Concept · Arranging the Picture

Emphasis and Focal Point

The focal point is the part that draws the most attention. Emphasis is how the painter makes it do so.

The main tools are contrast, isolation and placement. In Gérôme's desert, one small dark shape alone in an empty field stands out.

• J. T. Smith (1797) advised one main light, with the others smaller and dimmer: "Two distinct, equal lights, should never appear in the same picture."
• Reynolds wrote that a light looks brightest when the most shade surrounds it; Color Theory explains why.

See

• The Night Watch
• The Denial of Saint Peter

Image: Project Gutenberg · Public domain