ART 100 - Week 2: Texture
PART 1: ALPHABET OF ART: TEXTURE
Assignment Instructions: Within the history of world art, find examples of artwork making texture both a color and design quality. Explain the different techniques and styles of each example.
Example 1: Rough Texture
Sunrise
- Claude Monet
1872
Oil on Canvas
- Claude Monet
1872
Oil on Canvas
As opposed to some of Monet's more detailed work, such as Rouen Cathedral and Lady with a Parasol, Sunrise takes a more minimalistic approach to the scene. Here we see that the smoothest portion is found in the background, and although the sun is demanding of attention, the foreground has dark strokes and silhouetted boat in the center that draw a sharp contrast to the rest of the context. Brush strokes are made quickly and deliberately, demonstrating the choppiness of the water.
Example 2: Smooth Texture
Bella Donna
- Georgia O'Keefe
1939
Oil on Canvas
- Georgia O'Keefe
1939
Oil on Canvas
As with many of O'Keefe's paintings, Bella Donna has a remarkably smooth gradation. Amazingly, the painting appears to be constructed with watercolor, yet the medium is oil: this is a difference of thickly applied paint versus flowing water and dye. Although somewhat dream-like, the depth of this painting is unmistakable due to the clarity, layering, and direction of the gradation.
PART 2: BIRD AND TREE BARK