Color became one of the most important tools for creating composition. In the late 19th century in Europe, many artists, including James Whistler (‘Art for Art’s Sake’), declared that painting is not primarily an imitation of the external world, but rather, an arrangement of shapes and colors on a flat surface. The creativity of an artist cannot be restricted to imitate objects. Whistler initiated a new paradigm ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ to unleash the creative expression. Whistler’s "Whistler's Mother" was named Arrangement in Black and Gray gave the first indication of such unconventional approach.  His work with an abstract tile broke the conventional practice. He attributed his work with the arrangement of colors. The old masters did preliminary compositional studies, many very structural in nature; however, the underlying structure was then covered over by the subject matter of the work, humbly taking a back seat.

Plates4. Leonardo da Vinci’s Compositional Structure of Last Supper Mural

(Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Supper ; http://digitalsimple.info/2009/09/golden-ratio/   June 4, 2012)

The success of any form of art depends upon the complex understanding of compositional structures. ‘The Golden Ration’ ((1:1.618 Golden Ratio) is the corner stone of Renaissance Period that evolved around all the art and architectures became the thump-rule of aesthetic expression. Leonardo da Vinci was highly influenced by the ratios that formed the Golden Ration of Greek Classical architectural structures. In his number of compositions, Leonardo applied the same to construct a stable and harmonious composition.

(Refhttp://www.mathematicianspictures.com/LEONARDO_DA_VINCI_GOLDEN_RATIO_GOLDEN_
MEAN/Leonardo_Da_Vinci_Golden_Ratio_Golden_Mean.htm ; June 4, 2012)