Color Choices

The Butterfly Catchers, 1900-1908, Theodore Wendel, American 1859-1932, oil on canvas.  Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Another painting at the Institute revealing wonderful, vibrant color choices.  Notice the use of complimentary colors to create interest and depth.   This painting contains a large field of colorful flowers like the last painting by Metzinger, but the techniques used by the artist are different.  Wendel makes color work to lead the eye and create an edge in the distance on several plains.  His placement of rows directs the viewed on a zigzag path through the painting, demanding more attention than the Metzinger work.

Wendel also includes images of his children in the painting to add interest.  They are not laborers in the field, and appear to be running, interacting with the wind, and catching butterfiles, as the title suggests.

From what I have read, this image was not contrived by Wendel, but selected.  This brings up the question of how each artist selects images to paint and to what extent the cognitive tools of each artists contributes to the addition of elements not in the actual image.   The work of Tissot, for example, is so photographic, that is would seem little artistic license has been applies to to substance of the image.  But how much artistic license was included to determine intensity of color and light, shadows and facial expressions.

How do you determine what you will paint, or sketch or sculpt or render?