The Slave Trade by Auguste-Francois Biard

This painting was finished around 1840.  During this time slaves and slave trade was still legal in French countries.  This perticular painting is about the trading of slaves.  You can see a faint image of a boat in the background and with the tilt of the picture and the fact that there standing on wood indicates that the poeple in the foreground are on a boat too. 
I really like the strong contrast between the sun set and the figures in the forground.  The figures are arranged in a crazy composition.  The blacks are very overpowering.  The shadows are darkened and where the light is present the highlights are brightened.  The characters are all very different.  Their are many different types of slaves and what appears to be buyers of the slaves.  These elements give the sense of how the trade was crazy, and dark.  Last, i would like to talk about the sunset.  It is almost like an oxymoron, because its a beautiful sunset but its of a ship that symbolizes the dark days of the slave trade.   

La liberté guidant le peuple

Liberty Leading the People By Eugene Delacroix

This painting, more than anything, is Delacroix commemorating the French Revolution (1830). A woman who represents Liberty leads the her followers forward despite the dead bodies. She holds a musket in one hand, and the French Revolution flag in the other. There is also a wide representation of social class in this painting (Upper=Man with top hat, Mid=Boy holding two pistols, etc), showing the united nation. The central figure represents an allegorical goddess figure and the female population. Liberty is shown striding over the enemy on the "pedestal" of dead bodies.

The most obvious formal element is the strength of Liberty shown with a triangular composition, with the strongest most important figure at the peak in the center of the composition. This image truly captures a sense of triumph with the imagery of the figures, dead bodies, and debris in the background. The figures in the foreground tend to pop due to their contrast in comparison to the background. By capturing this strong sense of pride and awe, Delacroix truly captures the essence of Romanticism.

The Fighting Temeraire

JMW Turner, The Fighting Temeraire

This painting is stunning for many different reasons. The lighting on the ship is what first captures my attention. The soft edges of the ship connect well with the softness of the clouds in the sky. The light contrast between the burnt orange sunset and the light blue sky creates a calming mood and draws the eye to the right side of the painting. Another strong factor is the way Turner used color differentiation to create lines of perspective, as opposed to an actual structured line.

Another reason I chose this painting was for the way Turner showed how beautiful "the end" could be. This is supposed to show the end of the last journey of The Temeraire. As soon as the ship was close enough to the shore it was to be destroyed. The overall tranquil mood of the painting is seemingly opposite of what one would assume the mood might be in a situation where workers are about to destroy a man made object. To me, the ship's end can be used to shadow the end of an individual's life; to show how death is not a scary thing, but a beautiful stop in the course of nature. The haziness of the ship and the clouds help create an exestential connection between nature and man made creations. It shows how both man and nature not only affect each other, but also depend on each other, as well.

The Four Elements

I chose to discuss Thomas Cole's The Four Elements because of its romantic style and also because it is conflicting. The painting is clearly romanticized because it represents all four of the elements. In the distance there is a rain storm and to the right what appears to be a forest fire. In the foreground is a lake and then, of course, there is the element of earth. The romanticism in this painting is further demonstrated not only by the four elements shown all at once, but by the paintings representation of America.

To address my comment about the paintings conflicting quality, this painting creates a certain feel of serenity to me because of the hazy wilderness in the distance and because of the contrast of light and dark between the foreground and background. However, simultaneously, the painting also creates a feeling of chaos. The use of dark colors in the foreground coupled with the forest fire and the heavy rain storm in the distance make it seem like there is too much going on in the painting.

CD Friedrich, Moonrise over the Sea

Caspar David Friedrich, Moonrise over the Sea, 1822

As in many of his other pieces, this Friedrich painting reflects his intense focus on both landscape and the individual. While there are indeed three figures in the foreground, each is absorbed in their own thoughts, inviting the viewer to read each of them as solitary. There is an additional emphasis on the figures' relationship to the greater space, as seen often in Friedrich's work.

In this painting, it is the trio that first grabs the viewer's attention, as they are strongly silhouetted by the setting sun. The treatment of the colors of the sky, and the diagonal lines of the clouds draw the viewer's attention then back toward the ships, and eventually into the deep distance, stressing the overwhelming space and grandeur of the ocean scene. Being as the ships are much the same size as the figures, it emphasizes even more the relationship of man to the greater environment, and forces the viewer to contemplate their own role therein.

