Attached Link: Mikeall gallery

 Understood. Simple concepts don't do the work themselves. The amount of staging speaks for itself. You could have overlit the whole thing but the simplicity of lighting gives it a stark feeling while the soft edge almost hints at a musty atmosphere without spreading a lot of dust particles in the air. 

On-topic:

Check out Mikeall in context to this thread.

His context is quite specific as he is recreating mid-20th Century pulp covers. So, not only does his aim cover a painterly effect he is also layering in print effects, and "real world" distressing. Sometimes I'm aware of how he got there but usually its a fun ride through an alternate past.

My distinction being, his clarity of choice as dictated by his context and my disatisfaction because I am struggling to keep the rendered details and yet add in painted elements. It just puts more pressure on my painting abilities.