Research point: 
Positive and negative space

Gary Hume: 
'The Teacher', 'Cerith 1998' & 'The Water Painting 1999'

Here Hume's use of block colour is really very effective in differentiating negative space. 

Only one colour has been used in the background. There is no detail there, just a solid block. I feel this works in a way that it helps fill the pieces and does cover, in all of these pieces a considerable area. However whilst one colour covers such a large space, it does not take my eye of the main area of each painting. My attention remains on the figures. 

'The Teacher' - When I slightly close my eyes I can see that two shades of darker blue have been cleverly placed on the left had paining as positive space. They are far more noticeable, they are striking and interesting. The sit together with a number of bricks that I don't notice so much, the negative space - The are pale in colour and although two different colours have been used, a pale orange and a pale yellow - I don't initially notice them enough to see straight away that they are different colours. 

'Cerith' - The dark blue of the hair acts as positive space where as the lighter shade of grey/blue of the face and neck act as negative space. 

'The Water Painting' - This one is really interesting as I can only see the use of two colours here. Which one is the positive space and which one is the negative? White lines have been used in multiple layers to create a number of figures all eventually entwined. The block of background colour is a presence in itself, perhaps for this piece this acts as the negative space. It is striking and bold yet does not have a lot to say. The lines are the story. They are the detail. They are where my eyes travel and so therefore, the positive space. 

Maya Kopitseva: 

I selected these two pieces in contrast to the above works by Gary Hume as Kopitseva seems to add detail to all areas of the painting. There are blocks of colour, however in addition patterns are added and when I look closely, I can see patterns throughout the pieces. 


In the top painting of bunches of bananas on a table cloth and I can see the negative space at the very top of the painting, the very palest area. Here is also a dish, I need to look closely to see it as it is also within the negative space, so very pale. It is there, but so easily not there at the same time. The fill the page, however they take nothing away from the bananas and the striking green/blue of the patterned table cloth - the positive space. 

In the bottom paining I can see this again. I can see the positive space in the table cloth and the red polka dot tea cup and saucers. I see these areas first. I see the bold and bright colour, the dark colour first.They immediately capture my attention.  My eye then moves onto the negative space of the white and green striped tea cup and milk jug at the bottom of the painting - the negative space. 

Giorgio Morandi: 

I chose these two expamples as I like the way that Morandi uses very subtle and pale tones to build his pieces. It is almost as if he uses only one tone per painting on first glance, however with close inspection the positive and negative colours and spaces are clear. 

I especially like the way that Morandi has used very in the background of both pieces. 

The piece on the right I can see two tones to the background, the negative space. The two tones offer some separation to the shelf the bottles are sat on and the backdrop of the wall behind them. The bottles to the left are in whites and creams and very pale beige, yet in a positive contrast a deep blue has been used to the right of the painting. 

In the painting to the right the positive and negative areas are much more subdued. Morandi has used a darker shade to depict the positive lines of shadow down the pots and a perfectly placed shadow on the shelf of the very small pot at in the foreground. 

Cornelia Parker: One Day This Glass Will Break - Exhibit 

In search of positive and negative space I visited Cornelia Parker's most recent exhibit at the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa. This exhibition consists of  twenty large-scale photogravures, the most perfect example of positive and negative space. 


Each piece feels like an explosion of black, positive space on a perfectly white blanket of negative space. The pieces are stunning and striking and collectively provide a beautiful scene. Very cleverly, the exhibition room walls are white too, adding to the striking nature of the positive spaces that draw my eye as I walk around the room. 



To add to my research I also watched a tutorial by Bryan Eccleshall on positive and negative space. 

He describes using positive and negative spaces as the most formal technique and issue that can be used to create a piece. 

He uses the above still life painting by Carravaggio to describe how the interesting shapes of the leaves, that are positioned in between the significant, positive shapes of the fruit create such an interesting aspect of the painting as it is this detail that entwines with the negative space of the background. This offers a way of collapses the space between the positive shapes of the fruit and the negative space of the background. 

Bryan also described the bowl of fruit as the "thing", the positive. The negative space is everything else. Easily remembered! 

The second piece he discusses is an image of a figure by Egon Schiele  uses the position of the arm to create an interesting shape within the negative space of the background, the arm traps space between itself - Creating space between the object and the edge of the page. This is an example of creating tension between the positive and the negative space. 

References: 
Instagram video tutorial by Bryan Eccleshall 
Cornelia Parker 'One Day This Glass Will Break' exhibit  
Works by Carravaggio, Gary Hume, Maya Kopitseva, Giorgio Morandi, Cornelia Parker, Egon Schiele,