Monday, January 2, 2012

The Importance of Obliques


I've always felt that oblique lines give a painting energy.  They can be used as pointers, tension builders,
or as a contrast to the more formal verticals and restful horizontals.

In this painting of a wild undeveloped beach in Eastpoint, Florida,  the line of cypress "knees" echoes the oblique of the old dead tree trunk.  The shadows are also a good way to incorporate obliques. 
And since so many obliques seemed to point to the middle distance of the beach area, it seemed right to include a couple of figures taking a New Year's Day stroll.

As in the previous post, I used a red/green complementary color scheme.

P.S. Many people use the word "diagonal" to describe oblique lines.  An oblique is any slanted line; diagonal lines divide things in half.

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