Analysis of artworks - Essay Example

? Analysis of artworks Introduction The two paintings chosen for this analysis includes Adoration and the Young Gleaner/the Butterflies. Both compositions have been done by Paul Peel and they feature fascinating landscapes. The choice of the two paintings was inspired by their stunning looks, and because of my passion for landscape and realism artwork (Alpers 12). The analysis will include description of the painting, technical analysis, aesthetic evaluation, and interpretation of their meaning. The last part will include comparison of the two paintings and the conclusion. Adoration (1985) This art oil on canvas artwork was done by Paul Peel in 1885. It was issued as a gift to Mrs. Robert Wood in 1940, in Memory of her husband. Its overall size is 129.5 x 165.1 cm. It is currently displayed at Art Gallery of Ontario. Adoration (1885) is a real artwork, which looks incredibly stunning. The artist has used an impressionist style, which is really successful because the viewers can hardly distinguish the artwork from the real photography. The woman’s dress is made of layers of cleaves, accented by dark shades that demonstrates the source of light as well as their baggy size. The grass, which is loosely scattered all over the place, looks like a casual splash of paint when viewed from a close distance. However, from a distance, the grass looks so organized with lively colors that make the whole atmosphere look hot and semi-arid (Davis 220). From a closer look, the background looks like a meaningless brushstroke until the viewer takes a few steps back to recognize the long distance perspective of a hilly background with a building somewhere at a closer distance. In other words, the artist has successfully used lighter colors for the background horizon to create distance. It seems as if the hilly background is very many miles from the foreground, an aspect that is really interesting for the viewer to experience (Roskill 145). This artwork is asymmetrical, with the woman and her kid on the right, leaving the left side for the allure of nature to be featured perfectly and without distraction. The woman appears to be busy undertaking her daily activity, with the baby appearing very comfortable with what is going on, possibly implying that the activity is a daily routine. The bright colors express a warm mood. The manner in which the woman is doing her work together with her baby reminds me of my early days when my mum used to walk with me everywhere she went, including the garden. I think the artist is trying to portly the idea of working hard in what one does (Frye 112). The colors used on the woman are closely related to the ones applied on the rest of the composition, but blending of these colors must have been done proficiently because use of closely related colors do not make any image to look obscure. For example, despite the fact that the color used to paint the wheelbarrow is almost the same as that used to paint grass, the viewer can easily mark out the outline of the wheelbarrow, an aspect that shows that the artist must have been extremely skillful (Fuchs 45). From the analysis of this artwork, I have realized that the use of colors that are related is really important, and that good-blending of such colors can make a composition look awesome. I have also learnt that I can also make a good artwork if I am careful with the way I chose and mix colors, because this is an aspect I was not really good in doing. Certainly, I have liked this artwork and it has really inspired me, not only in respect to art but also in my daily life, because I have felt more attracted to the allure of nature and working hard to get daily bread (Lemert and Branaman 16). Figure 1: Adoration (1985) The Young Gleaner or the Butterflies The Butterflies is an oil on canvas artwork that measures124.2 x 93.2 cm. It is currently displayed at the Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The paining is vertical in orientation, which perfectly captures the young girl, around whom the central theme is focused. The colors used are warm and varied, setting apart the foreground from the ski line. The only activity that is going on is the girl carrying some grass, which possibly represents her daily activity. The young girl is carrying some grass, which has some beautiful flowers. She is walking on a hilly footpath and she is looking down as she walks. The artwork is arranged symmetrically, with the girl positioned in the middle of the foreground (Leppert 215) The fact that the size of the girl is huge makes the viewer to concentrate more on her than other features of the composition. The artist has applied realism in this artwork. The artwork reminds me of the years back when I used to help my parents in their duties. I think the artist is trying to emphasize the idea of children helping their parents instead of staying idle. Most importantly, the fascinating look of the nature and featuring of a small kid in this painting expresses the idea of people loving their environment and working hard in their daily activities. The artwork has also expressed the emotions of love for small children. The artist himself must have felt a lot of love and compassion for children when painting this artwork. The skies cover