Sagot :
I assume you are inquiring about art practice in general, rather than an individual work of art? But it really doesn’t matter - the principle would be the same.
Indeed, the principle involved here is the same even if we are talking about the best course in most things besides art. You could be asking me how to best approach running a business, or managing relationships, or a diet, or an exercise program, or many other activities.
The core principle is balance. Which is the essence of good composition, good color theory, good use of texture, pretty much everything in art. This does not mean that one will not punctuate things with an extravagant “note” or gesture, but that is like the interesting seasoning in a meal that raises it beyond the mundane. A careful - and skillful - touch is required, or the dish becomes inedible. A painting fails and easily becomes self-conscious, or precious.
I think this may be why art schools have always been so adamant that the color white is “unserious” - because it is so risky and difficult to use without completely ruining an artwork. But of course this is not true at all. It’s simply difficult. The more frequent “extravagant” colors in art seem to be the cad reds and yellows - just a touch, my dear.
Every artist must learn how do do this “seasoning” by themselves. Eventually, it becomes, just as it does for a good cook, a matter of feel, of intuition. One paints, and stands back and simply knows that “just there” is where an extra comment is required to make everything dance and come alive.
Your use of “extravagance” can run the gamut from the very simple, as in this famous work by Paul The Card Players. Note the red shirt on the guy in the background. It fairly jumps from the painting. And the rich ochre of those curtains does no less.
In a somewhat more imagined work, look at this painting by El Greco. Not only the use of reds, but examine that white flag! The purity implied by its color, and that trailing edge, the shape of it! It’s really quite extraordinary (and extravagant)- changing and framing the entire painting.
The master of full-out extravagance was probably Pablo Picasso. After he entered the world of cubism, and until the end of his life, every work he created consisted primarily of extravagant gesture. We could readily call him the King of Go Big or Go Home. And this worked for him. However, it only worked because that gesture was, indeed, masterful - informed by powerful draughting ability and complete confidence.