What We Can Learn From Studying Art
A composite of roses and homage to my love of still life paintings.
Still life from an early November garden harvest.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot: View of the Forest of Fontainebleau (1830)
This is one of my favorite naturalist paintings. As we’ve just studied, consider the scale of the woman in the foreground compared to the trees and stream bed. The woman and a small section of the stream is lit up, despite there not being an obvious direction of light, it also doesn’t seem inaccurate. The choice of light in this painting gives deliberate contrast so your eye scans the image and lands directly where he wants you to; the girl. The light is balanced in the stream above her, so your eyes move back and forth. The composition is also noteworthy, as he could have easily made the woman a much larger subject. Instead, he’s made her the main subject while scaling her down to appear apart of the whole scene. As I continue to look at this painting, there’s always something more to learn.
BONUS PHOTO CHALLENGE | Find an artist, or just one piece of art, to critique and study the components of how it’s made.
Since naturalist art will be the closest to photograph-type quality, these will likely be the most relatable works. Check out this website for further ideas, and feel free to use one of the paintings from there. Share your choice on our Facebook page.
I’ve said for some time how valuable it is to find a virtual mentor of photography to study. Previously that has always meant a living photographer you can find online, maybe even connect with. After awhile of studying said photographer, you’ve learned most of what there is to know. Should that be the end? Are you done?
No. Never.
Let’s take our craft in photography a step further. What do great artists have to offer modern photographers?
Analyses of composition techniques and the use of light in painting could surely fill the pages of several books. But paradoxically, acquiring a few basic principles doesn’t take much work. You just have to look. Look at pictures, look around you, and specifically seek out visual patterns. As soon as your eye gets used to searching for lines, the behavior of natural light, or the effects of strong contrasts, it will subconsciously register all of these without a major effort.
Lot and His Daughters by Orazio Gentileschi 1622
In the image above, we see Orazio Gentileschi using very bold and bright colors on his subjects yet behind them we see nothing but drab, gray rocks and dirt. It might seem obvious, but this is a very powerful way of creating a clear separation from foreground to background and guiding your viewers gaze.
Like in early film photography days, we didn’t see photographs or works of great art with wide open apertures and a blurry background. The artist had no choice but to guide the viewers eye with the utmost intention of composition, light, and use of color. If you take the time to scan a painting, pay special attention to those elements.
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife by Guido Reni 1630
In this painting we see that Guido Reni has actually used a very bold color behind our pale subject who is also wrapped in muted and dull colors. Again, this draws the viewers attention where he wants them to look.
As you go about taking photos, think about what and where you want the viewer to look. How can you adjust composition and light to create that intention? Any photography genre can learn from this sort of analysis, so don’t overlook the value. Art is art.
It takes an incredible amount of skill in camera and in photoshop to create painterly photographs these days, but some photographers excel greatly at their craft. I, for one, don’t have the patience or time for composites as complex as what many of these photographers do, but I admire their skill greatly. While I’m not sharing these photographers with the idea that you will create photos like this, there is great inspiration to be found.
Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk | Inspired by the artists of old, Gemmy found photography later on and began creating photos that carried those same qualities of light, contrast, and depth. I can scarcely fathom the effort she puts into creating her images.
Barbara MacFerrin | More in line with Sue Bryce’s portrait work, Barbara does a beautiful job with lighting her portraits with a painterly quality. I learn a lot from the posing in images like this.
Nina Carlsen | Such beautiful portraiture scenes, Nina has a clear knack with photoshop and creates nothing short of magic with her creativity.
Harold Ross | Still life photographs using products and “rembrandt” lighting, Harold makes the ordinary look simply beautiful.