the entire of the farthest horizon, with clouds of fire hanging tightly from above. The paint is applied in thick layers, probably with fine brush strokes. The colors are opaque but looking very firm and gorgeous. It looks extraordinarily stylish, with the allure of nature covered in the entire landscape. Its texture is more of less lacking sophistication. Apparently, the sun is approaching from the eastern horizon, implying that it is an early morning. The girl in the foreground steals the presence of the rest of the objects, though a careful eye does not fail to recognize a brownish house at the background possibly representing the home from where the girl is coming from. The colors are somewhat diverse, with bright colors mainly featured in the foreground to demonstrate the reflection of the morning sun rise and dull colors in the background manifesting a cool weather. The hat that the girl is putting is very wide, possibly meaning that the weather here is generally hot (Stokstad 45). From the analysis of this artwork, I have discovered that artists can mix colors to perfectly represent real-life situations, and besides stimulate a lot of emotions in their viewers, just like the way writing of an emotional story can do to the reader. Essentially, I have really liked this artwork, and in fact it has made me like fine art more than before, especially because of its emotive aspect. Figure 2: The Young Gleaner or the Butterflies Comparison of the two compositions The two painting share a number of visual characteristics, which defines Paul Peel artistic style. Adoration (1885) shows a woman who is looking down on a kid, on top of a wheelbarrow that is carrying some dry grass, while the butterflies is featuring a young girl, carrying out a similar activity, of collecting grass. Adoration (1985)’s foreground and middle-ground is filled with the dry grass while the background is covered by a whitish and clear skies, symbolizing a warm and dry weather, while the butterflies has a dark bluish skies, with heavy clouds, symbolizing cool and wet weather (Hall 14). In both compositions, thick brushstrokes of oil are applied on the canvas, coupled with shaky lines and dabs of color, which makes them, look so real. Another common element in these compositions is the use of color. Paul Pell has chosen subdued, cool colors for the vegetation part while the clothing of the featured persons blends so well with the surroundings. The girl in the butterflies is hit by strong light from the front since the shadow is following from the behind, while the woman and the kid on the wheelbarrow in Adoration (1885) are hit by faint light from the above since their shadows are beneath. As a result, the butterflies seem to represent a warm early morning while Adoration (1885) represents a cool mid-day (Triggs 81). Both of the compositions describe similar subjects. They represent the kind of activities that people engage in their usual lives, which probably means that grass is a valuable commodity that is used to feed their livestock or used in any other economical aspect. The casual dressing of the featured persons, which is a characteristic of farming livelihood, shows that what they are doing is possibly their routine (Barnet 15). Conclusion These gorgeous paintings have so well depicted the king of lifestyles that the people of those days lived. Interestingly, featuring of a young girl carrying a cluster of grass and a woman toiling together with her toddler shows how these people are hard working. The fact that the woman has a small baby does not prevent her from engaging in her daily work while the girl appears to help in something constructive despite her tender age. The outdoor pleasure and pleasant scenes gives a modern viewer an inspiring and positive feeling, such that one feels like joining these persons in the relaxation and allure of nature. The two artworks, done by Paul Peel, have demonstrated a lot about him, especially the fact that he loves nature and children a lot. The themes in his compositions are not only fascinating but also very inspiring. Works Cited Alpers, Svetlana. The Art of Describing: Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984. Print. Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art, 7th edn. New York: Longman, 2002. Print. Davis, Whitney (1996), ‘Gender’, in R.S. Nelson and R. Schiff (eds), Critical Terms for Art History, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Print. Frye, Marilyn. The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1993. Print. Fuchs, R.H. Dutch Painting, London: Thames and Hudson, 1978. Print. Hall, Stuart (ed.). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Open University Press/Sage. 1997. Print. Lemert, Charles and Ann Branaman (eds). The Goffman Reader, Cambridge: Blackwell, 1997. Print. Leppert, Richard. Art and the Committed Eye: The Cultural Functions of Imagery, Boulder, CO: Westview/HarperCollins, 1997. Print. Roskill, Mark. The Interpretation of Pictures, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1989. Print. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2004. Print. Triggs, Edward. “Visual rhetoric and semiotics’, in Teal Triggs (ed.)” Communicating Design: Essays in Visual Communication. London: Batsford, 1995. Print. Read More