Florida Scene Review - Report Example

number Florida Scene Review Thomas Moran was born and raised in England in the 19th century, and was one of the most significant artists at Hudson River School. Moran is one of the best artists of all time whose work has received great attention from people in various parts of the world. This is because he was capable of creating life from the harsh environment, and hence create value from it. He had personal desires to explore new uncultivated places and make exotic paintings from them. This paper outlines a review of Thomas Moran’s artwork, Florida Scene, and illustrates the role that it has played in helping to uncover the potential that uncultivated places can have after being subjected to the eyes of the public. Discussion Florida Scene Description Thomas Moran is an artist who is popular for creating work that is under the influence of the state of nature. His work, Florida Scene, mostly employs organic shapes, which aim at attracting the attention of his audience. The southern landscape present in his work is characterized by rounded or often curving forms as noted in the ocean, sky and vegetation. The few trees present contain long and curving branches. Just beneath the trees there are numerous green, wild flowers and shrubs that are round in nature. There are also aquatic weeds that are untamed, which surround the shallow and natural pond that is situated on the right, and they tend to grow in all directions. The irregular leaves that are noted to come from the palm fronds have a bayonet shape, which seem to appear threatening and the flutter due to influence of the breeze that comes from the ocean. The clear sky is above the tidal waves that come from the ocean. The clouds appear to be ambiguous, and they morph into new shapes constantly (Siliciano). The work by Moran reflects an example of a technique that illustrates an atmospheric perspective, which demonstrates a nonlinear mechanism of portraying the illusion of depth. He changes color, detail and value subtlety in order to reveal the essence of a tropical climate that is situated in the Sunshine State. The pale yellow tones unite with the sandy beach as well as the sky where they evoke the hazy and humid atmosphere that Florida is popular for. The dominant figure in the work is a curving palm tree that is situated at the center, and it projects from the side of the sandy hill towards where the ocean is situated. The ocean, a big ship and passengers who descend from a boat are noted in the background. The size of these figures diminish in order to illustrate the widening detachment between components and the viewer (Moran). The objects that are situated faraway are observed beyond increased quantity of moisture, air and the sandy wind, which makes them seem bluer and less discrete while compared to the palm tree that has been worn out by the weather in the region (Siliciano). The ship as well as the passengers lack more details while compared with the palm tree. This is because the palm tree is finished with a stroke that illustrates every person leaving the palm fronds as well as the sophisticated rings that decorate the trunk’s bark. The ship is short of embellishment because the wood that is used to make the boat cannot differentiated and it is not possible to view the faces or fingers of the people who are noted from the background (Moran). The colors that Moran uses in his art comprise of green vegetation, cool colors, sky and the blue ocean. The scheme of the color is analogous because the pieces comprise of color variations that are observed between hues that are adjacent on the color wheel such as green, yellow-green and blue-green. The clouds have been tinted with neutral white color, which add to the quality of the work (Siliciano). The components that are noted in Moran’s work background do not portray color strength of the components that are situated in front since there is less contrast between dark and light. In his work, Florida Scene, Moran portrays obscure illusion of motion. The palm tree at the center appears to be growing to the ocean’s water. The figures who are noted to be departing the boat are not clear, and they appear to be moving to the viewer’s direction as they embark on exploring a foreign land. Because of the absence of a dock, the boat seems to be bubbling on the rough ocean (Siliciano). Analysis In his work, Florida Scene, Moran illustrates that a balance prevails between variety and unity. The elements that he uses such as the ocean, trees, and the sky are related to each other. These natural components make up nature, which means that they form a united whole. If he were to eliminate the ocean, trees, or the cloudy sky, his work would be of poor quality, and the title would not make sense since all these elements define Florida’s landscape. The low-lying and dark green shrubs are placed in a repeated manner throughout, and they shoot from the right to the left hand side. Moran displays variety by incorporating diverse species of vegetation such as an oak tree, palm trees, weeds, shrubs, and flowers in his work. The people who depart from the boat are exceptional since they walk on different paths and wear diverse outfits (Wilkins 5). To create an asymmetrical balance in his work, Moran ensures that the left and the right