"Composiiton of Outdoor Painting" by Edgar Payne was first published in 1941 and uses illustrations that go back further than that. But Payne was one of the great landscape masters of the early 20th Century and has plenty of useful advice to give contemporary painters. Taste and harmony were two basic tenets that Payne swore by, and these elements are stressed over and over again in his book. His language here is on the academic, even literary side, but his principles and suggestions are clear enough once you wade a bit through the formalized verbiage.


"Composition..." is well illustrated with drawings and paintings by the author and other painters of the time. Definitely a valuable addition to any art library, and certainly useful for anyone interested in oil painting as a hobby or profession.

Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne is an essential tool for any serious artist, particularly those who paint plein air. Payne's approach is based on the classical foundational elements of painting which he brings to light through his wonderfully practical discussion and examples. I highly recommend it.

As a painter in all mediums, and a teacher, I find this edition a complete aid in the construction of a painting...one keeper for the library.

This book has certainly seen better days. It is hard to read with a modern understanding and one must dissect the language from the actual content to extract the juice out of it. And some of the contents are just as valid today as they were fifty years ago. It is a shame that few authors , Kevin McPhearson, comes to mind, have tried to address the issues of composition and the nature of art created outdoors or landscape themed as thoroughly and carefully as Edgar Payne. He was a better painter than writer but the attempt to creating a method to his art is nevertheless productive. His wife's artwork is included in the book as a gesture of love but it sorely lacks the quality of his own pieces.

Edgar Payne was one of the great american landscape painters, as well as a great teacher, and an accomplished writer.
I found his style of English to be a little more difficult to read, but after the first chapter or two I got used to it, and it was well worth the effort.

I highly recommend reading and referring to the chapter on compositional forms: the pyramid, circle, L, and S shapes for example. He lists a dozen of the most commonly used outdoor compositions, and gives easy examples for understanding them.

Lots and lots of valuable information!