JMW Turner - Snow Storm

Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851)
Snow Storm—Steam Boat off a Harbour's Mouth Making Signals in Shallow Water, and Going by the Lead. The Author Was in this Storm on the Night the Ariel Left Harwich
Oil on canvas; 36 x 48 in.

This work reflects Turner's interest in motion and light regarding the portrayal of subject matter. Unlike the finer, more intricately detailed paintings of his earlier work, the subject of a ship in a storm has been reduced to line, color and shape. This puts the emphasis on motion, and the viewer keenly feels the violent movements of the sea during a storm. This is also achieved with the balancing of dark and light strokes between the sea, sky, and ship to form a visual weight, suggesting the ship might even sink.

This painting received a fair bit of criticism when it was displayed in 1842, the least of which being skepticism that Turner might not actually have witnessed the event the title claims. Perhaps as an embodiment of the Romantic/Naturalistic age of his time, Turner responded, "I did not paint it to be understood, but I wished to show what such a scene was like." This attitude perhaps forebode the coming of Impressionism with the capturing of an ephemeral scene, and stood in direct contrast with the coming of photography, which captures an event exactly as it is seen.

Lackawanna Valley - George Inness

Lackawanna Valley - 1855

Upon first glimpse Lackawanna Valley by George Inness looks like a beautiful landscape, but as your eyes survey the scene you notice that nearly every tree in the foreground is cut down. This alone sets two different tones to the painting. In one way, when i look at this painting; it feels relaxing almost romantic, but on the other hand the signs of industrialization make the mood more solemn almost like a painting made to capture the landscape before its destruction. To me the painting is more of a sad scene then a romantic vision of the pioneered West. Even though the town off in the distance is small and peaceful looking, the tree stumps on what used to be a forest; show the price that gets paid for expansion. A train cuts across the field and centers your view of the landscape. This brought my attention to the person who is lying on the hill in the foreground. This to me symbolized the attitude of those times. Everyone seemed to be blinded by progress, no one saw how the land was being affected.

"The Summer" by Friedrich

"The Summer" by Friedrich is a beautiful example of a Romantic painting. It has a very calming, serene feeling and also realized the green tone of the whole painting accents the calmness. The trees and other objects up close are bold and bright and stand out the most, whereas, in many paintings, the images in the background fade out into the horizon. I love the lighting because it seems to bring the whole painting to life. If I keepmy eyes unfocused I believe this painting would look like a photograph.
There is not much detail in the background, but the fact that things fade give a viewer a sense of how far back things go and how much space there is. On the contrary, there is an abundance of detail up front and I even see a couple figures of people I cannot quite make out. They blend in too much with their surroundings to actually been seen immediately. I think this painting by Friedrich shows the beauty of nature because there is not much movement and nothing has been destroyed. There is a stream flowing, and green grass, and nice trees, all of which are features of a beautiful environment.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

Casper David Friedrich

Titled for obvious reasons, this piece by Friedrich is the epitome of Romanticism. Friedrich was a 19th century landscape painter. He was a master of his time, and the best of the allegorical landscape painters. He is well known for creating a emotional response to the natural world. Friedrich work often pushes the viewer to see his or her relation to the world. Also his work was based on the idea that Europe was on the break from materialism, and in new appreciation of spirituality.

This piece like many of Friedrich's pieces places a person in deep thought silhouetted in front of a dramatic landscape. The first thing that catches my attention is the obvious figure that pops in the foreground (his deep green contrasting the bright white background). The next piece of this image that also draws my idea to the central figure is the orthagonal lines created by the trees in the background. I believe this was another attempt to get the viewer to think about his/her relationship to the natural world. Another way he creates this feeling is the breathtaking view of this landscape. Leaving a feeling of awe by creating this incredible and almost realistic view.

This painting was painted in 1764 by Charles A Phillippe Van Loo.  It is called " The magic lantern.  I is now located in the National Gallery Art, in Washington.  What is unique about this painting is that the magic lantern is refering to the camera obscura.  

