The Archibald prize is an open portrait competition that is held annually. Two unique artworks by Andrew Lloyd Greensmith and Prudence Flint have expressed their meaning relating to society in their accounts of painting.
The inner stillness of Eileen Kramer is the artwork created by Andrew Lloyd Greensmith. This art work consists of oil and lien, with the dimension of 86 x 51cm. The artwork depicts Eileen Kramer positioned at the bottom left hand corner, gently caressing her face with her hands. Her maroon blouse clothing was accessorised with blue jewelleries, and was lined up against a simple light background. The upper body shot had showcased her defined wrinkles and clear strokes of her white hair.
The contrast between the light cream background and the maroon blouse have successfully drawn in viewers attention. The contrasting colours have made the overall artwork standout. The viewers eyes are snatched towards the vibrant red then it is directed to Kramer’s peaceful expression. Her expression is identified as the focal point of the painting. It encapsulates the meaning of stillness expressing the relaxation and tranquilness. Greensmith had chosen to use a variety of different colour tones to help sculpt and emphasis Kramer’s features. The use of darker shades towards her left side creates a shadow, indicating her angled sitting position.
With the age of 102, Kramer is the oldest dancer, poet, artist and costume designer. This artwork entitled “The inner stillness…”
Hirsch uses bright and subdued colors to represent the rank and status of the paintings occupants. The color of the chairs in contrast to the blue-black background gives the illusion of space. He utilizes highlights and shadows throughout which gives the viewer the impression of light cast onto the scene from outside. The light bounces off the reflective surface of the king’s head as well as the silverware and gold goblets. The shades of green and yellow give the fruit on the table a real feel to it. The smoke raising becomes transparent as it swirls upward and finally vanishes. The use of color shows the importance of every element from the
Morisot uses a variety of techniques to illustrate a peaceful moment between a mother and daughter on the seaside. Throughout the piece, Morisot uses a series of short and spontaneous lines to create the figures and masses. The presence of these loose brush strokes throughout the piece create both rhythm and unity, making the piece simple and composed. However, variety is also created by the strong contrast between the foreground and background of this piece. The overlapping of the woman, child, and deck with the ocean and the disproportional shapes of the people and ships create an illusion of depth and space. This depth separates the masses present in the foreground from the background. The colors used in the foreground and background are also juxtaposed, with bolder and darker colors being used in the foreground and more bright and muddied colors being used in the background. This contrast establishes emphasis on the masses present in the foreground of the piece (the mother and child). The implied lines created by the gazes of the mother and child also contrast, with the mother’s view
As we know, the result of “Art is” is “Art is” which returned in an ephemeral form at the Studio Museum. All forty photographs are on display on the basement level of the galleries, which are supposedly reserved for pieces in their permanent collection. The room just outside, whether coincidentally or not, is filled with photos of students - reflecting personal memories. How the museum decides to play with this, is by missing them with old-timer photos of Harlem from the
The background of the painting is very dark and a reflective of the dark times some women were in during this time. The dark background and the subject’s serious persona give the painting a mysterious sensation. Mrs. Richard Skinner’s clothing pieces are very light colors which give a light-hearted ambiance to the painting but the dark background, dim lighting, and the dark table that lay before her completely alter the mood of the painting. The lighting of the painting, therefore, emphasizes Mrs. Richard Skinner even more due to her dark surroundings, which is another example of Copley’s attempt at accentuating her womanhood. Some of the props in this painting elaborate and stress her sexuality even further. The subject is holding a flower in the painting; flowers are symbolic of purity and femininity. The way the subject is holding the flowers is to be noted as well. She is holding
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.
Her face is turned toward the viewer. The natural environment of the woman has been erased. Instead she is floating on a large golden canvas. There are no other objects or decoration in the work.
Obvious from the start is the artist's careful attention to details, illustrated in the richly decorated background and characters' attire. Employing this general density automatically enhances the Virgin's gaze, making it charged with severity, intense. On
Many artists use facial expressions in their figures to enhance the techniques used. The combination of the woman’s worrisome expression with the slightly distressed one of the baby helps reinforce the mood the use of color has already established. Because of this combination, the title Susan Comforting the Baby is clearly reflected in the work.
