Analysing the Composition in Two Paintings

Ivan the Terrible And His Son Ivan - Ilya Repin

Source: 

http://faculty.risd.edu/evarshav/RepinIvanGrozny&HisSon.jpg

This painting, whether intentional or not seems to use the 'The Cross' composition, the top half, or the back or the room is very dark while the bottom of the image, at the front of the room is very well lit with very striking red no-less, the contras is quite extreme; there is almost no light in the top half and almost no shadow in the bottom half.

Splitting the image in half vertically is Ivan the Terrible and his Son injured in his arms, the composition serves to aim attention direct to the urgent scenario happening right in the centre, they are almost framed in a diamond shape too.

Here I just drew lines showing the cross and the surrounding diamond, I also used red arrows to illustrate how the use of this composition forces the viewers attention on Ivan and Ivan in the middle.

Moby Dick - Jon Foster

Source:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuQyffjEDD2EGM1wynn8bzgFr_IwhHUFJE1Com6HXclG0Wwgo6pw&t=1

This painting also uses 'the cross' composition technique, but in a less forceful way, it seems like it's used mostly to break up the painting the way the lighting changed from the top half of the painting to the bottom is very unnatural and stylised, The horizontal break in this painting is very subtle where-as the vertical line is extremely obvious, the figure stands tall and straight right through the middle of the image, but the horizontal line is created by the harpoon, the rope as it wraps near near the middle and serves almost to guide your eyes up and down the image.

Again I just marked on the cross, and I also noticed that the diamond shape was present again, it could be a recurring feature of paintings that follow 'the cross' composition, I also marked in red where I thought that the cross and diamond led the eyes when initially viewing the painting.