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Negative space is the area surrounding or between the main subjects of an artwork.
It isn't simply “empty.”
Artists can deliberately shape that empty area to create balance, movement, tension, or even additional images.
In some famous visual illusions, the negative space becomes recognizable as another object.
The viewer's attention constantly moves between what is present and what is absent.
This means an artist can effectively draw something without actually drawing it.
The blank area around an object can therefore carry as much visual information as the object itself.
Sometimes what isn't painted is what makes the composition work.
© National Gallery of Art