ART 100 - Week 10: Expressive Drawing
PART 1: ALPHABET OF ART
Assignment Instructions: Within the history of world art, find an example where the artist has shown one or more of the Attribute Elements and explain what you think the artist was trying to portray
EXAMPLE 1
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
- Edouard Manet
Oil on canvas
1882
- Edouard Manet
Oil on canvas
1882
The image above has a haunting element involved. The woman at center is reflective of beauty, yet her reserved expression emphasizes an emotional distance, although she is leaning forward into our field of vision. The next element that reveals itself, stretching the story even further, is the reflection to the right of the frame that reveals a man invading her space, informing us of the perspective and disrespect of the patron she is serving. Manet uses an optical illusion for the reflection, giving us the sense that things are off balance in reality, although everything on the surface appears in order. It is at this point upon which the viewer decides whether they connect with the piece of art, touching upon the emotional pull.
Going a step further, the oranges in the foreground are associated in Parisian culture with prostitution, giving us affirmation of the woman’s predicament. The trapeze artist, whose feet are barely found in frame in the upper left corner, performing above the audience adds to the story by showing that this person is putting their safety at risk, although the crowd pays little attention to sacrifices of personal wellbeing of the staff.
Going a step further, the oranges in the foreground are associated in Parisian culture with prostitution, giving us affirmation of the woman’s predicament. The trapeze artist, whose feet are barely found in frame in the upper left corner, performing above the audience adds to the story by showing that this person is putting their safety at risk, although the crowd pays little attention to sacrifices of personal wellbeing of the staff.
EXAMPLE 2
The Giant
- N. C. Wyeth
1923
Oil on Canvas
- N. C. Wyeth
1923
Oil on Canvas
I’ve saved this image for the last review of this quarter. The picture above is my favorite painting. N.C Wyeth depicts a colossal figure in a monolithic cloud formation. Although we cannot see their faces, we can tell by the direction they are looking and by their body language that they are caught in awe by the scene in the distance. While the clouds that the giant occupies are miles away, his figure takes up over three quarters of the vertical space. The painting is a tribute to imagination. While children are champions of imagination, adults often lose this piece of themselves when they mature, whether to a small, large, or nearly full extent. Gazing at cloud formations is one of the activities tied to imagination that people hang onto throughout their lives. When seeing the giant through the eyes of children, we are reminded of how much stronger the imagination of a typically is compared to an adult. Like or dislike this painting – it cannot be denied for its capability to stop one in their tracks. There is incredible emotion, deep symbolism, and rich colors emphasizing the life of the moment.
FINAL PROJECT: APPLE PLANET