CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Mrs, Edwin N. Dana FINE ARTS N 7430.H3r"'"""""""''''^^ imnminfif?''^ ^"^ ''9"''® composition, 3 1924 019 509 789 DATE DUE '^- iiiMiinniniT''''^''*^ ^f-jii'f'*- r^ ^W PRINTCD IN U.S.A. V LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION BY SADAKICHI HARTMANN (Sidney Allan) ILLUSTRATED BY PHOTO-ENGRAVINGS FROM CELEBRATED PAINTINGS AND ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS ^ ,^\^'l NEW YORK THE BAKER &. TAYLOR COMPANY 1910 iJ '"/,, Copyright 1910 by the Baker & Taylor Company ; ' // y..i. . Press of Styles & Cash, New York CONTENTS. PREFACE CIIAPTER ONE. Introduction u CHAPTER TWO. Geometrical Forms of Composition ....... CHAPTER TITREE. The Point of Interest ..... CFF\PTER FOUR. Line ComriiNations ..... CHAPTER FR'E. A ]\Ietiiod of Spotting ..... CHAPTER SIX. The Pl.vcing of Figures .... CHAPTER EIGHT. B.\CKGROUND ArR.VNGE.MENTS .... 19 Z7 49 57 CHAPTER SE\"EX. Different PrIiNciples of Represent.vtion ...... 65 75 CITAPTER NINE. Foreground. Middle Dist.vnce, .\nd Dist.vnce 85 CHAPTER TEN. One-Figure Composition ......... 95 CHAPTER ELE\'EX. Two-Figltre Composition 105 CHAPTER TWEL\'E. Composition of Three or More Figures . . . . . .113 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. A French Village. George Michel . A Pastorale. Louis Fleckenstein Arizona Clouds. A. L. GroU . Around Germantown. J. G. Bullock A Summer Morning. Rudolph Eickeme}'er, Jr. A Symphony in Gold. A. L. Groll . At the Cafe. Zervy At the Cafe Francis. W. J. Glackens . At the Saw Bench. J. R. Peterson . At the Well. H. Denman A Youth Relating Tales. S. T. Solomon Behind the Footlights. Louis Kronberg . Bleak November. Louis Fleckenstein . Bru.sh Burner. F. Kost .... Caritas. A. H. Thayer .... Cazenovia Creek. Paul Fournier Children with Fish. C. W. Hawthorne . Church at Vetheuil. Claude Monet Church, St. Germain. Childe Hassam . Colonial Days. Jeanne E. Bennett . Coming through the Rye. L. Fleckenstein Connecticut Hills. W. H. Paddock Corn Husking, Nantucket. Eastman Johnson Cornstalks. Paul Fournier Davidson Stock Co. J. A. Hood . Decorative Study. Robert Demachy Decorative Study. J. II. Field Drinking Cows. C. Troyon Eastside Dancers. Geo. B. Luks . Embers. Eastman Johnson Evening. Chaigneau Evening. Elizabeth Nourse Evening Peace. Paul Dougherty Expectation. A. Guillon .... February. C. Y. Abbott .... Plashing Sunlight. Eva Watson SchiiUze Fort George : Early Spring. E. Lawson Golden Anniversary. G. Lorey Group of Birches. Will 11. Arnold . Highbridge. H. W. Ranger Hillc Bobbe. Franz Hals Hymn to Selene. y\lbcrt Thomas . Hypatia. A. Scifert Illustration for "h;bcn Holden." C. M. White In the Church. V. H. Tonrpkins In the Tavern. Max Gaissey . Ipswich Bridge. A. L. Coburn PAGE 35 109 18 52 46 24 69 108 103 116 73 77 16 58 120 43 106 17 60 121 107 50 116 54 119 91 34 25 106 66 61 80 33 69 47 86 62 82 31 40 99 68 65 81 67 121 S3 LIST OF ILLi'SrR.iriOlVS. Laguiia, New IMcxico. A. L. Groll Landscape. Ludwig Dill . Late Afternoon' in Winter. Rndolph F.ic La Toilette. M. Cassatt . Little Peasant Girl. J. G. Bennett . Lonely Birch Tree. Paul Fournier . Looking Seaward. Paul Dougherty Madonna of the Peach Tree. Annie W. Br Man with Oar. C. W. Hawthorne . Midst Steam and Smoke. Prescott Adamson Milton Dictating to his Daughter. Eastman John "M'liss." Annie W. Brigman . Moonrise. Julian Rix Mother and Child. Adelaide Hansconi Mother and Child. George de Forrest Brush Moto Player. H. G. French . Mott Haven Canal. C. A. Needham Old Road. Geo. A. Travers . On the Dyke. Elizabeth Nourse . Perhaps. A. Struys .... Portuguese Fisher. C. W. Hawthorne Road to Paradise. F. L. Stoddard . Sad News. R. W. Vonnoh School of Philosophy. Eastman John Scurrying Homeward. Alfred Stieglitz Sedgwick Avenue. Paul F\inrnier . Sheep Pasture. L. Dessar Shelling Peas. Alfred Sticglitz Silhouette. Paul Fournier Sleeping Girl. W. and G. Parrish . Snow Scene. Paul Fournier Solitude. L. A. Armer Spanish Dancer. Robert Henri Spring Song. F. L. \\'illard . Summer. C. Y. Abbott. Summer Morning. Paul Dougherty Summertime. Richard Lorenz . Sunday Morning. A. ^Marshall Telegraph Poles. C. H. White The Approaching Storm. C. E. Dauhig The Auto Girl. tL J. Leonard The Bobsled. H. Hall The Brook. John T. Bullock . The Brook — Winter. C. Yarnall Abbott The Dance. Rudolph Eickemcyer. Jr . The Dragon. Ipswich. A. L. Coburn The Drawing Lessou'. E. Sterling . The Edge of the Cliff. M. A. Wiggins The Fifer. Eastman Johnson . The Flute Player. Dumont The Hynm. Louis Fleekenstein The Kiss. Eastman Johnson The Kitchen of Mount Vernon. Eastman Johnson Ji-. PAGE 22 55 48 111 91 43 23 92 90 61 US 80 32 110 86 100 62 39 120 7S 108 58 79 118 107 27 21 92 36 103 44 91 96 90 89 IS 60 83 41 IS 85 93 42 45 117 17 102 89 105 98 111 111 82 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The The The The The The The The Knitting Lesson. Jeanne E. Bennett Manger. Gertrude Kasebier Marshes. Jules Dupre The Net Mender. Alfred Stieglitz The Old Method. R. J. Hillier Old Mill. Alfred Stieglitz Pool. H. W. Ranger Pool. E. Steichen Source of the Housatonic. Geo. A. Travcrs Storm. J. A. Hood .... The Story. C. W. Hawthorne . The Tree-top Hill. W. D. Paddock The Valley. W. H. Paddock . . . Toy Houses. Jeanne E. Bennett Tree Fellers at Work. Horatio Walker . Trying on an Old Gown. Bessie Buehrmann Tuesday. W. F. James .... Two Little Dutch Girls. Jeanne E. Bennett Two Steins. J. P. Kclmer Villa on the Adriatic. Alexander Mueller Waiting for Fair Weather. W. G. Corthell Washed by the Sea. Edw. Gay Watching and Waiting. Josef Lsraels Water Nymphs. Chas. L Berg What the Shell Says. Eastman Johnson Windmills. Geo. Michel . Windswept Trees. Paul Dougherty Winter. R. Eickemej'er, Jr . . Whiter Time. IT. ITall . Wood Interior. Julian Rix Yeddo Street Scenes. Sunsho Young Horseman. Richard Lorenz PAGE 109 100 38 88 90 ss 20 S3 32 63 110 28 SI 101 59 97 98 71 113 31 114 23 78 102 105 54 S6 62 93 52 121 87 PREFACE. THE following- chapters on Landscape and Figure Composition, by Sadakichi Hart- mann, were originally written for the pages of TJic Plwtographic Times, wherein they first appeared. The practical value of the text, profusely illustrated as it was by photo-engrav- ings from celebrated paintings as well from ori- ginal photographs, proved so great to the readers of that magazine, as the chapters appeared from month to month, and were found to be so instruc- tive to art students in general, that their author was induced to collect them, with all of the ori- ginal illustrations, for re-publication in book form. Mr. Hartmann is a well-known art writer and critic. He is an expert with the camera, as well as with the pencil and brush ; and his instructions may, therefore, be depended upon as thoroughly reliable and helpful, not only by students of photography, but also by students of the fine arts as well. The chapters have been carefully revised and considerably enlarged for publication in book form. CHAPTER I. Introduction.