Motive Force: Step 5
If this painting had been intended only as an illustration for an 8 inch book cover, it would not have required a lot of fine detail. Actually, as part of a series originally intended to be quick figure studies, a lot of detail should not have been needed either. As you can see in this image, however, this piece has a LOT of detail. I am a big fan of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, especially Millais and Hunt. While their choice of theme was not always ideal, their execution was unbelievable and their attention to detail (especially Hunt’s…though I think Millais was the better painter…) is staggering. Compared to their level of detail, this piece is loosely painted. Now, I don’t think that detail is necessarily required in an effective work of art. In fact, I think it can be distracting if it is not subtly used or if it is over-emphasized. When used well, I think detail adds a lot to a work of art. It adds interest to be sure, but it also adds context. It makes the image more real. It also shows skill on the part of the artist. The downfall of many high detail paintings is that the overall structure of the composition is either ignored in favor of the details, or just lost among them. The painting needs to be visually effective at a distance and as a whole, not just on close inspection. And of course, there is a point where any finer detail would be superfluous, wasted effort. As soon as the mountains in the background of this piece were painted, I was committed to a relatively high level of detail. In order to avoid a flat looking image, each successively closer layer of background has to have higher contrast, more detail and better focus than the one behind it.
