Art Analysis Ep.4 | Detail and Flow

Table of Contents

This week, we will look at the work of John Singer Sargent and Howard Pyle in order to emphasize the idea of detail and flow.

Many Artists often struggle with keeping their pieces both complex and understandable. Overwhelming Details, confusing values, and unclear focal points all can lead to unappealing pieces. This week we will examine how artists create coherent and clear compositions using flow and understanding detail.

Key points mentioned in this article

• Repetition of the shapes create a more harmonious and balanced piece.
• Our interest usually is brought to the detail-intensive areas of a piece. The conservation and specific usage of detail are one of the most important aspects that keeps a painting easily readable and so iconic.
• The majority of detail in the piece usually is kept in the focal point of a piece. Many of the other elements of the composition act more as splotches of noise and color, or even are intentionally left blank.

First, let’s define some basic terms:

Focal Point is the center of attention in a piece. We want the viewers of a piece to focus their gaze on the Focal Point. For example, in a portrait, the focal point typically will be in one of the eyes.

Value Grouping is limiting the amount or variation of different values in a piece. For example, on a reference, you might see a multitude of different values in the shadow, but we can group all those values into one “average” value.

Value Contrast is using two strikingly different values to emphasize or clearly show a difference between the two values. Contrast draws the viewer’s eye and emphasizes the contrasting areas.

Readability is how well an artist manages to convey what something is. Have you ever drawn a horse only for it to be mistaken for a dog? Well, your horse didn’t read very well.

Noise is very similar to detail in that noise provides filling and visual interest in pieces. While detail is usually more clear and representational, Noise may be used just as a substitute for detail used to fill space or guide the eye.

Color Harmony refers to specific colors that work together harmoniously and look pleasing to the eye. Think almost how in music, specific notes sound well together in different scales. Some examples of color harmonies include Triad, Complementary, Split Complementary, and Double Split Complementary.

First, let’s take a look at the works of John Singer Sargent. Sargent’s watercolor works often boast an incredible level of detail and precision, while still maintaining clear and simple compositions that read well. Sargent uses lines, color harmony, and value organization to create harmonic pieces that are clear and concise.

In Sargent’s piece Muddy Alligators Something that stands out immediately at first glance is the sheer amount of color variation, detail, and noise all around the piece. Interestingly enough, the entire piece still retains a very clear focal point and everything reads relatively well.

First, we would have to attribute much of the success to this piece in value organization grouping. I'll go over this quickly because we've already covered values before. Notice how all of the background elements and even foreground elements vastly contrast the rest of the piece in value. This becomes increasingly apparent when we squint our eyes, and the alligators themselves are the brightest objects in the composition. If you would like a more in depth explanation check out our previous art analysis article.

Let’s see how noise, line and detail play a part in creating a more clear and focused piece.

Repetition of the shapes of trees in the background create a more harmonious and balanced piece. Additionally, the trees all act as lines and exaggerate a vertical gesture that only is broken in the center of the piece, where all of the important stuff is. Even the shadows and reflections in the water below add to this feeling of repetition.

The majority of detail in the piece is kept in the focal point of the piece with the alligators. Many of the other elements of the composition act more as splotches of noise and color.

Also, notice how the many alligators act as an intricate flow of imaginary lines that keep our eyes moving around the center of the piece. I’ve marked out some lines that the alligators form that help bring our eyes around the piece. These lines act almost like a trap, keeping our attention where we are supposed to focus our attention. The lines of the trees help bring our attention back down to the alligators if our eyes ever stray out of the center of attention.

Another final thing that we can learn from Sargent is conservation of colors. the color scheme of the piece is mainly limited to colors in a scuffed split complementary color harmony. The hues generally revolve around the desaturated yellow range, desaturated reds, and desaturated blues. While there are many instances where this harmony is broken, almost all of the colors composition are grouped very closely to this split complementary harmony.

Next, we will take a look at one of Howard Pyle’s most renowned pieces, An Attack on a Galleon. We will analyze how edges are defined by value, and how again how our eyes flow around a piece.

First, I will again emphasize how much value plays a part in creating this composition. The shirts of the pirates in the sailboat are all grouped in the same value, creating very simple and readable shapes that make sense. Also, Notice how the focal points of the piece, the pirates and the galleon, all contrast heavily with their backgrounds. Again, check out our previous article on value for a more in-depth explanation.

With that out of the way, let’s refocus our attention on flow.

I’ve drawn lines that show how the viewer's eyes might move around the piece. The waves provide guidelines that bring the viewer’s attention out of the bottom of the piece and into more important sections.

The viewer's eyes need to rest on the pirates so that the entire story can be told, so many lines bring our eyes down to the pirates. Additionally, the pirates also have many lines that branch out that feed into directing our gaze to the Galleon, the secondary focal point of the scene. Notice how flows work in both directions, and how many smaller flows will feed into other gestures.

Next, let’s take a look at how detail is organized. Most detail in the piece is grouped into the most important parts of the piece. The entirety of the sky on the left side is left blank so that there is no doubt in our minds that our eyes should not be interested in that area. Our interest is instead brought to the detail-intensive areas of the piece, the pirates and the galleon. This conservation and specific usage of detail are one of the most important aspects that keeps this painting easily readable and so iconic.

Finally, on the subject of color, the brightness of the yellow and blue overwhelm the piece and give the entire composition a very simple and readable look that keeps the painting simple from afar.