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Notes from the September Meeting, by Graham CreamerMy personal definition of composition is very simple. Composition is the skill to create an image that causes the viewer to linger (hesitate) when looking at this image. The power of the image to cause a judgement, pretty, energetic, want to be there, or not - is up to the content of the image but the ability to draw one into the image is the composition. My personal definition of art - from Leo Tolstoy - is the ability to transfer emotion from one person to another, via a 3rd medium, be it visual, aural, taste, etc. The emotion can be joy, anger, peace etc. People who have been taught to read from left to right (most of the world) tend to view images from left to right. All people when learning to walk learn to view from feet to horizon so they do not trip. This combination when viewing an image tends to create a scanning of the image a bottom to top, from left to right by eye movement. I believe this to be true but have no evidence to prove it apart from the fact that images that follow these guidelines tend to be more pleasing than images that do not. Marks that create lines. A line, that is a continuous line such as a power line, fence line etc. A broken line such as a line of sheep following one another or a line of bubbles in the surf. The junction between 2 planes such as the edge of a building fold in clothing. Interest or subject. The main interest in the image is the one that attracts the eye most powerfully, followed by the secondary and tertiary interests. To create a harmonious image I believe all the sub interests should follow the main, for example Mother child can have a feeding bottle but not an engineering wrench.
A piece of research 10 years ago studie that pleasing images among people without formal education eg. (hunter - gatherer or subsistence farmers) and who do not have wall images around the world. What they enjoyed were always images of fertile landscapes with items of potential food. For example hunters like their victims and grazers the useful animals. Eskimo like Polar Bear paintings while African herders enjoyed cattle images. Graham Creamer |
Next meetingThe next meeting of the Auckland Watercolour Society will be on 10th October 2016, 1pm at the Glenfield Memorial Hall, Hall Road, Glenfield. This meeting will be a paint along session. Please bring your materials: The next challenge topics are:
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