^On the Shape and Size of Pictures. — The Sky and Horizon Line. — With Illustrations. HE art of landscape painting was unknown to the ancient world. People lived largely an outdoor life in those days and did not seem to be interested in the depiction of their daily surroundings. Only slowly with the growth of larger towns and cities awoke an interest in land- scape delineation. Previous to the mid- dle of the fifteenth century it was rarely in- troduced. Even Giotto painted naught but some stereotype park or garden scenery. Shortly after it began to be utilized as back- grounds, but it was treated by the Old Masters, with the exception of Titian, merely as an accessory. We catch a glimpse of Italian scenery through the windows of their interiors and distant panoramic views in the backgrounds of their (figure compositions. Thev were perfect masters of perspective, were capable of rendering atmosphere and knew the value of expressing a certain mood or sentiment in harmony with the rest of the picture, but they did not realize the independent pictorial possibilities of landscapes. In the same year of 1600 two men were born, one in France and the other in Holland, who were destined to become the two greatest landscape paint- ers of the seventeenth century. Their names are known to everybody interested in art: Claude Lorraine and Ruysdael. They were the first to make a specialty of it, giving due attention to details. Lorraine was fond of showing miles and miles of country in beautiful light effects, vast panoramic views of historical or classical interest. Ruysdael was the first realist. His subjects were ex- ceedinglv simple for his time, he was satisfied with farm houses, windmills, meadows, woodland, windblown trees and quiet woodland pools, but they look overcrowded to us. We prefer mere fragments of nature, such as the Barbizon artists have painted. This striving for simplicity started with Gainsborough and Constable. Gainsborough succeeded in simplying the themes of the Dutch painters, but LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION it was left to Constable to strike the first modern note. He abolished all classical traditions, he tried to paint objects as he saw them without altering them into special conventional shapes that had been invented by the Old Masters. Landscape painting is of practical educational value to photographers only since Constable's time, the beginning of the last century. He was the pathfinder for the masters of Barbizon, just as Turner with his weird atmospheric experiments was the forerunner of the Impressionists. With Corot, Rousseau and Daubign\', landscape painting, the so-called pay- sage intiiiic, reached its prime. They mastered everything necessary for a good landscape : color, draughtsmanship, graceful composition, poetical senti- ment, and truth to nature. The Impressionists only added a lighter tonality, they handle their subjects differently and frequently most interestingly but they do not possess a more perfect mastery of the essentials of landscape art as is often claimed for them, than their predecessors. All I have to discuss in this book is composition. My endeavor will be to analyze and to make as clear as possible the fundamental principles that underly the construction of landscape pictures. They are like art itself, of a decidedly eclectic nature. There are the viewpoints and rules of the Old Alasters, of the Dutch painters, of all die various schools up to our own American landscajie painters, Inness, Wyant, Homer Martin, and Tryon that rank second only to those of France, and last and by no means least of the Japanese artists with their unsymmetrical space division and quaint sug- gestiveness. All these possess attractions and influence the modern picture- maker. It is impossible to comprehend and utilize all their peculiarities without long and serious study. I hope to be able — although I am obliged to con- dense a vast amount of information into a comparatively small compass to convey by simple straightforward language and well chosen examples those LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION S phases, forms and principles of pic- torial composition that every land- scape photographer should he familiar with. My intention is to devote six chapters to landscape composition, one chapter on the placing of figures in landscape and then to branch off into figure composition. The first thing to be considered is the shape and size oi the picture. For landscape the oblong shape is the preferable one. The ordinary landscape, as we look at it, represents a wide extent of space. Out of this expanse we select a fragment for pic- torial purposes and as the -horizontal lines and planes are generally more predominant and longer than the vertical, the oblong shape proves the best to arrange them. The canons of Colorado or a wood interior of California pines would look well in an upright, but flat country or the sea, or any expanse of country with a strong, foreground and varied mid- dle distance will in most cases fare better in the oblong. The perfect square shape (Diag. i) is difificult to handle. Somehow most schemes of composition do not fit into it. They always look a trifle forced, awkward or clumsy. It is most