Thirdly, the texture of the painting I see when viewing the painting is velvety and silky. I feel that the velvety texture is caused by the smoothness of Marilyn’s face. In addition, the silkiness I see is due to the gold paint that surrounds Marilyn’s face. Fourthly, the use of value is present on the painting by the lightness and minimal darkness. For example, the darkest value is seen on Marilyn below her chin on her neck, eyes, her lips, on the right side of her face, and on minimal parts of her hair. I feel that the dark value creates the illusion of shadows. In addition, the golden brown paint that surrounds Marilyn is dominant because it shimmers when light reflects it. Moreover, the lightness is present by the yellow, turquoise, and pink colors. In addition, the lightest value of color is white which is on Marilyn’s teeth. Lastly, the colors viewed on the painting consist of golden brown, black, yellow, pink, turquoise, dark red, and
To describe the artwork “Woman in a Purple Coat” by Henri Matisse, the viewer has to be open to expression. In the artwork there is a woman, wearing purple pointy shoes, green pants with white faded stripes, a V-shape white shirt with grey lines, a long purple coat with white stripes and four black strips at the front to button the coat, a pearl necklace and another yellow long necklace. She is sitting with confidence with open arms on a vibrant two tone one side yellow and other side green couch. Sitting on the couch in a corner with a yellow flower arrangement on a pink and white vase with some fruit on a table next to her on the right. There is a magazine laying on the floor on top of a gray rug with black stripes above a black square marble floor. It looks as if she was reading intensely before being interrupted. She has her right foot behind her left, confidently waiting to be interviewed. The walls contrast with each other giving light and darkness to the portrait. On one side the wall is black with gray flowers outlined in red. On the other side the wall is green with black curvy streaks with white outline joined together by a grey corner behind the women wearing dark lipstick confidently sitting on the couch.
The background has areas of dark and light that may be representing a dark part of this woman's life and the light area showing awakening in this woman's soul. To me the woman in the painting is staring out into the world and realizing that there is so much out there for her. That she can walk out of there and not be lost any more. Mrs. Mallard felt the same way. In the room she realized that she can now live her life on her own the way she wants to. She walked out of the room with a sense of
There is also a mirror placed on the table allowing the viewers to link with space beyond the frame. Also in the far back right of the painting you can see a young man talking to an elderly. The artist created an very old or old-fashioned look by using opposing colors, red and green. “The second half of the fifteenth century in northern Europe saw an expansion of genre
She further analyzed many artworks based on the process of toning. Though some artists paint with one layer, those that paint with multiple layers enhances the objects in the painting. The color that appears on the surface underwent multiple shades in order to obtain the desirable color. After analyzing Ship Carpenter at His Hobby, 1872, Helena’s second group approached the artwork Women Embroidering, 1904. Two differences I distinguished from the comparison of these two artworks are the time period as well as the visual context. I had paid less attention to the story behind this portrait because there was less detail. Women Embroidery, though looked unique because of its lack of details (which could have been intentional), did not have much space. Helena described it as “flat.” She infers that as time period increases, artists were becoming more focused on flatness, painting on the surface and ignoring the layers of tone and landscape space. Another artwork that we analyzed was the Back Surgery. Dating back to the 1600s, this portrait was created with underpaintings and a few touch ups. It could be inferred that the artist intended to leave the underpainting in order to bring out the procedure. On the surface lies a realistic, colored curtain that seemed to have been drawn by the audience, and staring straight at the artist/audience was the patient. With these observations, I
Kramer’s influences include Brazilian Popular Arts, woodblock prints and early 20th century German Expressionist painters, which have instilled in him a style with strong lines and stark contrasts, as if the illustrations were prints from woodcuts. His fascination with crowds has resulted in studies of the urban masses in different settings, for which he spent days on public transport, on the street, at popular festivals, protests, and other large gatherings of people. After long periods of scrutiny, he is able to fill large sheets of paper or other surfaces, by what he calls ‘free creation’ or ‘spontaneous art’, unloading all the information he had captured while he was fully immersed in the experience, mixing in his own concoction of humour
The area of art is popularly known for heightening emotions, challenging stereotypes, and ultimately providing insights into how individuals view the surrounding world. The artist and the observer time and time again see pieces in overwhelmingly different ways. Individuals may wonder why this is so. What could possibly create such a drastic change from one perspective to another? When it comes down to it, experiences are the answer. The artist and the observer have different