Clyde Aspevig's White Cliffs Of The Missouri

I selected this painting because the colour contrast of the pink dress against the dark background caught my eye. I also found the expression of the young woman to be interesting.

The content of Bierstadt’s painting, Sierra Nevada, shows beautiful distant mountain peaks covered by dense fog and clouds. A river flows through a valley in the mountains that forms into a waterfall and then empties into a vast body of bright blue-green water. Tree limbs and rocks are submerged in the water near the shoreline; there is also a reflection of the waterfall and the surrounding mountains on the water surface below. The tall mountains diminish the wildlife below, the family of three deer by the shore are barely distinguishable along the sandy beach. A few trees line the far end of the shore accompanied by various

The person who seems to be taking notes at the edge of the rock at the foreground, and the log at the edge of another rock that is closer to the falls in the painting are some of those details. Krieghoff 's signature is seen in the foreground looking like it is craved into the rock on the opposite end of the person.

The First painting that I was drawn to in the special exhibit “America after the fall: Painting in the 1930s”, was American Gothic by Grant Wood. This was a work that I had seen all through out my life because it was the staple image to represent the steadfast American pioneer spirit. Seeing it in person, rather than reproductions or prints let me realize why it was such an iconic American painting. It was a twentieth century painting with nineteenth century characteristics. The work is in the style of a typical portrait painting in the nineteenth century.

Stone mountain has remained a very influential monument of Georgia; a gem of what may say to the state’s tourism and a landmark of American history throughout the ages. Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee , and Jefferson Davis on top of their valuable steeds represent the Confederate nation and its tie with Stone mountain as they are carved meticulously in the world’s largest exposed granite; however, the peaceful serenity of the lake and nature that envelops the mountain and its visitors remained a very important ceremonial location for native americans. The complete history of Stone Mountain is interwoven into the treads of historical events that have occurred throughout and even before the great nation , United States of America, was formed. Currently, it’s one of the most famous attractions in Georgia known for the breathtaking view of metropolitan Atlanta at the peak of the mountain. It is clear as rich as the beauty of stone mountain is,undeniably, it has a strong historical importance to American history and exquisite backround.

The work is very smooth and fluid making it appear much like a photograph. The oil is not built up on top of itself keeping it very two dimensional. The colors vary between dark and light throughout the painting. In the top right corner, the sun, outside the painting, shining down, aluminates the castle and also the lone tree at the bottom left corner. Besides the back cliff, the rest of the painting is in shadow and displayed in a much more melancholy tone. The colors that Cole focuses on, to display the sharp contrast between rock and nature, are mostly dark greens and gold. The striking blue of the river stands out dramatically from the rest of the colors and draws the eye after the initial citing. The grey in the cloud is the only place where I can find that shade of gray in the work, and it sets itself apart from the snow white clouds in the background. The color helps draw the eye immediately to the castle on the hill. My eyes then fallow the flow of the river down to the tree, which is illuminated by a beam of sunlight.

The painting shows man and nature in harmony. A clear sign that he focused mostly on drawing is the geometric forms used in the painting. He used very calm tonality to give it the calmness. His artwork and brushwork are very fluid and focused. This painting has no historical meaning because this painting was after his transition from historical to landscape. Instead of telling a story it is supposed to evoke a calm mood. The golden light contributes to its peacefulness. Now that I have explained both paintings individually, in the following paragraph I will talk about their differences and what makes them different.

This painting appears to take place either at either dusk or dawn, when the sun is at the horizon. Likely it is dusk, as the setting appears to be in the Northern Hemisphere and the snow in the picture residing on the left hand side of fence would suggest it has yet to melt, so the sun would be setting in the west, or on the right. So the viewer, as well as the subject, is facing south. This affects the painting in several ways. The lighting is very dramatic, the middle ground being very much more lighted than the foreground and background, therefore the colors are more saturated than the foreground and background. Greens, browns and greys are used a lot in this piece and makes it very muddy. The house really does stand out against the painting because of the contrast of lighting.

We can also see the use of black shades to create a hole at the bottom part of the rock. With his excellent use of colors, we can identify the good, healthy and green grass from the bad, unhealthy, brown grasses. Looking beyond the main focus of the painting, he uses colors to separate the sky from the land in the background creating a solid form of perspective on the painting. He also uses colors to create water forms as seen behind the young character. Now, for the sky, he uses shades of white to magnificently differentiate the thick clouds from the light ones. He also uses this to create a source to light to the whole area. All these put together creates a splendid, realistic and familiar atmosphere for the viewers to relate with.

The painting that I choose to write my art paper on is Albert Bierstadt, Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast you can find it on page 33 in our textbook. I chose to write on this painting for several reasons that I am about to go in to.

• The focal point of the painting is the sun-drenched valley and river. The emphasis comes from the diagonal of the tree to the left that directs the view of the scene down the valley toward the farmland.

This painting shows how close and codependent humans and nature were. How well humans worked together with one another and their world. How peaceful those that are close to nature are, which is why it (nature) must be celebrated and appreciated.

The landscape is stark, but the beauty startling. The expanses seem to welcome, even beg you to explore. It’s a call you are unlikely to be able to resist (assuming it’s not scorchingly hot and you are not hungover from a big night in moments-away Las Vegas), nor is it one you should. In front of you is one of America’s grand spectacles, Red Rock Canyon.

The painting to me looks like a landmark with mountains, trees, clouds and a waterfall. As I was analyzing this particular painting it gave me a sense of peacefulness. The mountains are the first thing that caught my eye while I was analyzing this art. There was something intriguing about it, it looked like the place was misty or foggy because of the way the mountains are drawn. The leaves, and the waterfall can signify a change in the season from winter to spring .

This painting is divided into three equal parts by the arches in the background and the characters correspond to each of these arches (TV12). The father is in the middle portion of the painting. The lines of perspective created by the tiled floor, draws our attention to the swords that the father is holding and the vanishing point lies just behind the handles of the sword. Our angle of vision is such that we are looking directly at the main figures groups, particularly the father. A single light source from the left of the picture illuminates the characters and also focuses our attention to the father holding the sword. This creates a ‘theatrical’ effect. The background is simple and stark so our attention is focussed on the figure groups in the painting. The painting has a wide tonal range that makes the composition logical and balanced. The colours used in this