depicting S P A C E

depicting

S P A C Eand creating harmony in that space

with a DOMINANT COLOR

Tools to create (deep) SPACE

• Overlap• Disproportionate Scale• Transparency• Interpenetration• Line Variation, Cross Contour, Chiaroscuro• Perspective

1. Overlapany time one object obstructs the full view of another form

Das Modewarengescheft by Edgar Degas, 1885, oil on canvas, 99 x 109”

Interior with a Bowl with Red Fish By Henri MatisseApproximately 1913

2. Disproportionate Scalewhen one object is drastically larger or smaller in scale

compared to other dominant objects

Young Spartans Exercising by Edgar Degas, 1860, Oil on canvas

Pianist and Still Life by Henri Matisse, 1924

3. Transparencywhen the opacity visibly changes throughout a work – some areas may reveal the ground color, applied

very thinly, in comparison to other areas being thickly painted

Mr. and Mrs. Manet by Edgar Degas, 1868-1869

Henri Matisse

4. Interpenetrationwhen one object seemingly passes through or

disappears inside another object

Glass & Shells by Janet Fish, 1990

The Goldfish by Henri Matisse, 1912

5-7. Line Variation, Cross-Contour & Chiaroscuro

Line Variation = change in width, orientation, brush stroke Cross-Contour = line traces the contours of a form

Chiaroscuro = Light to Dark rendering of value across form

Dana Gordan by Alice Neel, 1972

Orange Cloth with Orange Poppies by Janet Fish, 2000, 48 x 60”

8. Atmospheric PerspectiveObjects in foreground: most VIBRANT & DETAILED

Objects in middle ground: middle gray, mid-resolutionObjects in background: DULLEST, LIGHTEST, FUZZIEST

Caspar David Friedrich, Das Eismeer – Sea of IceOil on canvas, 50 x 38.1” 1823 - 24

Caspar David Friedrich’s Kreidefelsen auf Ruegen – Chalk Cliffs on RugenOil on canvas, 35.6 x 28” 1818

9. Linear Perspectivewhen all lines seemingly converge to one

“vanishing point” on the horizon

Edward Hopper

Complex Environments:

Interior spaces including the Figure

A few more images for PAINTING II . . .

Establishing aFigure / Ground Relationship

• Figure = the main subject. Also considered the “positive” space

• Ground = the environment surrounding subject. Also considered the “negative space”

• Ground should not be an afterthought• Address figure & ground simultaneously• Pay attention to edges & proximity

Frau in dern Badewanne by Edgar Degas, 1886, Pastel, 70 x 70”

New York Restaurant by Edward Hopper, 1922, Oil on canvas

The Living Room by Balthus, 1960’s… Oil on canvas

Tapestry or Embroiderers La Tapisserie ou Les Brodeuses by Edouard Vuillard, 1895

For EVERYONE:• You will be in conversation with a partner today

sharing feedback about depicting space and constructing a dynamic composition

• Throughout class today I’ll announce: “PARTNERS” & that’s when you can have a brief dialogue about each others paintings in progress

• Painting II please partner up with a Painting I student. Introduce yourselves (we may need one group of three)

For EVERYONE:• Everyone is painting from the same still

life / installation over the next couple of weeks in-class

• Painting II: Must have main view of figure, so adjust yourselves accordingly.

• Painting I: minimal to no view of figure, so adjust yourselves accordingly around still life.

PAINTING II: “game plan”• Draw 2 thumbnail sketches –

locating distinct: foreground,middleground & background

composition should EMBED FIGURE in environment

• Begin by painting loose, gestural framework of space, establishing Figure/Ground Relationship aiming to build them simultaneously

• PALETTE: select a dominant color and incorporate into every color you create on palette

PAINTING I: “game plan”• Draw 2 thumbnail sketches in sketchbook –locating

distinct foreground, middleground, & background

• Begin by Painting (rather than drawing on canvas) loose, gestural framework of space DARK to Light, THIN to Thick

• PALETTE: select a dominant color, for instance: LIME GREEN. Mix LIME GREEN into every color created on palette, including the RED chair seen in the still life, the Violet Drapery etc. All colors must have a trace of LIME GREEN mixed into them.