Customer Reviews

Composition of Outdoor Painting

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you can only buy one book on composition of Outdoor Painting, this is the one. The original book, published in 1941, has seen several editions and goes in and out of print. Although Amazon often shows that it is out of print, call the publisher directly. They have plenty of brand new copies in the latest editions. The book, itself, is not large, only 6x9 or so. And it mostly consists of WORDS! But it is one of the most succinct books on composition I have ever read. Each paragraph, each sentence is packed with information and advice. There are some simple line drawings which help the viewer and provide the basics for compositional outlines. Also, the newer editions have some very fine color samples of Mr. Paynes work in the back of the book, as well as several addenda by his daughter. If you are an outdoor painter, you could read this book every day for the rest of your life and still find something new to think about or try.

Although this book is often hard to find, the wait is worth more than this space allows. This is the definitive book on composition by one of the world's foremost California Impressionists. All the elements of composition are here, and very well defined. Payne also throws in a lot of worthwhile positive motivation, and a few humorous anecdotes. This book will assist all plein air artists in ALL media to see what to look for both outdoors, and in the studio. For artists, this book is 5 star!!

Written in 1941 by one of the great California impressionists, this
text covers the principles guiding good composition, and composition
forms. Also covers other landscape painting topics, such as color,
repetition, rhythm, value, and a conclusion that reads more like a
philosophical treatise on painting. Fantastic!

EXCELLENT BOOK AND WORTH A BIG PRICE BUT BUY THE 2000 ED BECAUSE OF ADDED MATERIAL. HIS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TECHNIQUE AND COMPOSITION ARE GREAT LEARNING TOOLS!!

Edgar Payne was one of the great american landscape painters, as well as a great teacher, and an accomplished writer.
I found his style of English to be a little more difficult to read, but after the first chapter or two I got used to it, and it was well worth the effort.

I highly recommend reading and referring to the chapter on compositional forms. He lists a dozen of the most commonly used outdoor compositions, and gives easy examples for understanding them.

Lots and lots of valuable information!

note- poorly edited, lots of typos.

No better data is available...BUY this book NOW!Read EVERY page!Become a better artist by practising Paynes wonderful insights into the real world of art.Whether a studio or plein air painter, this book has what you need

This book has certainly seen better days. It is hard to read with a modern understanding and one must dissect the language from the actual content to extract the juice out of it. And some of the contents are just as valid today as they were fifty years ago. It is a shame that few authors , Kevin McPhearson, comes to mind, have tried to address the issues of composition and the nature of art created outdoors or landscape themed as thoroughly and carefully as Edgar Payne. He was a better painter than writer but the attempt to creating a method to his art is nevertheless productive. His wife's artwork is included in the book as a gesture of love but it sorely lacks the quality of his own pieces.

"Composiiton of Outdoor Painting" by Edgar Payne was first published in 1941 and uses illustrations that go back further than that. But Payne was one of the great landscape masters of the early 20th Century and has plenty of useful advice to give contemporary painters. Taste and harmony were two basic tenets that Payne swore by, and these elements are stressed over and over again in his book. His language here is on the academic, even literary side, but his principles and suggestions are clear enough once you wade a bit through the formalized verbiage.


"Composition..." is well illustrated with drawings and paintings by the author and other painters of the time. Definitely a valuable addition to any art library, and certainly useful for anyone interested in oil painting as a hobby or profession.

A must have for the serious landscape painter.The thumnail sketches and notes on composition are worth buying the book alone.This book will be very beneficial to professional and serious amateurs alike. A bit on the expensive side, but this is probably the best book on landscape painting ever, and is well bound in the hardback and will last for generations.Payne is an aknowledged master, and the high quality color reproductions at the back are inspiring. All the topics are covered in depth- color, composition, tone, drawing,and the technical aspects on essential equipment.He also discusses how to approach the subject, having the right motives, and the value of simplicity and more.If you only want to buy two books on landscape painting get this and Jonn F. Carlsons book, but get this first.

Love this book for everything in it. Instruction, ideas, technique, lessons on what and what not to do in painting. Thanks for this one.