advisable to avoid that shape entirely. The most preferable size of the oblong shape (Diag. 2 is about 4 x 6 or 4x7. The exact size is largely a matter of taste and convenience. When we go to a stationer to order our visiting cards, we approve of certain sizes and dislike others and finally select the one we like best. Very few people select odd sizes. This feeling for proper form relations is to a certain extent inborn with us, but when we get to -making pictures we are apt to overlook it. We should carefully weigh the opportunities which each shape affords before we make the start, and not simply do it because the entire subject -we happen to be interested in does not cover the plate. The size of diagram 4 which is 4x8 is entirely too wide, and yet pic- tures of this class enjoyed public favor. Daubigny (Fig. 9) painted most of his pictures in exaggerated oblong, and we all remember the cheap etchings that were once so popular. As you will notice Daubigny was fond of de- picting long stretches of sea and soil and long narrow strips of wood and meadowland. The choice of subjects explains his preference. 13 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION The choice of subjects will also decide when shape three is pref- erable to shape four. We will re- turn to this subject in future dis- cussions. The exaggerated oblong as an upright is the most unwieldy of all. It generally proves to be a waste of space. The oval and oth- er forms like the half circle (for fans) are hardly ever used, and if used, depend more on trimming than anything else. A weak fore- ground in the middle and a poor sky make an excellent fan com- position. The most important line is the sky and horizon line which separates the air from earth and water, the sky from the sail and sea. All other lines, however con- spicuous they may be and iniiportant to the making of the picture, as the shore line in a seascape, the bank of a river ( I"ig. 3) or distinct lines in the foreground (Figs. I and 5), they are invariably subordinated to this line. Its direction and character is w^.j. >iAi.BiGs»l of course endless in its variety. It (FiRuresy, 8 and 9.) is scldom perfectly straight and hori- zontal as in Fig. 5. In most cases it would be too bold. It needs some break as the dark headland in Fig. 4. Nor should it 'be a monotonous, zigzag repetition as in Fig. 2. It .should undulate freely and with the help of trees, buildings, rocks, etc., furnish a pleasing rhj'thmic line of division between lighter and dark masses. The reader by this time probably understands what I mean to convey by the term sky and horizon lines. They are mostly mixed up, a part of each. Figs. 2, 3, and 6 show pure sky lines. Fig. 5 is the only one which presents a pure horizon line. Fig. I, 4, and the three Daubigny's are mixtures. This line is nearly always the most important feature of a picture. The success of some pictures is made by it, as for instance T'ig. 6. Daubigny, strange to say, did not seem to lay special stress on the beauty of his sky lines. I fear they were a trifle too long to flow with ease across the picture. Of course there are landscapes, for instance wood interiors, where this line is absent. F.ut there will always be some other line that will take its part. The main part of this line is generally situated in the region A B or C D of r ■ ■■■"■■■ "•■■vH-KC-' 4 m E^ES^-''-- ., f, ifi; ^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^HH r.:~ "M.N-^F, 1 " I. DAUliTCVY {.'■ -^^w. Je/L Wm^kj».iik .-- 1 f-yf ■J ^ "' ■'■■■ ^-:^l■"- f.. * ' ' 1^. " INUNDATION " 14 SUMMER MORNING. [Fig. Paul Dougherty. THE APPROACHING STORM. [Fig. 4-] C. F. Daubigny. 15 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION BLEAK NOVEMBER. [Fig, 2.] Louis Fteckenstein. diagram 5, a trifle above or beneath the middle. It should never be exactly in the middle as indicated by the dotted line. In recent art we often see the sky line very high as in diagram 6 or very low as in diagram 7. It is suitable for novel effects but not to be recommended unless the whole composition is specially arranged for it. In Coburn's "The Dragon, Ipswich," (Fig. 5) we have the high sky line, which helps to express the vastness of the territory de- picted. In "Arizona Clouds," by A. L. Groll, Fig. 6, we have the low sky line which by giving an undue share of prominence of skv and rolling clouds, tried to express very much the same thing, the immensity of a desolate tract of coun- try. Both look affected, not quite natural. It is by far safer to adopt the rule that the sky should never be nearer to the top and bottom than one-quarter of the height of the picture. In Fig. 4 it is about as low as it ordinarily can be and yet it is more than one-quarter. If you follow this rule you will get a more normal picture, which after all is more desirable than any highstrung ef- fect, particularly ,so if it is merely an imitation and not evolved from an ori- ginal inspiration. 16 CHURCH AT VETHEUIL y Claude Monet. -■^^■^Mvny')^»^V«;7WT^i"-7^ -T'"' nS S5Ji' THE DRAGON, IPSWICH. [Fig. 5] By A. L. Coburn. 1. L. Groll i CHAPTER II. Geometrical Forms of Composition.— The Ellipse.— Horizontal and Diagonal Arrangements.— The Triangular Cut.— Rectangular Construc- tion.