As someone who has been heavily immersed in the world of classical music, having played violin since the age of seven, I have always loved this quote attributed to Claude Debussy: “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them.”
This rings true in painting as well. We are often very focused on the subject or subjects of a painting, but the most important part of a painting might actually be the empty space.
Think of the times when you look at a painting and find pure enjoyment in looking at it. You have a real visual experience. You can see and feel the air in the painting. It is often the seemingly empty space (or negative space in painting) that makes a painting work and come alive. It is what allows every other part of the painting to breathe.
But empty space does much more than simply surround the subjects of a painting. It plays an important role in how we experience atmosphere, how a composition holds together, and even where our eye chooses to rest.
Atmosphere and Air in Painting
On the topic of air in painting, Edgar Degas once said, “The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.”
This is such an important statement that reveals some truths about air and space in painting. When we talk about air and atmosphere in a painting, we are not, of course, referring to the actual air and atmosphere of our world. Painting is an artistic construction, not just a reproduction of reality.
Atmosphere Created Between Negative Space
That said, there are some paintings you look at where you can almost physically feel the air that exists between objects. There is a sense of space that you can enter into visually. And it is often the areas that appear to contain very little that make this experience possible.
Think of a landscape painting where you can feel the distance between a group of trees in the foreground and the mountains far beyond. Or a portrait where the space surrounding the figure contributes to the feeling of the person existing within a particular atmosphere.
These spaces are not simply backgrounds that need to be filled in. They are an essential part of the painting itself.
As painters, we can become so concerned with accurately describing the objects we are painting that we forget to pay attention to the space that exists around and between them.
But if we want to create a convincing sense of atmosphere, we need to give just as much attention to these seemingly empty areas.
Empty Space and Composition
Empty spaces are absolutely essential for creating compelling compositions. Otherwise, we would just have complete clutter.
Where you don’t place something is just as important as where you do, because the degree of space between areas and objects can either make or break a composition.
Consider a painting with several figures. The spaces between the figures are not simply leftover areas. Their shapes and proportions contribute to the overall arrangement of the composition.
The same is true in landscape painting. The shape of the sky between two trees, the opening between distant hills, or the space surrounding a building can be just as important as the objects themselves.
Negative Space in Painting
This is where the idea of negative space becomes particularly useful.
Rather than thinking of the space around an object as something secondary, try looking at it as a shape in its own right.
For example, instead of focusing entirely on painting a tree, look at the shape of the sky surrounding its branches. You may discover that paying attention to these negative shapes helps you see the tree itself much more accurately.
This is because the positive and negative shapes of a painting are completely dependent on one another. Change one, and you inevitably change the other.
A good composition isn’t simply about arranging interesting objects. It is about creating relationships between all the shapes and spaces within the painting.
The Power of Visual Rest
Just as you wouldn’t necessarily want to put saturated colors everywhere in a painting, but rather create muted colors so that the saturated colors stand out, the same principle applies to areas of visual activity.
Our eyes need places to rest.
Think of how you feel when you walk into a very cluttered room that is messy and full of things. There is so much competing for your attention that it becomes difficult to appreciate any one thing.
But when you enter a space that is more organized, with fewer things competing for your attention, you actually begin to notice and appreciate what is there.
The same is true in painting.
When every part of a painting is filled with equally strong contrasts, sharp edges, and intricate details, it can become difficult to know where to look. Everything is competing for our attention.
However, when we allow certain areas to remain quieter, the more active areas naturally become more noticeable.
This doesn’t necessarily mean leaving large parts of your canvas completely empty. Visual rest can come from an area of relatively uniform color, a passage with softened edges, or a part of the painting where the details have been simplified.
Sometimes, the most effective thing you can do is resist the temptation to add more.
As painters, we often feel that improving a painting means continuing to work on it, adding more details, refining more shapes, or describing more of what we see.
But sometimes a painting becomes stronger when we choose to leave something out.
Learning to See What Isn’t There
One of the most valuable things we can learn as painters is to pay attention not only to the objects we are painting, but also to everything that exists around and between them.
The empty spaces in a painting are not simply areas waiting to be filled. They contribute to the atmosphere, structure, and overall visual experience of the work.
The next time you look at a painting you particularly admire, spend a little time looking at the areas that don’t immediately draw your attention.
Notice the spaces between the objects, the quieter passages, and the areas where the artist has chosen to say less.
You might discover that these seemingly unimportant areas are doing far more work than you initially realized.
