GraphicsArray() should be a Graphics() object, or have functionality to return one

[niles]

Because it isn't, one cannot, for example, overlay text() onto a GraphicsArray(), or use any of the other Graphics() functionality.

GraphicsArray._repr() could (but doesn't) return a matplotlib Figure, so perhaps this can be resolved with the help of #5128.

See the post at asksage about ​this issue for more details.

Related tickets:

• #11160 - Graphics Arrays need suboptions somehow
• #10657 - options should be passed to all graphics, and they should be set separately if desired

[jason]

It would be cool if we could incorporate the graphics_array functionality into a Graphics object using matplotlib's gridspec to do the layout. Recently, some new capabilities for drawing arrays of graphics have been added (in matplotlib 1.0.0). Here are some links to documentation:

​http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/users/whats_new.html#sophisticated-subplot-grid-layout

​http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/users/gridspec.html#gridspec-guide

​http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/users/gridspec.html#gridspec-using-subplotspec

[egourgoulhon]

The code proposed in #27866 addresses some of the issues discussed here. In particular, it allows for the overlay of text() onto a GraphicsArray, via the new method GraphicsArray.inset(). The output is no longer a GraphicsArray but pertains to the more general class MultiGraphics.