Madonna, Tamara de Lempicka
“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” ― Leonardo da Vinci
Let`s imagine for a moment that light disappears - "stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind". Famious writer Isaac Asimov has a novelette called "Nightfall" about the coming of darkness to the people of a planet ordinarily illuminated by sunlight at all times. Isaac Asimov develops a thesis in which he simply says: without light men would go mad that will lead to death.
It`s inexplicable how light affects our emotions and leads us into different realities - from the darkest to the most sublime places. Those who have discovered the mystery of light are those whose paintings last through the ages -magicians who use that tool so virtuosic that we even don`t realise why we`re so fond of their art. Luckily, the paintings keep this knowledge and by exploring them we can find many vital tips that we can use in our work. Shall we start?
Front lighting
Diego Rivera uses that kind of light to emphasize the different shapes in his paintings. His narrative is complex, often with many figures, therefore every bold central shade could interfere the complex tangle.
Technically, front lighting makes everything seems like monolith because shades are just like contour around the shape.
Nigth of the Rich, Diego Rivera
Tamara de Lempicka is also a fen of the front lighting – hair curves, clothes, draperies, flowers, figures, buildings, they all look like sculptures: powerful forms with their own integrity.
Blue Woman with Guitar, Tamara de Lempicka
Side lighting
Light from the side is one of Johannes Vermeer`s favorite instruments. He places all important objects close to a natural light source.
The Geographer, J.Vermeer
Shadows make forms more realistic and three-dimensional. Side lighting divides every image in light and dark part. The light attracts the viewer's eyes whereas the dark - generalizes the form and conceals it in a mystery.
If you want your painting to have a sense of enigma use that kind of approach.
The calling of Saint Mattew, Caravaggio
Contre-jour or back light
When the visible side of the object remains in shadow and its back side is illuminated - we call that back lighting. Sometimes light is so strong that we see just a black silhouette. This is an awesome effect that gives specific information to the viewer -unique motion or connection between the objects. Actually, some artists prefer to develope more the shadow side.
Contre-jour light is really magnetic! This duality is so attractive - large pieces of light and darkness flicker and make the painting vibrant.
Self-Portrait against the Light, Edouard Vuillard
Back light is often used in landscapes because we associate it with the natural lighting and with open places - by the way, one of the favorite techniques of the impressionists.
Grainstack at Sunset, Claude Monet
The Sower, Vincent van Gogh
In the second part of this article, we are going to see 3 more different light techniques that will help us in our artistic skills. Feel free to comment, share and ask if this article connects with you in some way. :)
To be continued...