1) Linear vs. painterly. Elements in the linear canvas are primarily described by line. Figures are distinct from one another; the painting is more or less a colored drawing. The painterly painting relies on color to express form. Paint is usually loosely handled, form is not defined with discrete lines and the edges of forms are not readily apparent.
2) Plane vs. recession. Objects in a planar painting are usually laid out parallel to the picture plane, we tend to see the flat sides of things. Depth is signified by a succession of parallel planes into space. In the non-planar painting objects turn corners to the viewer. There is more a sense of motion up to and away from your eye within the painting.
3) Closed vs. open form. Does the space in the painting seem closed off by something at the edge of the canvas? Are the limits of the scene defined by objects within it? Or does the painted space appear to stretch on infinitely beyond the limits of the canvas?
4) Multiplicity vs. unity. The multiple painting feels like a collection of individual elements grouped together in the picture space. You feel you could pluck one object right out of the painting. In the unified painting one senses the objects not as individual elements, but as coherent parts of a general scene.
5) Absolute vs. relative clarity. Do you feel the objects are described as objects or as paint? In the painting with absolute clarity objects tend to be placed in strong, clear light so their edges are crisp and the viewer has an immediate understanding of the form of the object. Objects are, as it were, re-created in paint. Relative clarity, on the other hand, has to do with the optical sensation of objects. Objects are suggested in paint, not re-created. They generally tend to be darker and more loosely focused. Painted objects are not easily visually separable from the general painted field." (Robey, 2005).
Source: http://www.columbia.edu/~eer1/wolfflin.html
Birger Hjørland
Last edited: 06-03-2007