LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION 127 



which the observer looks, will similarly enframe the view at the bottom. 

 (See Plates 21 and 28.) Such complete enframement will still further con- 

 centrate the attention on the main portion of the composition. Gener- 

 ally these enframing objects, which from their nature should not attract 

 attention to themselves, will be dark in color or lie in shadow, while 

 the portion of the composition to be treated like an enframed picture 

 will lie in light. (See Drawing XV, opp. p. 122, and Tailpiece on p. 61.) 

 Again, the important part of the composition may be further inclosed 

 and in another sense enframed by being relieved against some sub- 

 ordinated background, and by being shown in proper scale and relative 

 distance by being seen over an appropriate foreground. (See again Plate 

 28, and also Plate 4.) Although the effect of a landscape composition 

 can never be independent of its appearance considered as a picture in 

 two dimensions only, it can never be entirely successful unless it is seen 

 to be organized also in its third dimension, its extent away from the 

 observer. In order that the value of its three-dimensional forms may be 

 properly perceived, it is desirable to make the relative distances of the 

 objects away from the observer as evident as possible. We have 

 already seen how the relative sizes of objects in perspective, their rela- 

 tive colors in aerial perspective, help in this perception. Simplifica- 

 tion of the view into only a few planes of distance, and differentiation 

 of these planes in color, in form, in light and shade, will also make the 

 actual form of the whole composition more easily grasped and so ap- 

 parently more unified. (See Plate 23.) It is evident that if the main 

 feature in the composition needs to be made as important as possible, 

 care must be taken that neither foreground nor background are inter- 

 esting enough of themselves to obtrude upon the attention. If there is 

 danger that the important part of the composition will appear somewhat 

 too small to produce the desired effect, its apparent size in the compo- 

 sition may be increased by bringing the spectator nearer to it. If there 

 is danger of the main object appearing to be too near to the spectator, 

 within narrow limits the difficulty may be diminished by increasing the 

 scale and coarseness of texture of the foreground, and by bringing the fore- 

 ground as near as may be to the spectator, so that the apparent distance 

 between it and the main object may be as great as possible. In a land- 

 scape composition the observer can concentrate his attention upon 