First think I noticed in the painting was the eye contact.  I think i was drawn to her eyes for many reasons.  One because although it is soft light she is a little brighter then the other characters.  Also the characters are centered a even balenced in the center of the circle around the characters.  The strong contrast for light to dark really gives the characters their form.  The shadows and birghter highlights really bring out the characters.  The great forshotening of the smaller child and the right side of the object gives really good orthaganal lines to help the viewer with depth in the image.    Their are many interesting things going on with the circle around them.  I believe it was meant to be a symbol for the camera obscura.  It was very inventive of the artist to take the characters to break though the picture plane and overlap over the circle.  also with this feature it creates an open form painting.  with half the object the children are holding and the way their eyes move the viewer can't help but wonder what the other half looks, because the object and the childrens wondering eyes veer off the picture plane. 

This Painting is by Francisco Goya (1746-1828) from Spain. The name is this painting is "Fire at Night". It was painting during the romanticism period, which is when most of Goyas pictures were created.

When analyzing this picture you can notice that is very dark except for the background where the fire is aflame. All the characters of the painting are hidden in the right bottom corner since they are running away from the fire. It is a large group of people who are probably coming from a town that has been overthrown and destroyed. The faces of the people are not clear but their body language tells a lot about the struggles they are having trying to save one another.

By having the picture so dark except for the color of the flames that light up the bodies of the victims shows that the fire has overthrown them all and they lost. Also by not showing faces of the people, Goya could be showing that they didn't matter only that they suffered. When I first looked at the painting I noticed the fire in the very high center of the painting then I slowly looked down to the right and seen the large group of people that seem to fade into the darkness. The contrast is very dark and yet the brightness of the flames bring out the pale color of the people. There doesn't seem to be much space because everyone is crowded into one corner as if there is no where else to go and the darkness of the smoke and flames consume the rest of the painting.

War

War, Anna Lea Merritt

I could not find the date, but she lived from 1844-1910, so it is most likely safe to assume she painted this in the second half of the 19th century.

The composition of this painting was rather intriguing to me because it is such a tight crop and the viewer is not able to see the full body of any of the figures. This makes for a rather mysterious setting as far as what these women are doing. The lighting does a beautiful job of emphasizing the folds on the clothing, and it also highlights the faces of each of the figures in the painting. The contrast of the red/orange dress on the black dress draws the viewer's eye to the left side of the painting. The change of direction in each of the women's gazes helps the viewer's eye jump from woman to woman.

I would not expect the title of this painting to be War, and that was another reason I chose this painting. This painting shows the other side of the war, and by other side, I mean the women who had to sit at home and wait for their loved ones to return safely. It is a side of war that most people do not currently think of, so I would imagine that it was thought of even less during this time period. I find the expression of the central figure rather interesting. She is the only one making eye contact with the viewer, and that makes her stare very powerful and strong. The other women seem to have expressions of either hope or worry on their faces, whereas the central woman's direct stare comes across as confident. To me, she seems to be confident in herself, in her soldier, and in her country. It almost seems as if she would be saying, "I may not be a man, but I could go out and fight for what is right in my country if given the chance." Since she is, in my opinion, the main subject, I feel as if this painting sends a rather liberating message to women, especially for that particular time period.

This painting evokes a feeling of personal victory, and of emotion. The way the smoke behind the woman in the middle is lighter than the rest of the background, it brings the attention straight to her. Aside from how she stands out against the background, the woman is also in the middle of the painting suggesting that she is the main focus. The only bright and saturated color in this painting is the red on the flag that the woman holds which also draws attention to her and to the sense of personal victory this painting portrays. The colors aside from those surrounding the woman are mainly dark and more neutral colors that in the context of the painting give a sense of sadness, or exhaustion with the fighting and death in the painting. Aside from the darkness and death in the painting, the fact that the woman in the middle has her flag raised, and the others around her have guns raised, it gives off a feeling of victory and freedom that has been faught for. The lines in the painting seem to be leading diagonally up to the flag. Her body is tilted up and to the left to where she holds the flag. The bodies and other people in the painting are on the same upward diagonal towards the top left of the painting. Overall, the dramatic scene, colors, brushstrokes, and feelings in this painting make it fit into the more subjective and individualistic ideas portrayed in romanticism.

Salvador Dali: Meditative Rose (post 2)

Meditative Rose (Rosa Meditativa), 1958.
Oil on Canvas 36 x 28 cm.
Salvador Dali


This painting was one of Dali's most calm and ordinary pieces he was known to create. For his most popular style was to create pieces that were to resemble one's dreams or nightmares. This painting stimulates the eyes of the viewer through the vibrant use of the red in the rose placed upon the combination of the white and blue of the sky. The darkness of the corners brings the eyes towards the center of the painting and to the, once again, vibrant red of the rose. The almost three dimensional look of the rose makes it hard for one's eyes to focus on other parts of the painting, but does not take away from the over all depth of this piece.

