Pictorial Space throughout Art History: Cézanne and ... - ARAS

ARAS Connections Issue 2, 2012
The composition is dynamic because a pair of diagonal movements
(forces) contain each other but are not symmetrical (figs 5-6): within that basic
structure there are smaller thrusts and counter-thrusts.
Because of its location, each plane pushes or pulls against the flat surface
of the canvas (fig. 4). The pull of one plane is contained by the opposite pull of the
other in such a way that, while the two planes are located at different depths, they
are both held in relationship to the surface: the integrity of the surface is not
violated (see also figures 5-6). Hans Hofmann said:
The product of movement and countermovement is tension. When tension
(working strength) is expressed, it endows the work of art with the living effect of
coordinated, though opposing, forces |26|.
There is also a circular movement back into depth over several planes and
then forward again over several planes (fig. 11). This circular movement, like the
balance of forces, holds the planes in relationship to the flat surface and so keeps
the painting unified.
Between the planes is pictorial space which is different from the illusion of
space suggested by perspective. Figure 10 shows that perspective makes the
rectangle seem like a window into a three-dimensional world ( it violates the flat
surface). Hofmann said:
Painting possesses fundamental laws. These laws are dictated by
fundamental perceptions. One of these perceptions is: the essence of the
picture is the picture plane. The essence of the picture plane is its two-
dimensionality ... And this leads to the second law: the picture must
achieve a three-dimensional effect, distinct from illusion, by means of the
creative process. These two laws apply both to color and form |27|.
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