The Appearance Of Painting - Essay Example

The Appearance Of Painting The waves and the diagonal lines on the mountain behind the building draw the attention to this building at first sight. The curve lines which appear mostly on the waves and the clouds create rhythm in this painting. The horizontal line is another element creating rhythm since it mostly appears on the buildings located next to each other. In addition to the implied diagonal line, the curve lines move our eyes through the painting. The appearance of this painting is very normal. Nothing appears to be bigger or smaller in size than how they should. William painted this painting so good that it looks almost like a real photo. There is unity and variety in this painting. Natural and cool colors, organic masses and bold curve lines give this painting its unity. In addition, there is variety in this painting such as high key value and low key value, bold horizontal lines, bold diagonal lines and geometric masses. I observe many things as I look at this painting. If for instance, we don’t know the date when this painting was painting, we would notice that it was made during the Renaissance or after that period due to its atmospheric perspective. After the camera was invented in 1839, artists tried to make their paintings look real and as good as they could. William painted this painting almost as perfect as a real photo. If you goggle Porto Venere, you will see some pictures of this place which looks the same as in this painting. Looking at this painting, I feel cool and relaxed since, it gives me that beautiful feeling you have when you walk on the beach and the drizzles from the waves hit you smoothly. In this painting, there is no real texture which appears as brushwork and impasto. However, bold or noticeable texture appears a little bit on the rocks. Value in this painting includes high-key and low-key. High key appears almost in the middle visible horizontal line starting from the middle of the building moving towards its right side. Low key value appears on the waves, the clouds, the rocks and the mountains. Together, the high-key and low-key values make a strong contrast as is visible At first sight of the painting. In this painting, space is obviously noticeable. The front houses overlap the other house and the big mountain behind the house overlaps the other mountain. The rocks as well overlap each other. In addition, the shading in the waves and the clouds indicate space, different sizes, and positions of the buildings, the rocks and the mountains. The perspective of this painting indicates space too as it appears as atmospheric view in this painting. In this painting, colors appear natural. Appearing in this painting, some of the natural colors is blue(on the waves) and green(on the mountain top). Some parts of the waves have a tint of blue making them look lighter than blue whereas, some parts of the waves have a shade of blue making them look darker. This cool color combination give the painting a peaceful touch and makes the city look like a good place to relax and spend a vacation. Looking at the balance of this painting, it is obvious this painting is of asymmetrical. The houses, the rocks and the mountains on the right side of the painting as well as the waves and the clouds on the left side are proof that the painting is asymmetrically balanced. The focal point in this painting is the building in the middle. It is majorly the first thing anyone will see in this painting. Different techniques are employed to achieve the focal point, one of them being its position near the middle of the painting, as well as the implied lines drawing attention to this building. The Porto Venere is an oil painting made by William Stanley Haseltine. William, an American artist from Philadelphia who lived between 1835 and 1900 graduated from Harvard University I 1854 and lived in New York City in the years between 1858 and 1866. He specialized in landscape painting and joined the Dusseldorf Academy in Germany to study landscape painting. After 1866, he established his own studio in Italy near Rome. He loved Italy and focused on painting Italian landscapes/cites. Porto Venere is one of his most popuar paintings and was painted in 1878. This painting is in Dayton Arts Institute, in section 207 popularly known as the “Dayton Power and Light Company Gallery of the 19th Century”. Dayton art Institute had this painting by purchasing it from the museum using funds provided by Virginia Rike Haswell through exchange. It was the 15th object to be acquired that year. Bold lines in this piece of art are used in different ways. Waves and clouds are painted using visible curve lines to indicate motion. These bold curve lines give a feeling of motion as the waves look like they are moving towards the city. Bold vertical lines also show strength and how these buildings are standing strongly against the waves. Bold horizontal lines are used to painting the houses located next to each other. If we look at the top of the mountain, it leads us to the building in the middle of this painting by the bold diagonal line. Also, there are some diagonal lines in the rocks in the bottom right corner. There is no outline in this painting created by using lines. Also, there is no shading in this painting made using hatching, cross hatching, or stippling lines. Mass in this painting is used more than shape; there is not any obvious shape. Organic masses appear in the whole painting except in around the buildings. The sky, the clouds, the mountains and the rocks are all organic masses. However, the houses and the buildings in this painting are geometrical masses. Read More