Space Between

Research Point: Find out more about Patrick Caulfield and how he uses positive and negative space.

When I first started really seeing negative space (thanks ti Betty Edward and her ground breaking book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"), I finally was able to understand the relationships between elements in a drawing. This was about 20 years ago, but I still have a way to go in being able to use negative space as a composition in itself in the ways that Patrick Caulfield does. He is an English painter (1936-2005) known for his "Pop Art" depictions.


© The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris

In "Signature Pots" a 1975 screenprint on paper, Caulfield draws the detail in the negative space. The reflections of light on the pots are done in a graphic red, but the rest of the pot surface is blank. The background depicting line drawings of trees and branches fills up the negative space. The result is an abstract drawing where the eye is continually drawn into the space between, rather than the object. As it places an emphasis on the negative space, the figurative, solidly colored objects have less importance in the composition.


© The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris

"Reserved Table",an acrylic on canvas from 2000, plays with the positive spaces. The table cloth and part of the background are done in pure white. The only detail is in the lobster and it's reflection. There are some textural details in the background, drawing the eye through the doorway. The main colors, black, white, and blue are nicely contrasted with the red and red-orange of the lobster. The abstract nature of the painting invites the viewer to make out enough detail to place the objects in context, yet prompting such questions as: Is that stairs to the left? Why is the lobster on a shelf below a mirror? The title suggests a restaurant, but where are the chairs and people? Why is the table in a doorway, or is it a window? It leaves much to the imagination of the viewer, but provides an atmosphere in which to create a dining scenario of one's own.

Here is my experiment with negative space:



This is a quick charcoal sketch. I tried to look primarily at the negative space. The only detail of the objects is on the one in the foreground. I believe, that especially when making quick sketches to get at relationships between objects, focusing on the negative space, the spaces in between, can be incredibly helpful.