In this image I see that Dali was using a more subtle touch in this painting. It seems as if he was going for another dream like piece, but instead of drooping clocks and crutches he went with the subtle touch of a red rose over a prairie, and two individuals standing in the light, that are just out of view in the above image. This painting seems to capture the scene of what could possibly be a couple standing in the sunset, where the rose could be a symbol of: affection for the two individual, the beauty of nature through sunsets and roses, or the rose can stand for the actual sun itself. Also the curvature of the dark colors give the impression of how small the word may seem, because it gives the illusion of the top if the globe right out of reach. In some ways I find this painting inspiring because of the way he is slightly pushing boundaries due to color variation, but I have found myself attracted to all of his work because I am more interested in work that strays away from the norm, and creates its own individuality through style.

Officer of the Chasseurs Commanding a Charge, Géricault

Officer of the Chasseurs Commanding a Charge, Géricault (1812)

Painted approximately a decade after David's portrait of Napoleon crossing the alps, the same move toward individual heroicism can be seen in this Géricault portrait of another military officer. That he chose to depict an unknown officer instead of Napoleon caused controversy at the time this was first exhibited. In addition, the depiction of the officer is less heroic, and more of a man that revels in the destruction of war itself.

The composition of the piece mirrors that of David's Napoleon, placing the figure centered in the piece and commanding all of the attention. The strong diagonals created by the rearing horse and the man's leg energize the figure, giving it a sense of motion and life. While the subject of a historical military figure is highly neoclassical, both the importance of the individual and the vivacity of movment push the piece more toward the Romantic style.

Autumn Cannibalism by Salvador Dali

In this picture it seems that these two people are eating each other away from what looks like a community behind them. Like they know what they are doing is wrong.

The two beings seem like they are being recycled within each other. The body on the left looks like dough: along with what looks like a partially peeled pair and some beans. Maybe he is saying that no matter who we are we have a little bit of everything in us; or like the famous quote: “you are what you eat”. The figures also seem a little depressed, sad. Maybe one is dying and the other is willing to die to be with them. The colors are little dark really gloomy, so you can tell it’s not supposed to be a cheery painting.

Thomas Cole, View From Mount Holyoke

View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, 1836
Thomas Cole
Oil on canvas

Thomas Cole was one of the painters of the Hudson River School, a movement in American art mainly featuring landscapes of the Hudson River area of the Northeast. These portrayals of the landscape served a few purposes: raising awareness of the natural beauty of America, showing the possibilities for advancement as America moved forward (as this time period was one of expansion and growth as people moved West), and to signify an American style. Cole is seen painting in the painting, and it provides a message of an American painting an American landscape. America was not even 100 years old yet since the time of the Revolution, and this style of painting allowed artists to start building nationalistic pride for their country in a non-politicized way.

I chose this painting for a few reasons, the first being that I lived by this region and am familiar with it. The second reason is because it is a good example of Romanticism with the soft color palette, the almost dreamlike quality of the strokes, the choice of subject matter. All of these elements combined to create an almost idealized idea of what the landscape really was and could be, an almost hyper reality of progress. Looking back from the future, it now signifies a mourning of what was, as America's way of moving forward can overlook the need to preserve green space.

Invisible Man by Salvadore Dali

Invisible Man
by Salvador Dali


It seems as though there is a lot going on in the painting, however, if you look closer you can see the invisible man and that Salvador used actual objects in the painting to make the man appear slightly. You can see that it is also a one point perspective painting.
This painting may be showing what kind of emotions Salvador Dali may have been experiencing at the time. I love how sharp the colors are; very bold and they pop right out. Also how he builds the man; he may be stating that the man is not physically or emotionally able to stand for himself, and that he needs others to help him. He may have lost who he is mentally/emotionally. At the bottom right corner of the picture you can see figures that seem like they are statues, could possibly be people that are crying for the invisible man as if he disappeared or died. At the very bottom you can slightly see the mans feet and something that looks like its coming out of him, almost as if he is getting rid of the evil out of him and those people to the right might be crying for him to get better. With all of the other objects in the painting, it shows that maybe everything is passing by him and not noticing him. For example people are just walking all over him not caring about his emotions.

