Mitchell Albala, Atmospheres III, pastel on paper, 6″ dia.
The circular picture format, known as the Tondo, is a distinctive compositional format — and one rarely seen in contemporary painting. The Tondo has different compositional requirements than traditional rectangular formats. The circular format is all about movement. Compositions contained within the Tondo must work in concert with the rhythm and flow of the circle itself.
Raphael, Madonna della Seggiola, 1514, 28″ diameter.
With the minor exception of the candelabra in the lower left, Raphael uses no verticals or horizontals. The rhythms of the Madonna and Child’s posture and limbs follow the rhythm of the circular format.
The word Tondo derives from the Italian rotondo, meaning “round.” The format gained prominence during the Italian Renaissance. Often featuring themes like the Madonna and Child, the Tondo was favored for its harmonious shape, which suggested perfection and unity. The format has roots in ancient Roman medallions and round reliefs, which likely influenced its resurgence in Renaissance art.
Few contemporary painters explore this unique format, but those that do come up with highly animated and dynamic compositions. The artists featured here work in different media: oil, pastel, collage and mixed media. Yet all embrace the Tondo’s call to rhythm and movement.
Different Formats, Different Directional Energy
The Tondo imposes unique compositional demands, distinct from those found in rectangular formats. The horizontal or “landscape” format asserts directional energy along the horizontal axis, reinforcing any horizontal movement within the subject itself. The vertical format, by contrast, channels energy inward and upward. The circular format stands apart, offering neither horizontal or vertical energy. Instead, its rhythmical nature makes horizontal and vertical elements feel out of place.
The rhythms of a Tondo’s internal composition must work in concert with the rhythm and flow of the circle itself.
Loriann Signori, 6 in diameter.
“The Tondo doesn’t work like conventional [rectangular] formats,” explains Signori. “It changes the rules.” The shapes, patterns, and movements of Signori’s Tondo are fully compatible with the rhythm of the circle itself. Signori is also interested in what she calls the “fragmentation of light” — how the light breaks up, divides, and separates into layers. Her Tondo suggests depth; the red “orbs” seem to hover over a distant background.
See more of Loriann’s work at her website.
Above: In the left Tondo, the composition features sweeping, curved elements that echo and complement the circular frame. In contrast, the right Tondo contains strong horizontal and vertical elements, which seem incompatible with the circular format. Indeed, when a composition’s elements and movements — whether abstract or representational — are incongruous with the circular format, the circle becomes merely decorative rather than integral to the work.
Karen Fitzgerald, Untitled Light, 16″ diameter, oil paint, mica, Venetian plaster, 23k gold on yupo mounted on panel
“Roundness reminds us of our remote origins. It reattaches us to the whole world,” says Fitzgerald. “The round form complements and rhymes with spatial forms. It presents qualities that underlie the visible world, those things of profound, essential importance.” – excerpted from Karen’s article, Radically Round, in the May 2008 issue of Conscious Design magazine.
See More of Karen’s work at her website.
Tom Moglu, Hêtre, collage on card, 5.9″ diameter
With a palette of light, cream and beige-toned papers, Hêtre is much like a color field study in collage. The crisp, curving cuts of paper create decisive lines that move with the same rhythm as the circle that contains them. Note the small accents of turquoise and red, and the sliver of turquoise that breaks out of the circle at the bottom.
See more of Tom’s collages at Tumblr.
Mitchell Albala, Atmospheres III, pastel on paper, 6″ diameter.
The Tondo is a format that lends itself to abstraction. I find that ordinary landscape subjects, with clear horizon lines and vertical elements, don’t fit the round format well, so I am encouraged to build compositions that have circular rhythm and self contained movements.
August Vincent Tack (American, 1870-1949), Canyon, c.1931, oil on canvas 46″ diameter
Of the works featured here, Tack’s Canyon is perhaps most reminiscent of a landscape. Its interlocking, fractured shapes suggest the snow and rock patterns one might see on a mountainside. The angular, sharp-edged shapes swirl around the circular canvas like geological strata caught in motion, evoking both the majestic scale and dynamic energy of a canyon vista.
6 Comments
I love this post! I have been experimenting with the tondo format and appreciate your observations.
Thanks, Patty. I hope the insights move you toward beautiful Tondo compositions!
What a unique format! I’ve never considered using it before…only thought of it as something decorative…not serious somehow. You’ve changed my view of the round format and look forward to giving it a try!
Do you think that using a vertical or horizontal composition in the Tondo just creates too much tension for the viewer? I think it would be fun to explore playing on that idea on purpose!
Thanks, Mitchell!
You’re right. Tondos often do feel decorative, IMHO, because they are simply assigning a round frame to the composition. It’ becomes an affectation. A clever device. But as I point out in the post, ordinarly compositional elements, like horizontals and verticals, don’t work as well with the Tondo. Even Raphael’s painting, from 500 years ago, made sure the movement of his subject flowed witht the nature of the circle. In answer to your question:”Do you think that using a vertical or horizontal composition in the Tondo just creates too much tension for the viewer?” Yes, that’s one way of saying it. The verticals and horizontals are out of sync with the circle. The circle and what’s inside the circle are one.
Your thoughts on an oval composition? Susan Rogers
Good question, Susan. I didn’t mention the oval, but everything I said about the circle would also apply to the oval. The circle and the oval are, in spirit, very much alike — andy wholly different than rectangular formats.