Some people will tell you a great painting is all down to the subject. Others argue for the accuracy of the perspective, the use of colour, or the handling of light and shade. But what about composition?
In 2002 The Guardian reported on a study that took images by Piet Mondrian, famous for his colour-blocked grids, and altered them slightly by computer. The genuine image and the fake were then shown to members of the public. You might not expect the average person to tell apart two paintings made entirely of lines and squares, yet over half picked out the original every time. Somehow they knew which composition was better.
Great painters are highly skilled with subject, perspective, colour, light and shade. But the deciding factor in whether a picture works seems to be composition.
Drawing the eye
Composition is more than a prettily arranged selection of objects. At heart it comes down to complexity. A dull drawing or painting focuses on the centre and spreads its elements evenly. An arrangement that draws the eye combines its elements in a complex way that challenges the viewer.
The Rule of Thirds, common in photography, is one tool. You split the composition into three equal sections, horizontally and vertically, by eye, and align the elements along those lines. The Chardin painting shown here is an example of how well it works.
The magic number
It's hard to say why three is the magic number in composition, or why the eye prefers complexity to simplicity. But the Rule of Thirds wins time and again. Next time you photograph the sea, look at where you've put the horizon. The chances are it sits on the top or bottom third of the photo without you thinking about it.
In the end the answer seems to lie in mathematics. If three is the magic number, the ratio of 1 to 1.618 is divine. Known as the Golden Ratio or Golden Mean, it is common in nature and produces an infinite, repeating pattern that is particularly pleasing to the eye. Paintings that use it are often focused on one off-centre point, where much of the complex action takes place.
If that sounds too advanced, take comfort from the Mondrian experiment: humans seem to be born with a knack for spotting a great composition.
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