American Gothic Analysis Essay

Most people do not see color as simply the way something looks, however. They tend to associate certain colors with specific feelings, emotions and memories. (Dmitrieva) For instance, blue is most commonly associated with “feeling blue” meaning one feels upset or depressed, however, blue is

Then there are also many psychological lines to be seen in the work. One such line is of the woman and the floor, where she is staring down towards it. Another is from the young child and the store clerk, showing a defiance between the two. Next, light and value are not very contrasting in this painting, with only the basic highlights and the shadows seen. It isn’t completely contrasting or contradicting since the colors blend well together with close to the same value ranges, dark colors seen throughout except for the people’s pale faces. There also seems to be a variety of light sources since the woman’s face along with the shop clerk and the young boy’s is lit up by what seems to be a light bulb since they’re much brighter and highlighted and then the men and women in the back aren’t really as bright, except for the ones who close to the open door, creating a blue tinge from the outside light. The shapes shown through the painting is shown to be either very round or very geometrical. There are organic shapes in things such as the umbrella or even the back of the chair, but mostly it is either straight lines and geometrical shapes. The volume shown in the painting is very much implied, correctly showing the

The colors in this piece are instrumental in moving the eye across the piece and drawing attention to specific parts of the piece. For instance, for the most part, the colors that are used are dark. However, to emphasize General Wolfe, the focal point in the middle, his outfit is painted in a brighter red and yellow and the ground beneath him is light as well. Also, in order to allow the eye to glide across the painting almost all of the soldier’s uniforms are red, creating rhythm. One solider, who is apparently rushing into see Wolfe, is painted in green, which is the complimentary color to red. The use of complimentary colors brings the eyes attention to the panicked solider, emphasizing the overall sense of urgency in the piece. The piece is also well balanced and uses appropriate scales and proportions.

Southern Gothic literature, which is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style, is unique to the American South. Southern Gothic literature has many of the same aspects as Gothic literature; it focuses on topics such as death, madness, and the super natural as well has having many mystical, bizarre, violent, and grotesque aspects. These tools are used "to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia)."

Colors are apart of our everyday lives. They help us on dreaming, creating and increasing youthfulness. The author used colors to illustrate an importance behind objects, emotions, and characters. The various colors symbolize location, character traits and appearances.

It is almost a reflection of the man’s trident. That same pitchfork shape also appears in the window of the house that sits in between both figure’s heads. Repetition can also be seen in the dotted pattern of the woman’s outfit, which also appears in the material of the curtain that hangs in the house’s window. The echo of verticals in this painting is also strong. The faces and bodies of the figures seem to be stretched, and narrowed. The pitchfork’s slender prongs and the green stripes on the man’s shirt also add to the elongation of their frame. The copious amounts of vertical wood boards that make up the house and the barn, keep the viewer’s eye moving up and down the picture plane. Wood’s use of verticality in this painting is overwhelming.

The American Gothic Genre, which focuses on the paranormal aspects of life, began in the 1700s and is still used today. Kelly Link is the author of “The Specialist’s Hat”, and the author of many literary collections. She's received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and has co-edited a number of anthologies. She uses imagery, intimidating diction, and literary devices to convey the emotion and theme of snakes, hollowness, and death in this story.

What insights into the American Dream are offered through the novella Of Mice and Men and the film American Beauty? In your essay you must consider the influences of context and the importance of techniques in shaping meaning.

There are many values within this print, but only constitute a handful of colors: Blue, brown, black, white, and gray. Blue is the main color within this print, there are many values of the color blue used. The deepest part of the waves are the darkest blue, while the parts of the waves closest to the surface are lightest blue or white. The sky has a gradient, which is going from the lightest color to the darkest color or vice versa; the sky is creating a gradient, from the bottom up, of black to a very light gray, then to a white-yellow. The colors chosen by Hokusai can also interpret feelings and emotions. The habitual feeling when seeing the color blue is sadness. Sadness and despair would be fitting emotions for this work, due to the giant wave about to crash upon the men in their boats. Blue can also emit a feeling of elegance. The composition of the print and how the lines of the wave flow can be considered a form of elegance.

Colours signify shift in moods, feelings and beliefs. White denotes purity, humility and marriage. Blue conveys trust, tranquillity and harmony. Red represents all things intense and passionate. It is no surprise then as to why Hughes titled one of his works after this symbolism.

Colour schemes are used to unify artworks and it consists of three common schemes: warm, cool, and neutral. The warm colour scheme is vivid and energetic and tends to advance in space. It consists of red, orange and yellow. Cool colours give an impression of calm, and create a soothing impression. Blue, green and violet are a part of this colour scheme. Neutral colours give a feeling of calm and quiet atmospheres and it consist of grays, blacks and whites. The monochromatic colour scheme is based on several values of one hue. The analogous colour scheme is made up of hues that are next to each other on the colour wheel. Complementary colours are

The art and beauty in this painting is exemplified through the eyes of Boucher. It starts with a beautiful couple taking a rest after picking up some followers. Their clothing looks very elegant and colorful which shows that they are aristocrats. The man’s eyes are gazing at a shepherdess who gathered her own flowers. Their eyes are locked despite the man having his own woman right in front of him. The light brushstrokes of the dresses, flowers, and trees

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 next question we usually ask ourselves is “why?” why the color, why the worn out look of the farmhouse, why the surroundings, in general why is the painting depicted like this? That brings up the need to analyze the work of art at hand. When focusing on this painting, you can see a few birds soaring over the farmhouse. They’re quite small so there’s some difficulty telling if they’re flying towards or away from the farmhouse. It is still very probable that they flew over it at some point in time though. The lines in the painting are mostly depicted in the trees, and outer walls of the farmhouse. Standing firm the trees look, and or represent strength and dominance. It makes you wonder if there’s still hope for the dead looking environment surrounding the farmhouse. When first observing this painting; the thoughts were generally negative such as; sad, abandoned, lonely, and depressing, etc. The painting is indeed centered, and the focal point is obviously the farmhouse.

on the aid of Hell itself, and to find things familiar in the world of