hand sides differ. The diverse components are balanced in terms of shape, size and placement in order to illustrate a visual equilibrium. There is a number of activities going on the left hand side, since there are sails, an old ship and the passengers who are noted to be roaming on the shore. There is a huge sand hill on the right hand side, and the palm trees are planted on top of it. The boundless size of the landscape attracts heavy attention, and thus creating a balance on what is taking place on the smaller left hand side. The major focus is attributed to the palm tree that works as the focal point of Moran’s work (Moran). The tree has the most details while compared to other aspects of his work, and it is also visually positioned. The green treetop that is linked to the palm tree contrasts the white clouds that surround it. The clouds reflect an area that attract less interest since they do not have sufficient detail. There is also a repetition of the visual elements since the round organic shapes have been repeated throughout his work (Wilkins 7). Interpretation Being born in England, Thomas Moran is regarded as one of the best artists at Hudson River School in America. The biggest competitors to Moran also gained popularity while in Hudson. He had a personal desire to explore uncultivated places and make exotic paints. He is popular for the panoramic scenes he made of the American West. His first journey to Florida started in 1877 when he arrived at Fort George Island. The trip that he made received funds from Scribner’s Monthly magazine to allow him promote tourism to the southern state, which was unknown to many (Wilkins 17). In his work, Moran portrays the landscape of Florida, though he romanticized the location because he had deep desire and love for uncultivated nature. In his work, Florida Scene, Moran reveals a ship and people who are situated in the surrounding environment. The ship appears to be in the process of allowing some people to get out, and they seem to be grateful for landing on the solid ground. These people appear to have brown skin, and clothes that are brightly colored meaning that they came from the surrounding Caribbean Islands in search of jobs. The people who are featured in the work seem to portray employees who come to seek for employment at Fort George, which is regarded as free labor orange glove. The orange grove replaced the pre-Civil War sugar-cane and cotton fields in the Island (Siliciano). The reality of Florida is that it is a harsh and unforgiving environment. The climate to the north of Florida may be appealing while compared to the heat and humidity that prevails to the south. As revealed in Moran’s work, Florida is characterized by sandy soil that is not appropriate for growing vegetables. However, during the onset of winter, the Sunshine State serves as a paradise, and it attracts people from various regions to its warm and tropical beaches. In 1877, most of the inhabitants at Florida were regarded as misfits, such as foreigners who arrived for work, criminals who were fleeing from the north, or a few people who wanted to flourish in the region. It is because of this that the region was incapable of establishing a key religious practice or cultural values, since the residents were diverse and scarce (Siliciano). Judgment Therefore, while viewing his work, you would tend to imagine yourself sweating and squinting from the sun as you watch the people who come to the shore. This piece of art is skillfully drafted because it tends to trigger memories among people. For most of those people who have been raised in Florida, they have learnt how to appreciate the appealing background that surrounds them since it eliminates the feeling that people have about being lost in an exotic yet tropical oasis (Siliciano). On a national perspective, Moran’s work, Florida Scene, adds value to the people. Though it was originally meant to foster tourism in the region, Moran has managed to create a masterpiece that has been effective in terms of highlighting nature as well as all the shining glory in her. He has emerged successful in terms of catching a historic moment during the time when America was undergoing rapid changes. This work reveals the ideal and rural locations, which America was popular for. Therefore, Moran can be regarded as having uncovered America’s natural beauty, especially the one that Florida offers. It is because of is workmanship that Thomas Moran was commended for uncovering life from tranquil places as well as manifesting an escape where one would look into his work and feel as if he was there (Wilkins 32). Conclusion The paper has revealed that the work of Thomas Moran has significant value since it illustrates the natural landscape that one is likely to discover after visiting Florida. Therefore, it is essential to consider his work since it has been noted to capture unique features that are associated with the harsh atmosphere. This is because, unlike other contemporary artists, Moran has the potential to illustrate the notorious climate, especially when he communicates the untamed nature of the humidity that prevails along the beach. Works Cited Moran, Thomas. "The Coast Of Florida." n.d. Fine Art America. web. 27 Feb 2014. . Siliciano, Caitlin. "Art Critique." n.d. Weebly. web. 27 Feb 2014. Read More