St. George and The Dragon

Peter Paul Rubens

Oil on Canvas

Museo Del Prado, Madrid

i came across this painting last year in the Art History 103 course and it's now one of my favorites. Peter Paul Ruben's depiction of St. George slaying the dragon is filled with intense emotion. The horse bucks aggressively as St. George slashes at the beast with fury. I love the way that Rubens used light to magnify the emotions of the painting. The darkness signifies the danger of the situation and the light over St. George signifies the triumph of good over evil. Also the light illuminates the princess and the sheep that sit in the background and to the side. Another thing that is striking to me about this painting is the way the horse and St. George stare down toward the dragon. This is obviously a tool that Ruben used, quite cleverly; to draw the spectators attention to the action. The dragon stares out at the view also almost begging you to stare back. Thirdly Rubens used color as a tool to bring the emotion out of the painting. The dragon is dark and evil looking while the horse shines with a gold tint. To me this is another signal for good over evil. St. George's red cape serves as a starting point for the viewers eyes. I began at the top then surveyed the scene vertically from top to bottom.
Peter Paul Ruben's version is my favorite and i hope that everyone enjoys it as much as i do.

The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali

The Persistence of Memory is one of Dali's most famous paintings. In the painting there are objects such as melting clocks, a dead creature on the ground, and water and mountains in the background. The point of showing melting clocks is to imply the irrelevence of time. Time itself is not important; how we use our time is what matters. The lighting in this work is quite interesting. The mountains and lake in the background are lit up, while the images close by are in the shade. I recall hearing before that Dali was also a philosopher and perhaps the images in the shade represent what is in our subconscious mind. We usually focus on what is in front of us, rather than thinking about the meanings behind things, such as time's irrelevance. Also, by showing these shaded images up front and close to the viewer, we are more likely to pay attention to them than everything else. The contrast is also amazing. I love how he used the light colors compared to the dark colors. It really makes everything in the painting stand out so there are no spots that are boring or dull to look at.I chose this painting not only because it is one of my favorites, but because the symbolism is incredible. Salvador Dali loved to imply meanings by using the philosophy he studied, which also interests me. In this painting he shows these familiar objects in ways we have never seen them before. This is an intersting way to get a viewer involved in wondering what the true meaning of a painting is.

kozuke sano funabashi no kozu

I chose Hokusai’s painting “Kozuke Sano funabashi no kozu” to discuss because of it reflects two of the traditional Japanese aesthetics. The first aesthetic being simplicity, and the second being suggestion rather than statement. This painting suggest quite a bit. For example, the dark black color at the top of the painting which begins to fade into a lighter shade suggests that it is evening. Furthermore the scene that is shown suggests that the people in it are farmers. Take for example the hills in the distance; they appear to be koku hills (hills used to grow rice). Further supporting this idea is the man on horseback who carries a sack of what could be rice behind him.
The style in which the painting was done appealed to me because everything seemed to guide my eye to something else. The dark blue of the water guided my eye to the hut in the corner which then led me to look at the man on horseback. The bridge seems to lead the eye to the mainland where the koku fields are and the shape of the hills works to give the viewer a sense of the space. This painted was done in such a way that is makes me feel as if I am intruding on every day village life in Tokugawa Japan.

La persistencia de la memoria

The Persistence of Memory
By: Salvador Dali

This is one of the paintings by Dali that is widely well-known. The genius of this painting is within the contrast between reality and surrealism. Formally the often considered "self-portrait" of Dali in the foreground against the deep black draws your attention almost immediately. Also the treatment of light on each and every subject is simply beautiful. The combination of straight edged orthagonal lines and organic lines make this composition one of a kind. Lastly the use of color in this painting is simply brilliant, I love how the bright cool blue balances all the darkness in the foreground.

This painting is called the Persistence of Memory for obvious reasons. Dali makes references to how time is irrelevant in our dreams. Like I mentioned before there is a figure in the foreground which is a reoccurring theme in Dali's work, which is somewhat of a self portrait. I think you can see the in and out of consciousness within this figure considering how it is present but fading out (like dreams often do). Lastly, it has been said the orange clock in the foreground is representative of death (which can be found throughout his work).

