There should be no very violent contrasts and no spottiness of light and shade, and, above all, the tones must be right. - Arthur Hammond

...it is essential to have only one principal object of interest in a picture. Without it the picture is not completely satisfying, for the eye is apt to wander over the surface of the picture, seeking rest and finding none.

...picture-making is almost entirely a matter of good taste, and that is largely instinctive when the taste has been trained and cultivated.

The function of composition is to make a picture interesting, and the disposition of the lines in the picture, the opposition of lines, and their placing in the picture-space will all help in giving the desired interest.