Tip: Single Point of Focus

When looking at something we see only a small part of our field of vision in hard focus, the rest of what we see is out of focus. This is most obvious when viewing nearer objects in comparison to distant objects, but the same effect occurs when viewing equally near objects outside the center of focus.

This is a useful concept to know when it comes to giving unity and focus to a painting. A picture painted with a hard focus throughout looks more like a photograph than it does a fine work of art. On the other hand, if you have only a single portion of a painting clearly in focus your work is more likely to have an ennobling quality in which everything seems to be a part of one steady gaze.

The Venetians were among the first to incorporate a single point of focus. Earlier works appear to be more primitive, in part, because everything is painted with an equal focus or clarity.

You can incorporate this unifying quality into your own work by softening the edges outside the area of strong focus. The Spanish artist Diego Velasquez used this technique of focus in his later works. Perhaps his most famous painting, "Les Meninas", can be used to illustrate the point.

Les Meninas is a large painting with a complex composition. There are arguably three focal points, the infant Margarita in the center, the self-portrait of Velasquez to the left, and the half-length reflected images of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana in the distant center. Even the man in the doorway is a point of interest as he is placed at the vanishing point for the orthogonals of the windows and lights of the ceiling.

What makes them different is their value (in some cases) and their focus (in every case). Look first at Margarita. Although Velasquez rarely used a hard edge in his paintings, the focus on Margarita is obvious as Velasquez uses sharper edges and stronger contrasts to make her appear the center of view.

Now compare images from the self-portrait of the painting, the mirror, and the doorway. By comparison they are all out of focus. This is true even for Velazquez who is just about as near the viewer as is the infant.