A Sample of Fine Art

The focal point of the painting is the woman with infant. This is shown by the lighting in the painting being directly on her, the bright red that she is wearing, and the circling of the putti around her figure along with the majority of their gazes being directed at her. The bright light directly behind her and the infant could possibly be coming from the sun behind the clouds in the sky, the putti to her upper right holding the torch, or it could be symbolic in that it is the infant’s halo and representative of his divine nature. The overall piece is not overly dark but the lighting seems to be most focused on the woman, infant, her other children, and the flying putti. This is an example of tenebrism.

Art does not need to be beautiful to be art. Although that may have been the prevailing definition according to aesthetic theorists throughout history of art, it is not a requirement of art. Art does not necessarily need to bring pleasure to the viewer; art can be disturbing. What makes it art is that it communicates feelings between the artist and evokes these feelings with others. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, although critiqued to be dark and twisted, should be considered a work of art. Nabokov wrote the book intentionally and with a purpose; he explored the emotions deliberately and managed to find the right words to express his work to the readers. Lolita draws the reader in not only because it was written so eloquently but also

On the other hand, Vincent van Gogh did not do any cubism work during his time as an artist, however, had more of an interest in drawing. Pablo Picasso had an interest in drawing too, but unlike his work, Vincent van Gogh’s drawings are appreciated without the need for bright colours, drawings such as his depiction of figures, light and landscape. Van Gogh drew using a lot of different media, such as chalks, red pen and charcoal, although he often mixed mediums as well when it came to drawing. He drew on not just paper, but a variety of paper types, and materials. However, Van Gogh’s methods of ‘drawing’ are very different to Pablo Picasso’s.

The figures are distinct and clearly visible against the background. You can tell that one of the women is behind a curtain while the other four are outside of it. One is even leaning on a wall. Some of the painting has crisp outlines. The shapes on all the women’s bodies are pointy and lemon shaped. You see this mainly in their arms and legs. The two middle women are a little softer and smoothly shaped as real women would be. Their robes and curtains have a series of misshaped squares and triangles. The placement of the women in the painting make it hard to really understand their positions. It isn’t certain if the second woman from the left is sitting or standing. The spaces between each woman are distorted as well. the values in the painting are well defined. For example, you can see the contour of the middle woman’s mid drift and breast, because the paint changes between dark and light. You can also distinguish this with the robe and curtains. The edges of the open curtains are darker than the rest, which indicates there are shadows there. The colors of the women do appear flesh tone. You can distinguish the robes from their skin. A portion of the painting is a different color than the curtains, so one can assume it’s a wall. The difference in colors give good definition between the women and their environment. The clothing, masks, curtains, and flesh of the women are all colored

In the painting there is a fair balance, as every character except Mary is on the left side of the scene, but they are all pointing and looking towards Mary. So, while the focal point of the scene is obviously Mary, there are important figures and symbols on all levels of the picture. Also almost everything in the scene has at least some significance, and none of the figures are independent and, rather, are in union with each other.

Describe the initial emotions you feel when viewing the art. Then list any adjectives that descrWhat category does the art fall under? How can you tell?

The image has bright colors such as red, orange, and greens that jump out at you and make you feel like you are right next to the image. In the painting the people are found in pairs or a small group. This makes them look happy and seem pleased with one another. There is even a small group in the back that is dancing around hand in hand. The people have an auras around them that are green showing love and happiness.

Concerning color, there is a stark contrast between the figure on the painting and the background. More specifically, the figure of the woman is predominantly delineated in white color, especially pale, ashen white, as far her apparel and facial complexion are concerned, while there are also various hues of grey, with respect to her hair and accessory feather. These white and grey shades are vividly contrasted with the prevailing red and crimson hues of the background (viz. the drape, armchair, and table). Moreover, one can detect colors of dark green (jewelry), some beige on the left (pillar), and darker or lighter shades of blue on the right side of the canvas (sky), which all in concert and in addition to the subtle purple hue forming the sun or moon exude a certain dramatic sentiment. Also, there is brown, which often easily segues into gold (viz. books and attire details respectively). The main contrast of colors between white and red would be interpreted as serving the purpose of rendering the figure of the woman, and especially her face, the focal point of the work, despite, paradoxically enough, the lush red shades at the background. Bearing that in mind, the significance of the woman’s face will be enlarged upon later, when discussing aspects of her identity.

As I mentioned earlier, Mostaert was known for his very elaborate backgrounds, and this painting does not disappoint. The contrast of colors of the background really puts the focus on the characters and Jesus Christ in the foreground of this painting. The sky is very dark and gloomy, but it seems as if the sun and light is emerging. This could symbolize that Jesus Christ’s spirit has left and the dark and gloomy weather would come to an end. A very important aspect regarding the background and colors of this picture is that it is an oil on wood painting. When artists’ painted with oil on wood, the color saturation of the paint was enhanced by the use of oil, so it could produce different colors that regular paint could

2. Analysis of Form: The sitting woman is the center of interest with other components of the painting surrounding her. The painting is naturalistic. Asymmetry is used with the guitar in the upper right hand corner and the jug-like object in the lower left hand corner, cards, and the lamp. The colors surrounding the woman are warm with soft hues, but the dress she is wearing is a cool blue. It has a split complementary color harmony. The shadows casted on not only parts of the room, but also her face establish a defeated or exhausted mood. The woman is the focal point of the painting, which is emphasized by the contrast of the colors

The feel of the picture lends to emotions of unease and recognition of sexual innuendo. The colors of the painting are vibrant, but for the most part are dark. The heavy tones and shades of the colors are well balanced throughout the piece. It can be noted that the brightest shades of color are found on areas depicting the actual woman. In areas that are understood as landscape, the colors are more dreary and create a sense of instability. Even Hess observes that the

The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink

Decorative arts – high quality useful beautiful objects • Craft – making things by hand with skill Styles of Art • Realistic – an accurate depiction of life form • Naturalistic - depiction of realistic objects in natural surroundings • Representational – clearly recognizable as they should be • Expressionistic – creates a subjective perspective, distorting reality. • Abstract – uses shape, color, forms, does not represent reality. • Non-objective – does not portray recognizable objects or scenes. Components of Art • Subject matter – what an artist uses in its piece

What is it about art photography that moves people and invokes emotional responses? Often viewers themselves cannot determine exactly what causes this extreme response within themselves when presented with an image. Some of the most famous art photographers such as Ansel Adams, Anne Geddes or Dorthea Lange all

Conversely, the definition of fine art has been generally misunderstood to mean artistic works that are of high quality. However, an important aspect that should be included in the definition of fine art is that the artists adhere to the purity of their style or discipline. This implies that fine art should be judged based on its aesthetic value, meaningfulness and beauty. Notably, unlike commercial artists, fine artists are self-motivated and decide on what they want the artwork to look like. Furthermore, they are motivated by the desire to express their ideologies rather that communication. Due to the lucrative nature of art commercialization, many fine artists prefer to practice both disciplines. Artists, such as Bob Gill, Ben Shahn, Robert Weaver and Robert Peak,