Creating Depth in Paintings

A few days ago I posted about William Holman Hunt's work and his use of color.

William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the Pot of Basil, private collection, 1868

Compare Hunt's work to the piece below, A Fair Reflection, by John William Godward.  Both have similar subjects, in similar settings, in similar poses and lighting conditions, with a similar use of extravagant color.

A Fair Reflection, John William Godward, 1915

I like Godward's piece much better and I think this has to do with his control of edges.  I did a post about kinds of edges here.  I have not had the pleasure to see it in person, but I suspect Godward made better use of the contrast between hard and soft edges.  The details of that get a little lost in a smaller reproduction, but they still come through in a heightened illusion of space and atmosphere when you shrink the painting down.  Notice how flat Hunt's painting appears compared to Godward's.  Godward also uses the cool trick of her foreshortened right elbow and a more zoomed in view to increase the amount of depth in the painting.  Cover her right arm and see how much shallower the painting appears.  Hunt had the same opportunity with Isabella's knee, but doesn't quite master it.

Check this out:

A Fair Reflection, John William Godward, 1915

By converting both images to black and white we can more clearly see the device that Godward used.  Notice how he clearly defined the two planes of her upper and lower arm with a strong change in value (and therefore direction) at the bend of her elbow.  Changes in direction of planes = changes of value.  Notice the alternating value arrangement on her left arm as it changes direction.  Also notice how her right arm is darker than the background, except for that very well placed darker accent in the marble behind her forearm.

Now, compare this with Hunt's piece again in black and white:

William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the Pot of Basil, private collection, 1868

See how Hunt misses the opportunity on Isabella's left leg to use the same device as Godward?  He uses a light spot on her knee, but the upper plane of her thigh and the lower plane of her shin are on average the same value.  The value next to her left leg is universally dark.  This all serves to make the depth of field surrounding her leg much shallower than that surrounding Godward's subject's right arm.

William Holman Hunt: Painter, Painting, Paint

131 Color Paintings of John William Godward

William Holman Hunt

I have been working my way through The Two Paths by John Ruskin.  Ruskin speaks of William Holman Hunt being the greatest colorist.  I recently posted about a Hunt work being sold by the Delaware Art Museum and the scandal that caused.

William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the Pot of Basil, private collection

You can see a collection of William Holman Hunt's works in the ARC Museum here.  I found his use of soft color in his portrait of Miss Gladys M. interesting:

Miss Gladys M., William Holman Hunt, Museo de Arte (Ponce, Puerto Rico)

The pastel colors are soft and appealing, and remind me of something that belongs on a nursery wall.  It speaks of the gentle embrace of a mother.  This painting however is not one of my favorites, as I think the color is a bit too sweet and I think his edges are too universally sharp and that distracts me from the appreciation of his use of color.  I will address his use of edges in an upcoming post.

I do like Hunt's use of color better in Isabella and the Pot of Basil above.  The richness of the blues, golds, and rusts works very well with the subject matter.  That may just be personal preference though, I happen to like that color combination.  Maybe that is what Ruskin is referring too when he says that Hunt is the best colorist, his consistent use of an appropriate color palette matched with the subject?

William Holman Hunt

Follow Up on Christie's Art Auction

I recently posted about an art auction at Christie's.  One of the headlining works, William Holman Hunt's Isabella and the Pot of Basil was sold by the Delaware Art Museum.

William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the Pot of Basil, private collection

This is a smaller version of the original painting held by the Laing Art Gallery.  The Delaware Art Museum lost its accreditation because of the sale.  Museums do have to sell art occasionally to stay open, but this is very frowned upon in the art museum community.  An interesting view into the economics of art.  Should a museum be "allowed" to sell a work to fund itself?  Is there a difference if the work was purchased by the museum or donated to the museum?

The Association of Art Museum Directors released the following statement:

"With this sale, the museum is treating its works from its collection as disposable assets, rather than irreplaceable cultural heritage that it holds in trust for people now and in the future," the AAMD, representing 242 members in North America, said in a statement. "It is also sending a clear signal to its audiences that private support is unnecessary, since it can always sell additional items from its collection to cover its costs."

But what if the private support is not there and the choice is to sell a work or close?  By selling a major work a museum may be undercutting its very attendance and mission.  It is not an easy answer.

William Holman Hunt: Painter, Painting, Paint
The Pre-Raphaelites: Their Lives and Works
The Pre-Raphaelites: From Rossetti to Ruskin