Group On Stairs, National Gallery

I like the way the dark figures on the right reflect the right leg of the horse in the painting on the wall, within the composition of the stairs. However, I can't help thinking the figures detract from this.

cliveh said:

I like the way the dark figures on the right reflect the right leg of the horse in the painting on the wall, within the composition of the stairs. However, I can't help thinking the figures detract from this.

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I'd disagree with that- if you removed the figures from the stairs, it would have a very unbalanced composition - they form a triangle with the sculpture and the painting that moves your eye around the scene. Without them, your eye would just bounce back and forth between the sculpture and the painting and there would be a big bright void on the left of the image.