Beauty Stems from The Value Relationships Between Shapes

When we admire a beautiful painting or drawing, we might first be captivated by its subject, colors, or textures. But beneath all of that lies a quieter, more essential structure: the relationship between the values—the relative lightness or darkness—of the shapes in the scene. It is this dance of light and dark that gives a painting its sense of harmony, depth, and life. Understanding this hidden architecture is key to both creating and appreciating visual art.

Five recent Plein air paintings completed at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm

I personally have heard some version of this but recently heard Paul Ingbretson discuss this topic in a most helpful way.

What Is "Value" in Art?

In artistic terms, value refers to how light or dark something appears. On a grayscale, white would be the lightest value and black the darkest, with a range of greys in between. In color, each hue still has a value—some colors, like yellow, are naturally light in value, while others, like navy blue, are dark.

Artists use value to create form, define space, and guide the viewer's eye through the composition. While color and detail can attract attention, it is value that makes a picture readable and believable, even in the absence of color.

Shapes and Their Relationships

Every scene can be broken down into shapes—some large, some small, some soft-edged, others crisp. When artists arrange these shapes, they are not just thinking about what each shape is (a tree, a face, a shadow) but how it relates in value to the others.

Is this shape lighter than the one next to it? Does that dark shadow fall against a light wall or another dark object? These comparisons determine whether a painting feels unified or disjointed, flat or three-dimensional, confusing or clear.

The Beauty Lies in Balance

What gives a painting its beauty is often not the realism of the subject but the harmony of the value relationships. A masterfully simplified drawing with just a few value tones can feel more powerful than a photographically detailed painting with confused value structure.

When values are carefully observed and thoughtfully placed, the shapes interlock in a way that feels inevitable, like the pieces of a puzzle fitting together. This visual logic is pleasing to the eye—even when abstracted or stylized—because it reflects the natural laws of light.

Value as a Tool of Expression

Artists also use value relationships to create mood. High contrast (sharp differences between light and dark) can add drama and tension. Low contrast can evoke softness or atmosphere. By exaggerating or simplifying value shapes, artists can guide emotional response as much as visual comprehension.

Think of Rembrandt’s portraits, where the light emerging from darkness creates a spiritual intensity, or the soft tonal transitions in a Turner seascape that feel like a dream dissolving into mist. These effects are made possible by careful control of values—not just technical skill, but emotional sensitivity.

Learning to See Values

For artists, training the eye to see value independently from color is essential. Squinting at a scene can help reduce it to its basic light and dark shapes. Using a black-and-white filter or a value scale can also help test whether the relationships are working.

Preliminary values sketch in preparation for a painting

Even for non-artists, becoming aware of these underlying value patterns can enhance your appreciation of art. Next time you’re moved by a painting or drawing, try asking yourself: where are the darkest areas? The lightest? How do they interact? What kind of mood or structure do they create?

Conclusion

In the end, the beauty of a painting often comes down to this: the relationship between the values of the shapes within the scene. It’s a quiet kind of beauty, rooted in the fundamentals of vision and perception. And once you start to notice it, you'll begin to see art—and the world around you—with new eyes.

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Cheers to you!