What do the sonnet, the waltz and a rabatment have in common?
Each is a form--a pattern for how parts of a creation will fall into place. Each is like a seed that will be an oak tree, an egg that will become a hawk, or a ball of clay that will be turned into a vase. The
pattern is predetermined, but what gets created within that pattern has yet to evolve.
There are several visual forms and there is free form which most contemporary artists prefer. One visual form that's lots of fun to work with is
rabatment. It's a way of composing two parts of a rectangle--the perfect square on plus the rest of the rectangle--so that the entire piece contains a sort of "conversation" between the to parts.
THE RABATMENT FORM'S DIAGRAMS
The way it's used is that the major theme usually is placed in the square with a minor theme (that completes the thought) placed in the space outside the
square.
But it's always refreshing when an artist takes a traditional form and uses it with an unexpected twist. Mary
Whyte did this in her painting, "Passages," where she puts the major theme outside the rabatment square, making the rabatment square support the theme of the painting rather than the other way around.
On the other hand, Robert Genn's "Brittany" Port uses the classical method where the major theme is
within the rabatment square with the thought finished outside the square.
A fun way to use the classic approach is have active images occupy the rabatment square, then insert an "onlooker" within the remainder of the
rectangle. Here's how I did this in a watercolor of blue jays entitled "Committee Meeting".
Try playing with the rabatment form some rainy (or snowy) afternoon. It can be a lot of fun.
Have yourself a glorious weekend!
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