This gallery explores great compositions found in traditional Romanticism paintings from around the world.
The Marquess of Rockingham's Arabian Stallion, George Stubbs, About 1780, From the collection of: National Galleries Scotland: National
This painting follows the golden ratio, with the spiral starting at the horse and going upward to the cliff.
Horse Frightened by a Lion, George Stubbs, 1770, From the collection of: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
The composition in this painting follows the rule of thirds, with the land in the upper part creating a line, and the horse resting on the crossing of two lines.
Fleetwood Hesketh, Joseph Wright (of Derby), 1769, From the collection of: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
This painting has a good composition because the trees, as well as his arms, lead the viewer's eye to the focal point of the scarf.
Allegory of Love, Cupid and Psyche [?], Francisco de Goya, 1798 - 1805, From the collection of: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya - MNAC, Barcelona
This painting has a movement scene where the figures aren't in a bullseye view, making this a good composition.
Tepidarium, Théodore Chassériau, 1853, From the collection of: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Everything in the room leads the viewer's eye to the seated woman in the center, yet the figure beside her is slightly off center, making it more interesting.
Mer de Glace, in the Valley of Chamonix, Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775–1851, British, 1803, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Lots of diagonal and slanted lines make this painting far more interesting than if it had been painted perfectly horizontal and flat.
Tivoli with the Temple of the Sybil and the Cascades, Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775–1851, British, between 1796 and 1797, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
The cliffs and buildings lead the viewer's eye to the focus, which is the temple at the top right.
The Victory Returning from Trafalgar, in Three Positions, Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775–1851, British, ca. 1806, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Having pairs of three objects with varying distances between them is a great compositional rule.
The focal point of this painting is actually the horizontal, flat lake in the middle, which is a very interesting focus for a painting.
In the Alpine High Valley (Landscape with Mt. Wendelstein), Carl Spitzweg, c. 1871, From the collection of: Kunstpalast
This painting is very long and narrow, making the mountains seem even larger than they are, in addition to having the scale of the person so small.
Moonrise over the Sea, Caspar David Friedrich, 1822, From the collection of: Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Once again, the rule of having 3 objects with varying spacing between them makes for a great composition.
View of Dresden by Moonlight, Johan Christian Dahl, 1838, From the collection of: The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Norway
This painting follows the rule of thirds, with the most detail falling on the intersection of the lines.
The Cross in the Mountains, Caspar David Friedrich, c. 1812, From the collection of: Kunstpalast
This has a good composition because of the symmetrical trees, as well as the bullseye focal point of the cross.
Greifswald in Moonlight, Caspar David Friedrich, (1817), From the collection of: The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Norway
The bullseye focal point of the castle in the center makes this landscape a very good composition.
Winter at the Sognefjord, Johan Christian Dahl, Februar 1827, From the collection of: The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Norway
This has a good composition, with numerous parts overlapping each other, as well as having the stone fall on a line of the rule of thirds.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
