Composition - examples of note

[Mike McCarty]

These are the paintings of Joseph Rodefer de Camp, American painter, 1858-1923.

1- The blue cup
2- The Blue Mandarin coat 43x37, 1922
3- The Fur Jacket 30x25, 1910
4- Pauline 24x20, 1907

I especially like the first one. The lighting is very effective, I think.

[Tom Edgerton]

Mike, thanks for these. DeCamp's become one of my favorites lately. He has a refined feel for atmosphere, and in the public portraits, he gives plenty of "breathing space" around the subjects.

A fellow artist once remarked to me that her work changed radically when she realized, "I wasn't painting light, I was painting air." (Not spatial air, but instead a palpable feeling of humidity, depth, and atmosphere.) I've always felt DeCamp accomplished that feeling very effectively.

Best--TE

[Cynthia Daniel]

I'll do another shameless plug of my bookstore (if you knew how many hundreds of hours I've put into my bookstore, you'd understand). Realize that purchases made in the bookstore help support the Forum.

You can find a book on DeCamp on my bookstore page here: http://fineartbooks.com/history-bostonschool.htm

There's one book just on him and he's also featured in the Boston Painters book.

[Jeanine Jackson]

Dear Mike:
Thank you for these inspiring selections.

Last fall, CSOPA made a pilgrimage to the Boston Museum to see the Americans in Paris exhibit and the Boston School painters with brilliant portraitist, Marie Minifie, leading use through the galleries. It was a day to remember!

In August of last year, CSOPA also hosted a three-day advanced portrait workshop with Richard Whitney who is a great teacher in the Boston School of painting. He puts early emphasis on contour and design which is evident here - especially with The Blue Cup. Interestingly, Whitney drew upon examples from the Russian portraitists to drive this point home.

Wonderful!

Jeanine

Note to Cynthia: Your book store is a treasure trove! I ordered three today and will be back!

[Mike McCarty]

Not spatial air, but instead a palpable feeling of humidity, depth, and atmosphere

That pretty much says it, Tom. I think that de Camp provides this very well.

Jeanine,

That does sound like a memorable trip. Not long ago my daughter and I arrived in Boston and rented a car in the downtown area, we promptly got eaten up by the "big dig" and was fortunately spit back out some time later. In a driving rainstorm, about 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon traffic, we were forced into a hotel where we had the privilege of paying $450 for the night and an additional $40 to park in their parking lot. Boston made New York City look like Wichita, Kansas. Not what I'd call user friendly. We took a Greyhound bus out of town.

As much as I like the last one, The Blue Cup, I take exception with the first by de Camp:

Blue Bird 32x32, 1919

I don't know why he could not have moved the bird and hand over just a shade to our left, such that it would not have created those nasty tangents with the line of the lady's shoulder. I think the bird could have contrasted well against the light blouse. Maybe it would read better to me in person.

And then another fairly straight forward composition entitled "Sally."

[Julie Deane]

I think he put that bird deliberately there so it was not so obvious a silouette. If you squint, the bird shape breaks up the line of the shoulder, and attention is drawn there because of the contrast and the disruption. There is a little bit of the light blouse behind the bird, keeping it from blending into the background. Just my opinion (*see below)

In Atlanta, we are privileged to have this work of DeCamp's at the High Museum. It has puzzled me in person, because of the placement of the figure with so much space above the head. *I'm still compositionally illiterate, I guess.

[Mike McCarty]

Julie,

Regarding the Blue Bird image, it's probably best judged in person on a matter such as this, the bird may shine more brightly than is perceived in these reproductions. It still bothers me a bit. Notice how he didn't mind sharply contrasting the head of the Cello below.

About the Lady in the Mandarin Coat, I'm not bothered by the generous room above her head. I've jiggered with it a bit below removing approx. half of the head room. Now we can compare the one above to what I imagine your concern to be.

I believe his reasoning has to do with the space created to the left and right of the head when the arms are pushed out to the side. That space, left and right, is then matched above the head as you go around from left up to top, then down right to the other sleeve.

Per usual, I'm practicing without a license.

And then another: The Cellist 28x23, 1908