— With Seven Illustrations and Five Diagrams. liOMETRICAL forms as the underlying prin- ciples of picture construction are scarcer in landscape than in figure composition. The circle, the oval, the equilateral tri- angle, the quadrilateral shapes, etc., which play .such an important part in figure com- position are unavailable in landscape com- position. The basis to work upon is a nuich simpler one. The most popular form is the elongated ellipse (Diag. 8). Corot, the greatest master and innovator of land- scape composition, yvas particularly fond of it. He invented a typical arrangement for all lake and woodland pool painters that followed him.. Figures 12 and 13 are two fair examples of it. In Ranger's painting we have a clear ellipse. It dominates the whole picture, and would do so in a still more pronounced degree if the horizon line were higher. The eye involuntarily glides around the elongated shape and if all ob- jects in its vicinity are arranged in such a way that they form mere ac- cents to the leading line, the composition will be pleasing to the eye. Notice the boat in this picture, the dark spots in the foreground, and the shrubbery to the left which meets one end of the ellipse. They all help to make the pic- ture more charming. Larger objects can be handled in the same way; they may even interrupt the continuity of the line, as the sheep in Dessar's picture, without destroying the harmony. It is impossible to tell what forms would be most advantageous or what lines should be avoided. This is entirelv a matter of feeling and good taste, and can only be realized by numerous ex- periments. Fig. 13 is a more rugged composition than Fig. 12 and merely a modi- fication of the regular ellipse arrangement. r)Ut even here it tells its story. Without the pool the picture would lack interest. The white surface of the pool is balanced by the dark foliage, and yet you may take away the tree and still preserve a charming picture, provided the horizon line would follow the un- 19 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION dulating- line of the pool on the right side as well as on the left. The rocks and sheep at the left end of the ellipse melt into the ellipse and the ruts of the road run parallel with a part of it. The small cluster of trees in the distance repeats the dark spot of the shore line above the head of the sheep. All these details join to make this picture a good composition, but they are all dependent on the dominating form of the ellipse. For these vari- ous reasons the introduction of an ellipse is always safe, and frequently successful if sufficient pains are taken. Another much favored form is the diagonal composition (Diag. 9). It is rarely used exactly the way as I have indicated it. It merely represents an extreme possibility, dividing the picture into a light and dark triangle. It is the broadest effect possible. Fig. 14 and 15, and Fig. 2(1 will sometimes be obliged to refer to the illustrations of previous articles) carry out modi- fications of this scheme. The line does not exactly start in the corners but lower down or higher up, but as long as it runs diagonally across the pic- ture and produces a triangular shape at the bottom, the arrangement is to be THE POOL H. ly . Ranger. s^- LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION SHEEP FASTUKE. ■ 13.) L. Dessur. classed among the diagonal compositions. Fig. 14 would surely look better if the city were raised a trifle higher and offered a more diagonal slant with the adjoining foothills. Fig. 15 is constructed on that principle — ^the dark rocks against the lighter sea. Fig. 2, in a way, was the best example for conveying the principle of this style of coniposition. But the dark mass with its monotony of cornstacks lacked interest. There was nothing to lend it animation. Some lighter object or a lighter effect on the cornstalks should have been introduced. This idea I wished to convey by drawing the little building into the dark triangle of Fig. 9. There must be something to give life to the dark planes. Also Fig. 15 seems rather deficient in this respect, but it may be in the color which is lost in the reproduction. One should always be very careful in judging the monochrome values in repro- ductions of paintings. If you should have the leisure and opportunity of studying paintings in exhibitions, or through the mediums of magazines or books you will be astonished how many pictures are built up on this principle. Always keep diagram 9 in your mind, when you attempt a picture of this kind. Get as near to it as possible. The broader the effect is without neglecting the details the better will be the composition. It is much more pliable than the ellipse com- LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION L4GihA, hEW MEXICO (Fig. 14.) A. L. Croll. position as it offers much more variety, an infinite number of schemes, suitable almost to every subject. The simplest form of composition is set forth in Diag. 10 and Fig. II. It is merely the play of one dark oblong against another lighter one of almost ecjual size. It is, however, not as easy as it seems at the first glance. The lower darker oblong should always be the smaller one or in other words the sky line should be lower than the middle of the picture. This will bring the two masses into proper relation. The remainder depends entirely on the breaking up of the two masses. This is well done in Gay's picture. You will notice that there is a tendency for horizontal lines, and if slanting lines are in- troduced as in the two boats and the lines in the lower left corner that they run parallel. But this does not belong to the present chapter. We first must form a basis to work upon before we can go into details. This style of com- position is best suited to midocean marines and solitary tracts of marshland. It is somewhat heavy and only adapts itself to sombre subjects. Fig. 10, "A Symphony in Gold," by A. L. Groll (painted entirely in golds and yellows) represents what I call the triangular cut (Diag. 11). It is al- ways effective. It does somewhat the same service as the ellipse. Only it does not pull the rest of the composition towards it which is one of the prin- cipal advantages of the ellipse. On the contrary it makes a direct cut into the picture. It has to be balanced by all other shapes in the picture. The fore- ground — there is entirely too niuch of it — was really unnecessary and the painter only saved it by repeating in it vaguely the shape of the triangular cut. In landscape the cut A ( Diag. 1 1 ) occurs most frequently. Cut B is more suitable for figure work, but it also happens in landscapes. The upper LOOKING SEAWARD. (Fig, 15.) Fuul Doiigiierty. St?' ■ WASHED BY THE SEA. (Fig-. II. I Edw. Gay. LAX DSC APR AXD FIGURE COMPOSITION triangular would be the sky, the cut itself might furnish the landscape, trees, a hill or a flower field, and the small triangle in the lower corner might be taken up by a strip of water or a road. The last form of coni-i.'osition under consideration is the rectangular ar- rangement (Diag. 12). It is most suitable for the upright shape. Of course it is in landscapes hartlly ever strictly rectangular but more as the dotted line indicates. In the "Drinking Cows," by Troyon we have a good specimen. Nothing simpler could be imagined. I even doubt if the cow in the background and the two willow stumps were necessary. This style lends itself par- ticularly to the depiction of "edge of forest" scenes, to tree trunks, with a pool in the foreground. Charming pictures can be niatle of beeches and other trees ' - '■■'■: ■ :• ,,-■? ,■■■ . ■ ' M : '■/ Hi Wfr- .