D.C. 22. Most frequent form, Ms. + I. or Ms. = V. or V. + (almost invariable). Most used element, V., 100 per cent.; least used, D., 0 per cent. Ms. 82 per cent.; I. 73 per cent.; L. 23 per cent.
It was, of course, to be expected that in pictures without action there should be little suggestion of attention or of direction of movement. What is less evident is the reason for the high percentage of I. Of course, figures do appear in many examples, and in most pictures some inanimate object is emphasized—as, for instance, the mill in our second example. But the most remarkable point of difference in these tables from the preceding is the presence of V. in practically every example. It is, of course, natural that somewhere in almost every picture there should be a break to show the horizon line, for the sake of variety, if for nothing else—but what is significant is the part played by this break in the balancing of the picture. In about two thirds of the examples the vista is enclosed by lines, or masses, and when near the center, as being at the same time the 'heaviest' part of the picture, serves as a fulcrum or center to bind the parts—always harder to bring together than in the other types of pictures—into a close unity. The most frequent form of this arrangement, as seen by the table, is a diagonal, which just saves itself by turning up at its far end. Thus the mass, and hence usually the special interest of the picture, is on the one side, on the other the vista and the sloping line of the diagonal. In very few cases is the vista behind an attractive or noticeable part of the picture, the fact showing that it acts in opposition to the latter, leading the eye away from it, and thus serving at once the variety and richness of the picture, and its unity. A pure diagonal would have line and vista both working at the extreme outer edge of the picture, and thus too strongly—unless, indeed, balanced by very striking elements near the other edge.
This function of the vista as a unifying element is of interest in connection with the theory of Hildebrand,[16] that the landscape should have a narrow foreground and wide background, since that is most in conformity with our experience. He adduces Titian's Sacred and Profane Love as an example. But of the general principle it may be said that not the reproduction of nature, but the production of a unified complex of motor impulses, is the aim of composition, and that this aim is best reached by focusing the eye by a narrow background—i.e., vista. No matter how much it wanders, it returns to that central spot and is held there, keeping hold on all the other elements. Of Hildebrand's example it may be said that the pyramidal composition with the dark and tall tree in the center effectually accomplishes the binding together of the two figures, so that a vista is not needed. A wide background without that tree would leave them rather disjointed.
Another interesting observation concerns the use of water in landscapes. In nearly all appears an expanse of water, and in four fifths of the cases it is either on the same side as the vista, or in the same line with it. This is no doubt partly due to the light-effects which can be got on the water, but it also greatly reinforces the peculiar effect of the vista. That effect, as has been repeatedly said, is to concentrate, to hold, to fixate vision. The same thing is true of the horizontal line, as was shown by some preliminary experiments not here reported. The contrast to the ordinary trend of lines—particularly in a landscape—together with the strong suggestion of quiet and repose, serve to give the same concentrating effect to the horizontal lines as to the vista.
In general, it may be said that balance in landscape is effected between Mass and Interest on one side and Vista and Line on the other; and that unity is given especially by the use of Vista and the horizontal lines of water.
A survey of the subject-types remaining on the list of page 514 shows that they may quite well be grouped together with those already examined; that is, the Holy Families, Adorations, Crucifixions, and Annunciations are very symmetrical in type, and present the same characteristics as the Altarpieces. The Miscellaneous (mostly religious) pictures, the Descents, and the Allegorical are, for the most part, freely composed, irregular, full of action, and resemble the genre pictures. The Single Figure pictures, Religious, Allegorical and Genre, and the Portrait Groups, resemble the portraits. Therefore, it may be considered that the existence of a perfect substitutional symmetry has been established, inasmuch as it has been shown to be almost invariably present in the types examined.
The experimental treatment of the isolated elements determined the particular function of each in distributing attention in the field of view. The object of large size claims attention, but does not rivet it nor draw it out powerfully; the intrinsically interesting object does excite it, but limits it to a comparatively small field; the suggestion of movement or of attention on the part of pictured objects carries the attention through the field of its operation; the vista rivets the attention without powerfully exciting it, and the line extending in a certain direction carries the attention in the same way as does the suggestion of movement. But the preceding statistical analysis has shown that while all are possibly operative in a given picture, some are given much more importance than others, and that in pictures of different types different elements predominate.
The following table gives the distribution of the elements in the single-center pictures already examined. The numbers represent the per cent. of the whole number of balanced pictures in which the given element appears once or more.
| S.C. | Ms. | I. | D. | V. | L. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alt. p. | 26 | 100 | 91 | 13 | 31 |
| Mad. | 21 | 100 | 96 | 27 | 64 |
| Port. | 80 | 63 | 98 | 17 | 61 |
| Genre | 57 | 89 | 57 | 46 | 44 |
| Lands. | 66 | 73 | 22 | 98 | 31 |
It is seen that in those classes with a general symmetrical framework, the altar and Madonna pictures, the elements of interest and direction of attention are overwhelmingly predominant—which is the more to be expected as they appear, of course, as variations in a symmetry which has already, so to speak, disposed of mass and line. They give what action there is, and when they are very strongly operative, we see by page 516, (8) and (9) and note, that they are opposed by salient lines and deep vistas, which act more strongly on the attention than mass; compare further Mad., V. 27 per cent., L. 64 per cent., as against Alt., V. 13 per cent., L. 19 per cent., as confirming the view that they are used in the more irregular and active pictures. But I. keeps its predominance throughout the types, except in the portraits, where, indeed, we should not expect it to be so powerful, since the principal object of interest must always be the portrait head, and that is in most cases in the Cn., and therefore not counted. Yet I. has a respectable representation even in the portrait table, showing that such objects as jewels, embroideries, beautiful hands, etc., count largely too in composition. Its greatest is in the genre table, where, of course, human interests constitute the subject matter.