Return
Tones
Structure
in BW
in Colour
Edges
Sharpening
Colour
Conclusion

BRUEGHEL, Jan the Elder (1568 - 1625)

River Landscape with Lumbermen

Click here to view the image (in a separate window)

This painting is completely different from the preceding ones with far greater detail and clarity.  It is delightful.

He has not used the rule of thirds, but the Golden Triangle and Spiral seem to fit nicely.

 

The sweep of the bay, continuing in the toning of the sea, also seems to complement the dark and light side of the painting.

I think there is a slight yellow tint, but overall the colours seem very realistic - even the greens!

And so removing some of that tint and setting the full tonal range, we get...

Now I believed that the above covers the compositional analysis/elements, but I received the following comment on what I was trying to do.

"Really, as I look at your pages; most of what you are covering is composition. Light / dark patterns, leading lines, Rule of Thirds, Golden Curve, S curves, Texture, Contrast, Lighting, Color Contrast, Action etc. are all parts of the composition of the image.  It is the combination of these elements that make the image or break it..."

Hmm, I have either misunderstood composition, or I'm breaking it down into smaller elements.  A picture/painting must have more to it than just composition - I'm ignoring the subject details, because that is too subjective and I can not learn, or improve my photography, by analysing the subject matter.  This is especially true with landscapes as I very rarely take them, as most of my photography is within a mile of the house!

Still lets plough on (in ignorance)...