Obliques (which some people refer to as diagonals) create energy, movement and tension. My old instructor used to ask, Which would you rather watch? -- A soldier at Buckingham Palace standing statue still, or a drunk wobbling down the street? You may not approve of his drinking, but certainly there is more action and tension in a drunk teetering on the edge of falling down as he weaves from side to side and forward at an angle that makes you gasp!
In the painting of two canoeists navigating some rapids, study the lines to identify where the obliques occur. The feeling of movement and even possible danger comes from the slanted lines that create a feeling of movement.
Decide what you want to say about the mood of the subject, and if it is one of tension, consider the use of obliques.
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