Visual Analysis of Painting II - Essay Example

Visual Analysis of Painting II This is a ical illustration of the Romantic maritime painting. The artist behind this painting illustrates a ship which is quite visible in the far middle-ground, sailing in a tumultuous ocean of raging tides and in its wake leaving spread human forms floating in the water in its wake. This painting could possibly be pointing toward a historical event. The essay will give an insightful visual analysis of this painting including its description, interpretation and evaluation. Description This painting has been heavily influenced by nature, particularly the rounded forms of the ocean and the sky. The irregular and out rightly threatening waves of the ocean appear to be rising and descending due to the ocean breeze. Above these tidal waves is a cloudy sky. These clouds appear to be ambiguous and regularly changing into different shapes. This artwork is a perfect example of a technique known as atmospheric perspective which is a nonlinear way for creating depth illusion. The painter subtlety alters detail, color, and value to give a genuine sense of one being present in the raging waves of the ocean. The first impression created by the painting is of an expansive, deep-red sunset above a stormy ocean, which indicates an approaching typhoon. On closer inspection, one can notice a ship sailing off in the far distance. The masts seen on the ship are crimson-red which matches the blood-red color seen in the sky, as well as the sickly copper hue of the ocean that blurs the lines between a number of objects seen in the painting (Kleiner 795). The sails of the ship have not been unfurled. This indicates that the ship is bracing for an impending typhoon. In the foreground of the painting, there are a number of floating bodies. It is worth noting that their chained feet and hands as well as their dark bodies show that they are slaves who have been tossed overboard from the ship in the far middle-ground. An even more careful look indicates that there are sea monsters and fish circling in the water, probably in the process of attacking the drowning slaves, and there are also sea gulls which are circling above the chaos (Kleiner 795). The central focus of this painting has been placed on the interactions of a number of colors. Some defined brush strokes are clear in the painting hence the figures, colors and objects are indistinct. To a certain extent, objects have been outlined by their distinctive colors in the artwork. There are some objects such as the incoming storm and the bodies of the slaves which have no genuine border at all. They have been specifically defined by the contrasting pigments around them. The most visible colors are the maroon color of the drowning slaves as well as the red sunset which infringes on the ship and the ocean surface as well. The space seen in the work is quite deep. This is a feature which is typically realized using a number of cues. The position of the ship in comparison to the ground line puts it in the mid-ground whereas the location of the shackled leg is definitely on the foreground. The background has a whirl of color as the sun’s light is distorted and warped by the atmosphere and clouds. Due to no interference from the atmosphere, the sun appears to be indistinct and scattered. Additionally, the horizon is blurred, which adds a sense of depth. Analysis In this painting, a balance has been achieved between variety and unity. The components such as the sky, setting sun, and the ocean belong to one another. Such natural elements when combined represent nature and form a harmonious whole. This painting has created a symmetrical balance as the activities on the left and the right are generally similar. On the right, there is the distance ship sailing away while on the left, there are the drowning slaves and the ocean animals. These elements have been balanced by shape and placement in an effort of establishing a visual equilibrium. The clouds appear to be of lesser interest because they lack detail and color, inferior to the piece’s emphasis. The indistinct forms and the occurrence of the blood-red color of the sunset serve to suggest a focus on nature as well as illustrate the notion that nature is far superior to man. The other colors seen in the painting, such as the blue hue of the ocean, as well the water’s black caps, give life to the hues of the ocean. They also provide a viewer with a feeling of the genuine sensations of the natural world. Due to the fact that the objects in the artwork have been given a miniscule depiction, and that the ship is also hidden in the background, it shows that favor has been given to the sun and the ocean waters which further decreases the emphasis placed on man and has been transferred to nature. By putting an emphasis on nature as opposed to objects or figures, the painter evokes the notion of the “sublime”, which was created by Edmund Burke. This idea is that of complete terror and powerlessness of humanity when confronted with the adversity of nature; by sensationalizing the strength of the sun and the waves. The painter has used this artwork to precisely encapsulate the definition Burke gives of the term. The artist’s decision to paint this artwork with quick and frenzied brush strokes s compared to paint with lines which have been defined carefully adds to the painting’s intensity, which makes the viewer to feel quite overwhelmed. In as much as the size of the painting is quite small in comparison to most of the Romantic landscape paintings, still it captivates the audience in a very powerful manner. Evaluation The painting can be seen to be an allegory against the mistreatment of slaves alongside other human labor in preference to economic advancements and machines, which is symbolized by the impending storm which engulfs the ruthless captain. Nevertheless, the storm can also be seen as an embodiment of the dominance of nature over humanity and of the complete wasted efforts in attempting to advance and industrialize the society. In as much as this artwork evidently has a number of the qualities present in historical paintings, it is most likely not one itself. The painting clearly points to a monumental occurrence in history. However, it is not really true to the real events. Historical paintings are typically having multiple people. There are not multiple people in this painting per se; there are different parts of multiple people. Additionally, historical paintings are normally large scale. However, this artwork is quite small compared to what anyone would expect in terms of the surface area. Another key mark of historical painting is that they are normally didactic; this artwork is evidently mocking the slavers and highlighting the fact that nature punishes evil. It is very easy to be disturbed when viewing this work. This is because people bear sympathy o the slaves and feelings of hatred develop toward the enslavers. The painting’s dramatic works provokes the feelings of helplessness and terror before nature and of human beings’ own atrocities against others. It can also be quite an interesting study of the effects and use of light. Evidently, this is seen to be quite a significant artwork which could have been instrumental in encouraging the abolitionist movement. Works Cited Kleiner, Fred S. Gardners Art Through the Ages A Global History, Volume II. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2008. Print. Read More