be very dynamic, and often this is more easily seen than the subtleties of long scale / low contrast subjects. Long scale subject matter can be very beautiful, but if there is a lack of adequate contrast compositionally and in adjacent areas, a weak picture may result.
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In the four weeks since I started my photography class, my sense of framing a photograph has changed, as has my sense of color and composition. More than anything, though, I have become more aware of light and shadow. I’ve always liked the shimmering of light through leaves – as much as I love the rustling sounds – but now I find myself looking at shadows in general. Our next assignment is to use light – flash, strobe, whatever – in different ways, such as diffusing it or bouncing it or reflecting it. Of course, YouTube comes to the rescue on that note!
This short course has shifted my perceptions, and I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out in sumi-e. Today, my studio will lose its tenant, and I am looking forward to some quiet and privacy and being able to use my space again. My brushes and ink await.
This picture was simply a quick shot into the tree above me. I like the shape of tree branches and leaves, the lines created against the sky. Turned into greyscale, the picture was too dark, and the texture of the bark was lost. I backlit it to the extreme, and it pushed the picture to this. A bit of contrast enhancement and playing with the histogram, and this is the result. It’s a rather edgy picture to me – not very serene – but there is something I also like about it, such as where the upper branch begins to get so bright it begins to disappear.
I cropped this picture a lot – it is evidenced by the size of the signature in the corner! Anyway, this crop is of some tiny cactus flowers on a lovely plant with pointy needles. I decided to emphasize the pointiness, both on the spikes, and more generally on the shadows. The back-and-forth movement of light and dark is the idea behind this picture, both soft and sharp.
I cropped this one to bring the focus onto the leaf itself. I pushed this, with contrast and edge sharpening. This is the underside of the leaf, which has a lot of linear texture. I also think this one has the potential to go further in subject matter – calla lily leaves are really lovely to look at through light because the veins in the leaf are so intricate.
Finally, there is this one. I played with it a bit, and finally cropped it and rotated it so that the main branch of the leaf became horizontal and rested in the lower third of the photo. Again, the contrast was pushed, and the final image cropped.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 