■* .... ■ -."^"^ vj, '■■^^'/V'; 1 ^^KB^^B^^^^Ks^ .. ■::;,'' :jmE-! ■'■ i^V'^V t^. ' . ■? **' V* nKi?-j "^ ',';'' «3U»V'"''' ■ ■''■■• ;■'■' \ ■a^W^fe. l^£in^*v\^^''^' ' -*MB^^ ^?^ ' lASdBB^^^^ri?'' u.jliii ■, , \\ 1 jf^^ffXM ■■..- ; ;•' "I, \'§: )rt '::■•■■'/ ■ ' .- ^::?>^ ^^^^^^P^^'"^ /w^i "-"*"■ 'y ■■■■.".. ' ""'■ ^f'S'. fS^^S^j^ "" ''.-^^,_ MMUnBiJi i^^iS:^^ ^a^^&r^^ '^^^Ipj m ^^m^^^^^^^L "^'^te^^^a HnHB^^Htt^^^ ^^^^^mf'^' "'-^ .r.-i^^^^^^''"^'".,: "--''' •J. ■^'iil^^ ^^Ss^ ^^^s^^*--2^ I* ^fe%^-_;' ., : "/S- .51 JS^W'Vl; BHElaifesii^^te i^&siM .•/ SVMi'HONV IN COLD. (Fig, .■(. L. 6>(»H. with an interesting bark texture. Corot often used a modification of this arrangement by giving the vertical line the twist of an S .shape. In the oblong landscape the rectangular composition is less cfifective. Turn the diagram lengthways and you will see for yourself that the shapes do not ])roduce an agreeable impression, liut it- is often used as a minor incident, as for instance in l'"ig. 12, 'but even there it is nothing particularly beautiful. Its lines are too harsh. In the upright they give strength to the picture, in the oblong they generally fonu a disaccord. The five geometrical forms I had occasion to exploit in this chapter and I hope sufficient!)' minutely and exactly to be of value, represent about all that are necessary to know. Many students of composition may differ with me on that 24 LJXDSCJPE AXD FIGURE COMPOSITION DRI^'KI^rG coirs. (Fig-. i6.) C. Tr point. But it has alwa_\-s be-en my policy to eliminate whatever I deem unessential. Discussions that are too involved, too crowded with burden- some technicalities, are never read. They merely confuse. i\Iy object is first of all to gain the sympathy of my readers, so that they may follow my arguments, which they would fail to do without it. Theories are only of service if they awaken reflection, and produce practical results. And for that reason I have chosen these geometric forms which may be term- ed classic, which appear and reappear wdierever landscapes are painted, drawn, or photographed. Each of them has its own individuality. We have learnt that. The principal qualities of ellipse composition are grace and harmony, those of diagonal and horizontal composi- tion strength and breadth, wdiile the triangular cast lends variety to a picture and the rectangular composition a certain simplicity and elegance. They all possess a strange vitality and can not help conveying sufficient inspiration for new treatment and new combinations. Many more intricate methods will follow, but none of more importance than the fundamental forms. They are the starting point and form the basis for all further discussions on the silhouette, the point of interest. Parallelism, Line, Tone, and Chiaroscural Composition. We all have seen pictures that are technically good, that are printed from an excellent negative with all details faithfully produced and conscientiously worked out, and notwithstanding may be found painfully uninteresting. Why? The advanced photographer says because the composition is unin- teresting or badly constructed. I am of the opinion that by far oftener the subject has been so unin- teresting that nothing could be clone with it, or wdiat is more plausible that the photographer did not get interested in the subject sufficiently to bring his best faculties into play. A good landscape photograph must be a faithful record, and I even go farther than that by saying a good landscape photograph cannot be good without being a faithful record. The faculty of observation I consider as important as the knowledge of composition. And that does not depend entirely on the composition. It depends on your knowledge of nature, your love for out-of-doors, and your ability to read a mood of your own temperament into a scene. Work out your own thoughts and schemes. CHAPTER III. The Point of Interest. — The Silhouette. — Symmetry. — Perspective. — Paral- lelism of Horizontal and Vertical Lines. — Line Compositions of Vertical Tendency. — With Eleven Illustrations and Eight Diagrams. HE establishment of a "point of interest," has al- ways been considered to be one of the most import- ant factors in pictorial composition. The majority of carefully thought out and executed pictures, and surely all elaborate compositions, have such a main object of interest, not merely as far as the subject is concerned, but also placed in such a way that it unmediately attracts our attention and asserts itself as the controlling force in the remainder of the composition. This is particularly true of figure composition. It is not quite as essential in landscape arrangement. If we study the illustrations accompanying this chapter we will find that Figs. 23 and 25 have no point of in- terest, and that it would be difficult to determine where such a point is situ- ated in Figs. 17 and 20. These pic- tures are merely fragments like the "Group of Birches" and the "Sil- houette" or dependent on other prin- ciples of composition, which I shall dis- cuss later on. In Fig. 18, "Evening Peace," by Paul Dougherty the point of interest is clearly defined. The eye is at once at- tracted by the little cottage at the hill- side. It holds our interest. The eye involuntarily returns to it. There are Cjuite a number of shapes and lines and planes of different tonality (really more than necessary ) in this picture. The eye would restlessly wander from place to place if the picture did not contain a starting or point of