Comparison of Artworks from a Non-Western Culture: Themistokles von Eckenbrecher and David Roberts - Research Paper Example

when Due: Compare and contrast an artwork from a Non-western culture (any culture discussed within chapters 18) with one similar in form and media from our Western European culture, (any culture discussed in chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17). Using the four steps of art criticism, analyze each work separately, citing its differences and similarities. Introduction The selected artists for this analysis are Themistokles von Eckenbrecher from Germany and David Roberts from Scotland. To begin with, though the two selected artists are from different regions with different cultures, they appreciate arts. Their works of arts are influenced directly by nature. For instance, Themistokles on his view of Laerdalsoren predominantly employs the use of organic shapes. The southern landscape has some elements of irregularity or rounded forms as directly viewed in the vegetation, rocks, ocean clouds and the sky. The mountain ridges are seen in the background bear curving terrains. The following are the examples of the pieces of art from the two artists. Title: View of Laerdalsoren Title: Hypaethral Temple of Philae Artist: Themistokles von Eckenbrecher Artist: David Roberts (Scottish, 1796-1864) (German, 1842–1921) Medium: oil on canvas Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: N/A Dimensions: 30.5mm×40mm Date: 1838 Date: 1901 Description On the other hand, Roberts in his art also considered organic shapes as clearly seen in his work. The terrain around the temple bear smooth curving. The few palm trees seen near the temple have long curving branches. Consequently, the numerously green cover vegetation beneath the tall palms is well represented in the artwork. The irregular bayonet shaped leaves of the palms frond flutter in the sea breeze. In both artworks, above the tidal waves of the sea is the blue sky where the clouds are ambiguous and in a constant morphing into new shapes. The two art pieces can be good examples where the atmospheric perspective technique has been incorporated since the two artists subtlety alters colors, value and details so as to provide a real sense of being in the sunshine state of a tropical climate. In his working, Roberts uses tones of pale yellow color to unite the sandy beach and the sky evoking a humid and hazy atmosphere Egypt is well known for that. The figure of the composition it the smooth curving rocky terrain in the left of the Themistokles’ View of Laerdalsoren extending all the way to the background and surrounding the sea. In the center, lie the ocean, a boat, and some people riding horses at the beach. There is also a white road leading to another bay in the other side of the ocean. The road and the other structures at the other side are diminishing in sizes giving an impression of the increased distance between them and the viewer. These far away structures are seen beyond an increased quantity if air and more reflection of the seawaters making them appear faded and less distinct. In the case of Roberts’ art, the foreground is clearly set where one can notice a boat with passengers. The palm trees are complete with strokes defining each leaf of the palms fronds and indicate rings are decorating the barks of the trunks. In his case, the boat lacks that adornment in that the planks of woods making the boat cannot be distinguished. Its passengers are also not clearly seen, they appear they do not have faces and hands. However, in the color choices, Themistocles’s colors are mainly comprised of green vegetation, cool colors and blue sky and ocean. On the contrary, Roberts overuses the yellow color in his art. The color scheme is not analogous as the piece excludes variation in color between the hues contiguous to one another on the color wheel. At other instances, there are excellent colors scheming in both pieces. The clouds in the art are impartial colored with a white adding to fit the quality of work. In his work, Roberts creates an illusion of motion in his art Hypaethral Temple of Philae where the growing palms beneath the tall one at the center implies to be growing towards the water, ocean (Fichner-Rathus, pp100-120). Analysis In both pieces, the two artists considered balancing between unity and variety. The components such as palm trees, ocean, sky and clouds belong together making their combinations to embody the nature and form a harmonious a whole. For instance, if Roberts was to exclude the palm trees, ocean or the cloudy sky his piece would diminish in quality. In addition, the repeated placement of green vegetation cover sprouting all the way from the beach to the high mountain regions by Themistokles is a unit of choice. Both artists lack variety of displays in their pieces. Their vegetation species are not so diverse since they used palm trees and the grass only in their pieces. However, Themistocles shows some variety as seen in different instances. The people from the boat and those at the beach are uniquely individual, each wearing different color outfits and walking their own paths. Both artists apply asymmetrical imbalance in their arts, the left and the right sides are not relatively same. In order to obtain a visual equilibrium, various elements such as size, shape or placement are properly balanced. For instance, on the right of Roberts’ Hypaethral Temple of Philae, there is various activities going on there, passengers alighting and boarding the boat whereas on the right of his piece, is a gigantic sand hill with no vegetation on it. The size of this landscape feature is heavy thus balancing needs to be considered. The temple itself is the focus point of the work. The structure is visually positioned as the most detailed compared to other aspects of work (Fichner-Rathus, pp200-250). Interpretation David Roberts was born in Scotland; however, in his early life, he used to make long tours in Egypt 1838 to 1840. He produced sketches and large oil paintings of similar subjects that made him a prominent Orientalist painter and was later elected as a Royal Academician in 1841some of his renounced paintings include Departure of Israelites (1829), The Great Staircase, Stafford House (1832), The Temple of Dendera (1841) among others. In Roberts’ Hypaethral Temple of Philae, there is an isolated temple building with few people around it. The people seem to be concentrated much on the shore. These depicts on how Egypt’s climates were severe and not welcoming. People hang around the oasis to enjoy the cool breeze from the oasis. On the other hand, Themistokles von Eckenbrecher was born in Athens in 1842. He grew up in various locations, including Dusseldorf, Athens, Berlin, Potsdam and Constantinople. While growing in Dusseldorf, he obtained private lectures in painting with the famous Oswald Achenbach. Furthermore, he travelled across Europe especially Norway and the Middle East, as well as the Philippines and Africa. Many of his paintings dated after 1882 when he often spent time in Norway. Most of his drawings were oil on canvas and overall frame dimensions were 30.5mm by 40mm. in his art; Themistokles epitomizes how Norway was in the past. In his piece, he indicated people are riding their horses while others are on the boat. Those who are riding seem royal and important than those on the boat who have less clothing and looks like they are being supervised to fish. Though the two artists spent their lives in different places apart from their homes, their culture appreciation was maintained. However, in some instances, moving from one country to another did not establish a culture in them whereby they became diverse (Fichner-Rathus, pp250-280). Evaluation The two artists’ work epitomizes the natural landscape one would discover in Egypt and Norway’s beaches. Both arts are worth considering since they capture the unique features of the environment. For instance, Roberts in his art can depict the notorious climate of Egypt. He portrays the raw fundamental nature of the humidity and dust conditions found on a semi desert setting. Personally, I value the art as skillfully crafted and that it is an extraordinary piece as it triggers memories in the viewer. These pieces are nationally valuable in their different settings. For instance, Themistokles’ is a masterpiece that highlights the nature of Norway’s beaches in its shinning glory. He succeeds in catching historic moments of permanence during that time Norway was still changing. Both artists in their works envision the ideal rural locations Egypt and Norway was known for when young. They can be regarded for uncovering natural beauty in the two countries. Works Cited Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understanding Art. New jersey: Cengage Learning, 2012. Read More