The experimental treatment of the isolated elements determined the particular function of each in distributing attention in the field of view.  The object of large size claims attention, but does not rivet it nor draw it out powerfully; the intrinsically interesting object does excite it, but limits it to a comparatively small field; the suggestion of movement or of attention on the part of pictured objects carries the attention through the field of its operation; the vista rivets the attention without powerfully exciting it, and the line extending in a certain direction carries the attention in the same way as does the suggestion of movement.  But the preceding statistical analysis has shown that while all are possibly operative in a given picture, some are given much more importance than others, and that in pictures of different types different elements predominate.

The following table gives the distribution of the elements in the single-center pictures already examined.  The numbers represent the per cent. of the whole number of balanced pictures in which the given element appears once or more.

    S.C.  Ms. I. D. V. L.

Alt. p.    26    100    91    13    31
Mad.       21    100    96    27    64
Port.      80     63    98    17    61
Genre      57     89    57    46    44
Lands.     66     73    22    98    31

It is seen that in those classes with a general symmetrical framework, the altar and Madonna pictures, the elements of interest and direction of attention are overwhelmingly predominant—­which is the more to be expected as they appear, of course, as variations in a symmetry which has already, so to speak, disposed of mass and line.  They give what action there is, and when they are very strongly operative, we see by page 516, (8) and (9) and note, that they are opposed by salient lines and deep vistas, which act more strongly on the attention than mass; compare further Mad., V. 27 per cent., L. 64 per cent., as against Alt., V. 13 per cent., L. 19 per cent., as confirming the view that they are used in the more irregular and active pictures.  But I. keeps its predominance throughout the types, except in the portraits, where, indeed, we should not expect it to be so powerful, since the principal object of interest must always be the portrait head, and that is in most cases in the Cn., and therefore not counted.  Yet I. has a respectable representation even in the portrait table, showing that such objects as jewels, embroideries, beautiful hands, etc., count largely too in composition.  Its greatest is in the genre table, where, of course, human interests constitute the subject matter.

It is among the portraits that the direction of suggestion is most operative.  Since these pictures represent no action, it must be given by those elements which move and distribute the attention; in accordance with which we see that line also is unusually influential.  As remarked above, the altarpieces and Madonna pictures, also largely without action, depend largely for it on D., in the form of direction of attention (D. 91 per cent.).