rest. By introduc- ing this spot that is more con.spicuous than anything else in this picture, the various parts combine harmoniously. SEDGWICK AVE. (Fig. 21.) Paul Founnc 27 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION ■"■■WW THE TREE-TOP HILL. (Fig. 17.) W. D. Paddock. It would be impossible to point out such a spot in Fig. 17 or 20. In Fig. 19 it is furnished by the highlight on the creek. The picture would make an absolutely monotonous impression without it. In Fig. 24 it is the shimmer of moonlight on the water in the distance, and in V\g. 26 the elliptical .shape of the lake. By far the be.st exaniiple of a point of interest is furnished by "A French Village," by George Michel. Title and point of interest cover each other. Another fair example is "Sedgwick Avenue," by Paul Fournier. There the vanishing point of the road into which all lines converge also explains the reason why the picture was taken, to show an uphill road with the vista of a build- ing lost in nii.st. A road or a river dwindling away in the distance always furnishes a good point of interest. The Dutch landscape painters were fond of the symmetrical theme as shown in Diag. 19 which is strictly an ar- rangement of perspective. Also h'ig. 24 is good in that respect. Modern painters somehow neglect the laws of perspective, vide Diag. 18, a landscape by Mauve. They strive more for accuracy of expression than of representation and prefer to convey distance and atmosphere by tone rather than by line. The laws of ])er&pective are a study (by themselves. The photographer can get along without them, as they are with him merely a selection of lines running to one point (Diag. 20). In Mg. 22 the light behind the rushes should furnish the point of interest, but it would be necessary to subdue the streak of light in 28 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION the sky and foreground. In my opinion, a definite point of interest ( although not absolutel}- necessar_\' for the making of a good picture ) will always improve a picture. It will concentrate the interest and explain the picture at the first glance. The point of interest in well composed pictures will generally be found within the region of the dotted square, Diag. i6. It should never be exactly in the center or very near to it. It is situated most frequently somewhere near the two lower corners of the dotted square. ]\Iodern composition, how- ever, has no strict rules in regard to this. In the so-called composition which will be discussed in Chapter IV, the point of the interest is often shifted to the very edge of the picture as indicated by the little squares in Diag. i6. The distance from the dotted lines to the edge of the picture is about one-third of the height of the picture. Equally important as the point of interest, is, at times, the leading line idea. I divide line composition into four parts ; outline or silhouette ; par- allelism of lines ; curves, zigzag and undulating lines ; and combinations of lines. We will first consider the silhouette. By silhouette I do not mean so much the representation of an object by mere outlines filled in with solid black (viz. Fig. 25) but rather an interesting outline of a dark plane against a lighter one. Fig. 25 is simply a clever stunt, not a picture. A good example of what the painters understand by silhouette we have in Diag. 19 and Fig. 26. There the outlines of the foliage against the sky really help to make the pic- ture interesting. Every curve and undulation and change in the direction of the line has to be carefully considered. A successful silhouette is entirely a matter of selection. Corot was particularly clever in the handling of this feature of composition. He believed in big masses, the juxtaposition of one big dark shape against a smaller and lighter one, Travers' picture has some of 29 LANDSCAPE AXD FIGURE COMPOSITION /3 IP /^/ M m m 1 » 1 1 1 1 ' 1 ! , ( m /(- these characteristics, but Corot would not have shown so much of the sky. The "Moonrise," by Juhan Rix, also shows two silhouettes, but the painter (lid not lay any particular strain upon iheni, and worked more upon the prin- cijjle of balancing two dark spots than getting a striking silhouette. The silhouette is particularly valu- able as a medium of expression in backgrounds for trees, shrubbery, buildings, or any decided mass that has a picturesque outline. Fig. 17, the "Tree Top Mill," by W. D. Paddock, seems to have been made solely for the purpose of showing an interesting sil- houette, r.ut the painter carefully evaded the monotonous effect of I"lg. 25 by introducing detail into the trees and by ])lacing them in a large light space. There is atmo.sphcre in the picture. It is never advisable to sacrifice everything else for the exploi- tation of one single phase of composi- (Kig I'aul Fonrnicr. 3° LANDSCAPE AXD FIGURE COMPOSITION tion. All the various methods of com- position are so closel}- connected to each other that it is often exceeding-ly difficult to separate one from another. Fig. 21 represents a combination of the diag- onal division of space with parallelism of vertical lines ; Fig. 19 the parallelism of vertical lines with a high sky line and the triangular cut in the distance. Fig. 26 is an arrangement of diagonal com- position, of an ellipse and silhouette forms. The latter have received the principal attention. To analyze pictures in this way will prove a beneficial pas- time to every student of composition. You will always find that one method, generally the most conspicuous one, is the controlling factor in the composition and that all other elements are subordi- nate to it. A silhouette is naturally supposed to be dark. But occasionally there are group of birches. ,Fig..3.) mii ff.Ar.oM. opportunities for introducing a light silhouette against a dark background, as suggested in Diag. 17, a moonlit city against a dark sky. Of course, it is really constructed on the same principle, as the outline is made by the sky as much as bv the buildino-s. ■■■5 - "' ' '> "f '"^ *■ ^ Jv i3 'M' ■-^\ 1 VhMl \ msmm \i. I' \ iXi m VILLA ON THE ADRL4TIC. Alexander