I was pondering over the question of why some images look artistic while some others don’t. This led to some thoughts around what I call visual contours. Visual contour is an imaginary line on the image over which eyes and mind move as a visual response to that image.
Here is an attempt at describing my own visual process for the above image (click on it to see it larger). Eyes traced upper contour of the bird, went up till it’s eye and the eye led further movement down along to perch. If I trace this as an imaginary line on the image it looks like –
Let me share another image –
When I look at this image (click on it to see it larger), first I stop at eye of the bird since it is directly looking at me. Visual movement there after is not very controlled. However there appears a weak uncontrolled movement as indicated in the image below.
And its visual contour as I experience –
What is this concept good for ? I tend to think more complex these contours are less impact these images will have on our mind – after all our mind don’t want to process a lot more information ( limit of 7 +/- 2 according to George Miller).
In a related note do colors bring another dimension for which we can’t draw these visual contours ? What if colors in this below image is predominantly red ? How will visual contour if one exist change ?
I tend to think color indeed brings another dimension which goes beyond visual contour described above affecting the mood of the image. How do we understand that dimension of the visual process ? I don’t know. There are more questions than answers.
Are contours and shapes of these abstract visual lines and interactions between these abstract lines describe effectiveness of an image ? artistic merit of an image ? Can we use this as a tool for better critique an image ?
May be the answer is yes ?
