Gertrude Abercrombie, Emil Armin, and Julia Thecla composed these paintings by creating a foreground, middleground, and a background. 

A viewer can compare this arrangement of depth in a painting to the arrangement of a theatrical stage. 

• The background compares to a painted backdrop. 
• Figures are arranged upon the stage. 
• The picture plane would be the curtain of the stage.

As you look at these paintings pretend you are watching a play on a stage. Notice how each artist used pictorial space to create a mood and tell a story.