Mueller. LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION Perfect symmetry is not often met with in landscape art. Diagram 19 represents as near an ajD^jroach to it as is possible. Of course, even there the forms are merely similar and not exactly alike. Pictures of this kind may have their use for decorative pur- poses, but the style can be hardly recom- jiiended for faithful reproductions of nature. The theme of Diag. 19 is one of the few that has proven successful, but it belongs to the old school of composition which is not much in favor in these days. Equally decorative, but entirely modern in its tendency is the parallelism of straight lines. It is of Japanese origin. Pliroshige, one of the great masters of landscape design, has based some of his best work on simple line ideas, Diag. 15. The parallelism of vertical lines is the most popular form. It is more pictorial and pleasing to the eye than the parallelism of horizontal lines. Diagram 14 shows a scheme that has been repeatedly used by Puvis de Chavannes in his mural decorations. MOONRISE. (Fig. 24.) Julian Rix. THE SOUKLli VF l H E HUUSATONIC (Fig. 26,) Geo. A. Travers. 32 LANDSCAPE AXD FIGURE COMPOSITION EVENING PEACE. (Fig. Pmil Dougherty. __To alternate lines of different width and length will always prove eiTective. There is a certain rhythmical, one might even say musical, quality to it. J. H. Field, of Uerlin, Wis., utilized the same motif in his "Decorative Study." You will notice in this picture, as well as in Diag. 14, that the bases of the tr££.Jxuaks. whenever three are grouped together, form a triangular shape. It lends variety to the uniformity of lines and a good draughtsman always re- members this. Also the photographer should pay special attention to this curious detail in the selection of his subjects. The parallelism of vertical lines is speciall}^ suited for woodland scenes and might also be utilized in the depiction of telegraph poles in street scenes and on country roads, or of ship masts in wharf scenes, etc. The parallelism of horizontal lines is rarely met with. As few horizontal lines in nature are exactly parallel a comiposition carrying out this scheme always looks a trifle forced and rigid. One American landscape painter, D. W. Tryon, is one of the few who has mastered this style. His line idea is somewhat like that shown in diagram 13. Of course they are not absolutely straight in his paintings, but many run in a horizontal direction. Fig. 22 ex- emplifies this principle. You can count in it about eight parallel horizontal lines. The photographer was wise in selecting the upright shape for this 33 LANDSCAPE A\'D FIGURE COMPOSITION DECORATIVE STLDY. (Fig. 19.) /, H. Field. exi)erimcnt. The ropctition of lines would prove too monotonous in an ob- long. This line idea resembles the horizontal eomposition of Chapter 11, with the diiTerenee that it breaks up the dark masses into horizontal strata, which was not the case in the Gay picture, iMg". 11. The "Group of liirches," b_v W. II. .\rnold, represents a study of lines of a vertical tendency, of which the mnjority, however, have a slant or an un- dulating (|uality. A cluster of trees like this is pleasing to the eye, but does not offer sufficient material to make a picture. The interest lies entirely in the picturesqucness of the tree trunks. There is no sky line, no point of interest, and no other element of composition to relieve the jumible of lines. In Alexander Mueller's 'A'illa on the Adriatic," we have the parallelism of slightly undulating lines (shapes or silhouettes) of a vertical tendency. The lines are finely selected and cut the space into a few areas of beautiful proportions. It furthermore a]i'plics the diagonal principle with the introduc- tion of the triangular cut, but strange Lo say has, despite its elaborateness, no decided point of interest. The readers of these discussions will notice that I put special stress upon the elements that underly the l)cauty of representation. The clearer your ideas are on the various methods of construction and arrangement, the more beautiful your results will be. In selecting a landscajie, carefully studv the various form,s of nature before you, and determine at once which method of composition will prove the most advantageivus for illustrating it. 34 ' ^\ LANDSCAPE AXD FIGURE COMPOSITION A FRENCH VILLAGE. (Fig. 27.) George Michel. Perhaps the easiest and most practical way to improve one's judgment, whether the subject or the scenery before him contains the elements of a good picture or not, is to follow the advice which the painter, William M. Chase, gives to his pupils. Make a small empty frame of blackened cardboard or any convenient material ; carry it with you whenever you are photographically inclined, and look through it at those things that interest you. You will be- gin to see everything in pictures, clean cut by the four boundary lines of the frame ; and as soon as you move the frame from one side to another, all nature will seem to you to be divided into innumerable pictorial fragments. There is a good motif, you think ; so it is, but shift the frame a little to the right or to the left or upwards or downwards. As the boundary line changes, the picture changes. Do you like it better now than before? If the fragment of nature which you see through the frame con- veys something to you, well and good ; if ^,9 it doesn't, try again with another part of the scene. 