Elements for the Study of the Composition in the Paint Tradition

Abstract

It is possible to identify five compositional methods predominant in the tradition of painting. The first can be located before the Renaissance and is associated with the hierarchical perspective. The second, which we will call geometrical-mathematical, was used predominantly from the Renaissance until the beginning of the twentieth century and is based on the use of the golden section to compose surfaces harmoniously. The third is the use of geometric perspective and chiaroscuro modeling. The fourth refers to the way in which pictorial genres established conventions for the representation of themes. The fifth, combines formalistic methods based on the study of visual perception and the way in which perceptual experiences influence the interpretation of the visible. This paradigm is linked to the theory of Gestalt and was widely used by representatives of modern art during the 20th century. Nowadays we can no longer speak of a predominant paradigm, but of an amalgam of possibilities in constant revision.