More push pulling

“Carving space with colors.” This sentence stuck in my mind more than any other today, after searching the net for more information about the teachings of Hans Hofmann. Carving space with colors – such an interesting concept. One can almost see the possibilities if one is familiar with the fact that cool colors such as blues and greens, recede into the distance and warm colors (reds and yellows) advance toward the viewer.

Sculpting

In sculpting, there are methods that add material to build up shapes, as in modeling with clay. Other methods are subtractive, such as wood carving or sculpting forms from stone.

Are these techniques transferrable to painting? I think of painting exclusively as an additive process. Paints are added to the canvas. It is hard to think of a subtractive technique in painting, unless it involves scraping paint away to reveal layers underneath.

I’m sure there is more to carving space with colors than I can imagine now. At this point, I am inclined to think that a painter would establish a certain level of depth by applying a patch of color. The next patch to be painted would set up a spatial relationship with the first – appearing closer or further away. With each patch of color, the artist would consider the effect it would have on the others, and use knowledge of colors to arrive at the spatial contour he or she desires in the finished work.

Today’s experiment

I divided the paper into two spatial realms. The right-hand side of the paper is a series of parallel lines whose spacing gradually narrows. The right side of the paper based on linear visual cues, is a space disappearing into the distance as one’s gaze reaches the upper right corner.

There are blocks of color on the left-hand portion of the paper. Even though this is in maximal contrast to the other portion of the sketch, I doubt if this can be considered a push-pull element. It is not integrated into the composition. I could easily cover one or the other portion of the paper and the contrast would disappear.

Below is a partially finished version of today’s sketch:

I don’t see anything too obvious in terms of spatial relationships except for the vertical red strip on the left hand part of the page. This seems to be hovering above the gray background at the bottom. Patches of color that advance toward the viewer are those whose rectangular shapes are not obscured by other colors.

I tried something different before declaring this sketch completed:

I tried to portray the central red form as being in front of the other forms by drawing shadows on the green and yellow rectangles. If successful, one should be able to see this red form as irregularly shaped instead of as rectangularly shaped.

I don’t really see this or any dramatic push-pull effects in this study. Back to the drawing board.