35 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION This is, of course, a very primitive way of getting at the laws of com- position, but it is a very reliable one, and it will not play you false as long as you have c» -' ^ y V y •^ ^ ■v y ^ y ^ o: ^^ "^^ ^ X '-' ^^^J y -^ N> ^ -' \ ^^ -iag. 34) two diagonal lines from corner to cor- ner. This will give you the center of the picture. Divide one-half of one of the diagonal lines (a — ^c) into three equal parts ; a — b is the result, and that is the maximum length for anv figure in that particular pic- ture, represented by the heavy ver- tical line. You will notice that the figures in pictures 54, 55, 56, 62 are in right relation with the size of the composition. In l-'ig. Oo the)- arc a trifle too large. This picture is really a figure composition. In uprights the figures may be slightly taller without be- coming ovcr-cons])icuous. The relation of a figure in an upright to that in an oblong is about i — }'.;. Too minute figures are better left out. The tiny shape in I'^ig. 58 is mean- ingless. Large figures should be made considerably larger than the maxi- mum length for landscape so that they really become the controlling force in the composition. Nearly all the figures in our illustration express some sort of sentiment, the boy with horses in I'^ig. 62, the joy of going bathing on a summer day, the brush burner expresses his pictur- esque occupation, the two dra|)e(l figures in l'"ig. 55, a strictly poetic sentiment, and the various pedestri- ans in Childe Hassani's "Church, St. Germain," typical fre(|uenters of a quiet Paris square. Even in these pictures, excepting b'ig. 55, the figures furnish an almost too con- spicuous ])art of the com|)osition. Street scenes, of course, need figures. They arc a part of them as much as windows and doors. Tr\' to separate the figures as much as KO.m 10 I'.IK.-WISH. LFiK- 55-] F. L. SloddarJ. 58 LAX DSC APE AND FIGURE COMPOSITIOX '-^ ' "d^ajBSni t^mv»|»^ - ' M^^ i ^;'C..^'". .*^„ ,'. . .. ,,-..fo,. ""^ '■', ^■.■' fe^rA'; ■ ^n; ' "*'ip ISt-t^i *"'l^I' .^ ;^;iaifc-i^ ".';■. . , .,■''>■'' ^^^pf' ^^uH ^^p^J %\ ■',#!. *%.| , .-•^f*''*''. ii-i-. ■ ■cw^'Wm "W §■' '•* 1 El jP ra^^^%^ :;)! ^;£iy«^ ^■4'-:,, w^mm J^Jpf; ft^' 4^^H fei^ ■'t' ^_.>^ p- -^1:^^ H ■,A'"--" .:■* S ■'-,,i^_^" TREE FELLERS A T WORK. Lh-ig. ho.. Horatio Walker possible, have for instance several single figures, place between them two that stand or walk together, repeat their .shape somewhere else, and have another group of three or more. Lx3ok at them as spots, apply the law or repetition and arrange them very much the same way as you would parallel tree trunks. The Lorenz picture (Fig. 62) shows clever handling in that respect. Notice one large and one .small shape in the foreground, two similar ones on the mid- dle distance, and four small shapes '•= '■'■' ''' * in the distance. With cattle it is very much the same way as with human figures. The shapes are dififerent and they are oftener of lighter color, but it remains the same principle. As soon as there are groups, however, like a herd of sheep for instance, the proposition becomes a different one. Then it is best to introduce them as a geometrical shape or line. Chaigneau's "Evening" is a good example of this treatment. The sheep form a sort of triangle and could easily assume the shape of a triangular cut or a perfect zigzag line, and I think it would have made a better picture if that were the case. The picture carries out the rectangular line idea, and the tree trunks are cleverly accentuated by the vertical shape of the shepherd. Cows can easily be grouped in elliptical form, horses in repetition of shapes, and sheep roaming over the hills in curves and undulating lines. 59 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION SUMMU.K1 IML.. l>'ig Ruhanl Lu City scenes without any con- si)icuous figures we -have in Clias. 11. Nceilliani's "Mott Haven Canal," I'ig. 57, and I'rescott Adanison's "Midst Stream and Smoke," l-'ig-. 58. The photograph is better than the painting. It is a much finer and clearer composition. He applied the diagonal composition with a parallelism of slanting lines and ver- ticals, peculiar to the subject, in a most convincing manner. The best mediums for street scenes, are either the rectangular idea, or a conibination of diagonals and verticals ; parallelism and re]vctition will be found intlispensable for the treatment of ornamentation. Vig. 57 is tcNj much of a juniible. There are n("; leading lines, they all in- terfere with each other. Perhaps it is the fault of the subject. There are many subjects that can be photographed but somehow evade the laws of pic- torial composition. Jmprcssionism has tried to overthrow many of the older forms of composition and in a way has been successful. It has championed a certain lawlessness, a disregard for perspective and chiaroscura, and standard f(;rni!S of construction, and laid special stress upon spacing, sil- ^^^ houetting, and the reproduction of sunlight. The impressionists claim that nature's forms in themselves are compositions, and that the best jyaintings are those that simpl}' re- peat in color what is seen by the human e_\e. Ernest Lawson's "b'ort George" is such a production. It is confused enough. It is surely no masterpiece of composition and \et it ffdlows out certain ideas of composition in a vague hap- hazard manner. Wh_\ the white horse in the foreground?' Surely, not merely because it haj^pened to pass by when the painter painted the pic- ture, hut rather as a balancing note for the white pole, railing, and swing stand. y\nd wh_\' the repeti- tion of tree forms and the vertical and horizontal lines? I believe, there is as much composition in CHVKCH. ST. GERMAIN. me- s6.] Childc Hassam. 60 LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION good impressionistic pictures as in any otliers. The_y carry out the Japanese idea, tliat ever)- flower and every tree has its own pecuhar rhytlmi and linear beauty, and that in painting- a birch tree for instance, you should depict these cjualities that are intrinsically its own. In other words, let the scene itself which you wish to depict determine your composition. This is just re- verse of the other n-iethod, to find a subject suitable for the special treatment and idea of composition which you have in your mind pre- vious to seeing- the subject. Both n-iethods have their advantages and disadvantages. If you had all the intricacies of composition at your fingers' ends ready for immediate use, it would be safe enoug'h to apply the impressionist method. But who has? In son-ie instances, however, it is the only method available. The El'EXIXC. LFig. 6i.] mi- MWST S'JE.-IM AND SMOKE. [Fig. 58.1 61 Prcscott Adanison. LANDSCAPE AND FIGURE COMPOSITION FORT GEURi.E: li.lKI.Y Sfl