View Single Post
Old 07-23-2006, 01:39 PM   #14
Carlos Ygoa Carlos Ygoa is offline
Juried Member
 
Carlos Ygoa's Avatar
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 483
Mike,
The austerity of the background in the Murillo piece (more like "vacuum") serves to rivet the attention on the two women; the whole composition would have been weaker (I think) if the artist had included secondary elements in the background. Which does not mean in any way that background or negative space is the third element--I am of the opinion that an element in a painting has to be a "positive", actual element.
Degas introduced a third element in his painting below, the table in the foreground, but the painting remains a 2-figure composition. His background is also austere and we are focused on the 2 women. It is quite easy to include a 3rd element (not 3rd "figure") to make the painting coalesce, the challenge is when we limit ourselves to the austerity of 2 figures and still pull off something powerful.


Not sure if I got my point across...
  Reply With Quote