Background - Daniel Edmondson



Backgrounds

The concept of background can be broken down in to two very distinct concepts. One is the background plane and the other is background information. Background plane is the drapery or the wall behind the still life or whatever is behind the model. There might be one, two or more background planes in a painting. Background information is much like the background whereas we don’t want the viewer to spend a lot of time looking at it but generally occurs in the foreground planes.

The purpose of the backgrounds is to strengthen the center of interest of the foreground. So every decision that you would theoretically make about the background is to strengthen the foreground center of interest. Shadows are background information. We don’t want to look into the shadows because we see by looking at the light that’s the way our brains work. We see by light. This is why you don’t use thick paint in the shadows; what will happen is the thick paint will pick up glare from the light source and reflect it back and it will draw attention to the shadows where in you don’t even want the shadows to be seen to be consistent with our visual processing. That is one of the wonderful qualities of oil paint: thick vs. thin paint – thick in the lights and thin in the shadows and in the darks because we don’t usually look there.

There are particular pieces/elements of the foreground plane that are supposed to stay in the background. The background information as we build from left to right. For example an orange or a peach at the left side of the painting will be weaker than one in the center of interest area. One of the biggest mistakes I have made in the past and often still make is to paint everything up to the same degree of resolve or color or brightness. As you move through the painting there will be weak areas as we build to the center of interest. Those are somewhat considered to be background material depending on how much we want them to recede and how little attention we want them to get. They are there to fill the space and to get us from one element to the other but essentially, background information.

Another function of the background plane is to make the painting have a particular look. For example, a loose background may make the whole painting have a tendency to look loose. A tight or smooth background may a tendency to make the entire painting look tight.

If the background becomes too interesting, too much going on, too many bright colors, then what happens is that the background becomes part of the foreground information and then there is no background. Everything is foreground information and it weakens the painting because there is no strong statement in terms of color, value, edges, drawing, etc. Instead, there is just too much for the eye to bounce around and focus on. The painting becomes more of an equalization painting instead of a painting with a sense of focus. So, if your background is going to be interesting or brushstrokey or beautiful, you’d better make sure that the center of interest is even stronger in order to be able to handle that tension it creates between the two. You need to ask yourself, is this idea the best statement for this painting? – To have it be bruchstrokey and then have the foreground strong. Or, would it be better if the background was quiet and the foreground was strong or there is too much vacancy for that? Those are the decisions that you have to make in deciding how you want to represent the background and background information.

Advancing and receding elements within your painting

Elements that advance

Thick paint

Sharp edges

High contrast

Warm colors

Vibrant colors

Brush strokes that go across verse along the form

Horizontal brush stokes

Colors unlike the background colors

Anything that represents intensity

Opacity

Elements that recede

Thin paint

Soft edges

Cool colors

Grayed colors

Low contrast

Brush strokes that go along verse across the form

Vertical brushstrokes

Colors like the background colors

Anything that represents Quite

Transparency

Use of these tools: look at your painting in advancing areas and receding areas and compare this list: see if these elements are used as well as they could be.

Another thought on backgrounds is if the background becomes too interesting, too much going on, too many bright colors, then what happens is that the background becomes part of the foreground information and then there is no background. Everything is foreground information and it weakens the painting because there is no strong statement in terms of color, value, edges, drawing, etc. Instead, there is just too much for the eye to bounce around and focus on. The painting becomes more of an equalization painting instead of a painting with a sense of focus. So, if your background is going to be interesting or slashy or beautiful, you’d better make sure that the center of interest is even stronger in order to be able to handle that. Also, you have to ask yourself, is that the best statement for this painting – to have it be slashy and then have the foreground strong. Or, would it be better if the background was quiet and the foreground was strong. Maybe there is too much vacancy for that. Those are the decisions that you have to make in deciding how you want to paint.

Copyright Daniel Edmondson 2008

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