ONE: Note your first impression of the image in terms of an idea or a feeling. Try completing the sentence: This painting is about _____________(examples: suffering, humility, death, innocence, war, peace, love, hope, joy, etc.). If the artist is a master of composition, your impression should be correct.
TWO: Note the orientation and shape of the picture plane. (Is it a vertical or horizontal rectangle, oval, circle, or square?) They will determine the overall direction in which your eyes travel.
THREE: Follow Your Eyes to identify the focal points along the visual path over the surface of the picture plane. Note that your eyes follow implied lines created by value or color contrast, repeated shapes, the direction of the light, and the direction in which figures gesture or look. Focal points are created by detail, the intersection of implied lines, text, faces, and contrasting values or colors. This is called the planar composition.
FOUR: Note focal points, if any, that lead your eye on a visual path back into the illusory space. This is called the spatial composition. Space is often a metaphor for time. The lack of space might indicate a momentary or immediate event.
FIVE: Identify the two visual paths and interpret their configuration, as well as information revealed at the focal points. Diagramming each path makes clear the configuration or the shapes that the visual paths create. Note that diagramming the spatial composition might require an aerial view.
SIX: Check your interpretation against your initial impression. Your interpretation will be an expanded and deeper version of your original impression. The depth of your observations directly coorelates to the degree to which you will have "cracked the code."
In the posts to come I will explain each of these steps in detail. Happy decoding!
Copyright Melissa Weinman. All rights reserved.
TWO: Note the orientation and shape of the picture plane. (Is it a vertical or horizontal rectangle, oval, circle, or square?) They will determine the overall direction in which your eyes travel.
THREE: Follow Your Eyes to identify the focal points along the visual path over the surface of the picture plane. Note that your eyes follow implied lines created by value or color contrast, repeated shapes, the direction of the light, and the direction in which figures gesture or look. Focal points are created by detail, the intersection of implied lines, text, faces, and contrasting values or colors. This is called the planar composition.
FOUR: Note focal points, if any, that lead your eye on a visual path back into the illusory space. This is called the spatial composition. Space is often a metaphor for time. The lack of space might indicate a momentary or immediate event.
FIVE: Identify the two visual paths and interpret their configuration, as well as information revealed at the focal points. Diagramming each path makes clear the configuration or the shapes that the visual paths create. Note that diagramming the spatial composition might require an aerial view.
SIX: Check your interpretation against your initial impression. Your interpretation will be an expanded and deeper version of your original impression. The depth of your observations directly coorelates to the degree to which you will have "cracked the code."
In the posts to come I will explain each of these steps in detail. Happy decoding!
Copyright Melissa Weinman. All rights reserved.
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