Banksy

I chose this Banksy art this week because I love how he can make an old, run down wall look so awesome. For the body of the animal Banksy is using the cut out section of the wall that is exposing the brick. It also looks like the animal has an open mouth. Because of the pale white background that is the wall, Banksy decided to use the silhouette of a boy instead of a detailed painting. This makes the picture show better from a far distance, like all Banksy's work. He seems to like bold art that makes a statement instead of worrying about detail. Comparing both objects in this art, the boy seems to be more realistic than the animal he is riding. The animal only has the bold body of the brick and just straight lines for legs. The size of the man in the doorway is smaller than the boy in the art which makes the artwork very large and over scale.

Mother and Child, Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt
Mother and Child
1900, drawing

Like many of her works, this drawing by Mary Cassatt focuses on the subject of mother with child. Though the colors are somewhat complimentary, they are also muted, giving the piece a quiet and subdued feeling. The bright white of the woman's blouse helps to pull the figures forward in space, separated from the cool blue background by the contrasting orange chair, though the blue is also used extensively in the shadows that help to give the figures volume. Her use of color helps to create a circular path for the eye to follow starting at the woman's head, along her arm, and back up the other side. There is very little toward the edges of the piece, which keeps the viewer's attention focused completely on the subject.

One of my favorite things about this piece is how line is used less as contour and more as a textural technique to build up the areas of color. It is the color more than the line that is used to define the different areas of the subject. Another thing I like is not knowing what the full story is to this piece. Because of the treatment of the cooler color and the ambiguity of the subjects' expressions, it is difficult to tell what their mood is.

London Lino Cut

Mark Webber

Where in the World City Maps Linocut series

London

46.81'' x 33.11''

I chose Mark Webber's linocut print of London because of the new spin he put on a traditional style of printing. The dexterity and skill he shows in rendering type into an image (a map of London) is impressive. Each of the parts forms to create a cohesive whole. He faithfully renders line weight of the different font styles yet varies his choices to heighten contrast, keeping the design from becoming too boring. Flipping various sections also creates movement and helps guide your eye around the image. His use of color is interesting here, most times I've seen the print inked only in one color, and I am unclear why one section is in red. However, it remains effective to draw your eye to the center of the image.

In researching linocut block prints, the subject matter is usually fairly traditional: scenes from nature, urban landscapes, rough figures, yet this style and manner of printing is refreshing to see. It is also heartening to see an artist take on expressive typography in this way in this media, as it is very hard to pull off well, especially since each letter has to be carved backwards.

Beauty and the Beetle

This is a photograph I took 2 (?) summers ago at Lake Katherine. I chose this photo because there are a few different formal qualities I can touch on. First off, the contrast between the vibrant color of the flower and the deep, dark color of the beetle is very striking. The deeper, warmer reds recede to the background, which also makes the beetle stand out and POP to the front. Another thing I notice in this photo is the lighting. The highlighting of the petals in the foreground captures the eye of the viewer and then causes the eye to travel to the deeper folds within the flower. The eye travels the same way along the lines of the flower petals. The curvy, organic lines take the viewer's eye from the bottom lefthand corner to the middle of the photograph, and then to the upper righthand corner. The out of focus background gives the viewer a sense of location among other flowers, but also makes the flower that is in focus stand out even more so.

To me, although it may not be obvious, there is a narrative here. There is a lot of mystery that comes across because of the tight crop of the composition and the background that is out of focus. With the background being out of focus it leaves the setting open to the viewer's imagination. It could be in a field of similar flowers, in a vase on someone's living room table, or it could even be a one-of-a-kind pink/red flower among other yellow ones. We don't know! (Well, I do, but you catch my drift.) Also, who knows how the rest of the flower might look?! For all the viewer knows, this could be a multi-colored flower with additional yellow petals. The main character of the photo is the beetle, which is another reason I chose it. I found it rather profound to find this beetle, a creature that most people find creepy and unattractive, to have landed in nature among something as beautiful as this flower. Even though a beetle can be a rather scary and ugly creature, its ugliness is overpowered by the immense beauty of the flower and its look is softened. So now, instead of being something that someone might consider stepping on, the beetle is sleek and cute: something no one would think of harming.

Daguerre's diorama

Louis Jacque Mande Daguerre, 1822 Interior of Trinity Church, Canterbury Cathedral, Diorama

This scene depicts a gothic cathedral with a high vaulted ceiling, tall columns ending in arches and arched windows cast long rays of daylight, illuminating the lower part of the cathedral space. Several diminutive figures give a sense of scale, emphasizing the vastness of the interior. They are located in the lower right quarter of the image, and lead the viewers eye back and up, emphasizing the height and depth of the interior space.

