Perspective

Existence is like a painting, if you only look at one side of existence, how can you see it all? You cannot. Thus, perspective requires looking at every side.

C.A.A. Savastano

Today, while looking at one of my favorite John Singer Sargent paintings, I’ve been thinking about a technique I learned in a college drawing class. It involves focusing on the area around objects instead of the objects themselves. For example, in this painting, you would concentrate on the space surrounding the portrait instead of the image itself.

I’ve been thinking about expanding this method to other aspects of life. In understanding others, for example, I wonder if we take too narrow a view? Besides considering the yin and yang, the black and the white, should we take a deeper look at the shades of grey?

It’s easier to take someone at face value, rather than looking at a deeper perspective of who they truly are. In casual relationships it might be a case of not wanting to spend the time to look beyond initial impressions. If it’s a person you have a deeper connection with it might be worth taking the time to gain another perspective.

Family, friends, coworkers, anyone you have invested in a relationship with, might be worth another look. I’m not sure we can ever truly know another person, however we can spend time attempting to see another side of who they are. I have, occasionally, made wrong assumptions about someone’s actions because I didn’t see the whole picture.

In art, the surrounding space of a composition is called negative space. Negative is often thought of as a damaging description. That is not the case in artistic terms. Negative space is used to create balance and emphasis. It is an important part of the total composition. This consideration could also be meaningful in personal relationships. It could be worth another look before forming an opinion.