MAGAZINE: Knowledge
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7 Tips To Enjoy Painting
Do you not know anything about painting? Do not think it’s impossible. Here are seven tips to help you enjoy something you have yet to discover...
1. Stand back a little
There is no need to stick your nose to the canvas to enjoy a painting! First, stand about 2 metres away from it. If you later want to focus your attention on a detail, it’s up to you. Always first consider the painting as a whole and allow you eyes to drift away from it from time to time, before you bring them back to the canvas again. You will then notice a certain number of details and visual information that would have escaped your attention otherwise.
2. Observe the light and the colours
It’s simple: all you have to do is watch and ask yourself a few key questions. Are the colours vivid? Are they dark? What is the source of light? Is it the sun or candles? Try to find out how the light affects the scene portrayed in front of you, whether it is the mood of the characters, the atmosphere of a place... each colour has been consciously chosen by the artist and the light shaded onto them enhances the message conveyed.
3. Distinguish unity from diversity
Each painting has elements of unity and elements of diversity. Unity is suggested by the use of a single colour, which diversity is here to break. By distinguishing and separating the elements of unity from the elements of diversity, you will understand exactly what the artist wanted to convey. In the Van Gogh « Sunflowers » for instance, unity is symbolized by the use of more or less the same colour on each flower but diversity is represented through the minute nuances on each of them. In this painting, Van Gogh wanted to express the mineral qualities of nature.
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