Daguerre is most famous as the inventor of the daguerrotype, the first photographic system, but even before this, he was well-known as the producer of Dioramas, a form of popular entertainment in the early 19th century that was closer to cinema than photography. THe Diorama was an enormous painting displayed in a specially designed darkened theatrical space in which cleverly positioned lights shone through the "windows" in the image, casting shifting lights and giving audiences the illusion of "being there".

This is an Australian Aboriginal painting by Roslyn Ann Kemp. Like many Aboriginal paintings, it is made up of many dots (pointilism). The focus in this painting is very scattered. Initially I found my eyes being drawn to the large circles of yellow and brown colors, but from there the focus goes to the swirling aqua lines. The painting is called Three Rivers Dreaming, which is more than likely what the aqua patterns are. Many Aboriginal works are about the artists dreaming, which is like a path in life, or place in the world. The colors add both warmth and a certain coolness, but due to the shapes and swirly diagonals that the lines take, it appears more warm and inviting rather than cool. Once you follow the "rivers" it leads the eye to more detailed parts of the painting like the smaller circles, and other colors in the background. To me the painting is so interesting and does seem to portray a journey of sorts.

I chose this painting because I lived in Australia for five months a few years ago, studying abroad. The history behind the Australian Aboriginal cutlure, as well as their artwork is fascinating. It is because there is so much history there that Aboriginal art is so meaningful. Sadly, also due to the history, Aboriginal art is often stolen, appropriated, or purchased at a rediculously low price from Aboriginal artists simply trying to survive.

NHL 10'

This is the cover the NHL 2010 video game.  This year Patrick Kane from the blackHawks made the cover.  I obviously choose this image because i love Hockey and video games.  This is the greatest combination of that.  The colors used in the image are the first thing that jumps out at the viewer.  It is dominatly red and secondary white and black.  There are definitly blues, greens etc... but mostly red white and black.  The red very vibrant.  I like how the backround is only shown by fading in from the white backround.  I also like how saturated the backround is in order to really make the vibrant red of the player pop out.  There are almost chunks of ice flying around him.  This along with the players posture gives a huge sence of motion.  Also the Jersey is kind of sketchy.  This texture goes perfect with the texture of the ice and showing movment.  When all this is combined the image looks to be more like a fantesy than real life.  Because of all the white and the strong lighting off the player it gives that sence of unnaturalistic look.  This is perfect because people by the game just for that.  To live there fantesy of a NHL hockey player through this game.  The last thing i was to talk about is the right arm.  I believe this is a great tool.  This part is very unrealistic as his pants cut off but his are goes forward.  This arm gives balence to the other, a greater sence of depth, and better sence of motion.  The vibe I get from this cover gives off what it needs to and more. 

Starry Night (post 1)

Starry Night - Van Gogh

Above the image of Van Gogh's painting Starry Night, painted in France in June of 1889 while he was institutionalized in a Asylum. The painting was created with oil paints on a canvas that stands at 29 x 36 1/4". Van Gogh is known for his outrageous style of strokes and colors and as you can see this painting consists of multiple variations of short brush strokes, that help distinguish the movement in this painting. He uses color contrast in this painting to create focal points that lead the viewers eyes across the painting from left to right. The swirling clouds in the middle of the painting show movement, and create a scene for the night in which Van Gogh was aiming to capture in his painting. The dark figure in the foreground of the painting has no accredited identity, leaving it the viewers to create an identity of their own for it, such as a mountain or a tall tree that may be place on a hill that's just out of view.

I chose this image, because I am awed by all of Van Gogh pieces, but this one painting has been my favorite since I was young and just getting into the interest of art. I have replicated this painting a few times for my own interest through once with charcoal, and once in gray scale. His depiction of this starry night creates a story in and of itself. Seeing as it was painted in an Asylum in Saint-Remy, the first thought that came to mind was that this painting was a view from his hospital window. Maybe from seeing this view each night was something that provoked Van Gogh to want to capture it in its entirety. This is an amazing work of art this give out so many swarms of emotions from sadness, to calming, and even sometimes a sense of being scared. This piece is currently located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY.