Formal Analysis of Artwork at Getty

The lines within the composition draws the viewer into several directions. The ruffles draw the eyes upward to the Daniel’s finger as it points to the right. Daniel’s finger directs the viewer horizontally as it does the king. The table with its array of dishes is another example of a horizontal line. The king’s hands are holding a fork and knife. The fork is also pointing right where as the knife is pointing left diagonally towards the king. The courtesan, leaning against the king’s right shoulder, is another example of a diagonal line. The painting also has a vertical feel to it. This is evident in the composition of Daniel standing, the candle and the arm holding the cigar. Like every line, every color used draw attention to the object.

The paintings that I will be talking about from the MIA will be Portrait of Catherine Coustard (1673-1728), by Nicolas de Largilliere, Diogenes (17th century), by Johann Carl Loth, LES FLANEUSES (2008) by Ghada Amer, and Portrait of Lucia Wijbrants (1638-1719), by Gabriel Metsu. My critique will be from the perspective of Berger.

In terms of subject matter, both works are visual depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In each painting, Christ is the central figure, surrounded by two groups of figures. On the left, a group of women that includes the Virgin Mary mourns over the dead body of Christ, while on the right is a group of soldiers and other lamenters. Both works feature a rocky landscape on which the figures are positioned. Encircling Christ are several angels whose gestures of lamentation echo those of the figures below. Highlighting the severity of each scene is the blood that pours from Jesus' wounds. The blood from his feet drips onto human bones that are embedded in the rocky terrain below. The skull serves as a "memento mori," or a reminder of death, an idea that has been repeated in several other depictions of Christ's crucifixion.

Cliché is often used as a pejorative term. Sometimes clichés can be the way a major breakthrough of understanding can occur. As I embark into the world of art, this cliché was a good thing. It was positive because as I studied paintings for the first time. I realized that as I was the beholder and the observer of the painting, I was responsible for making the effort of finding the beauty beyond a simple statement. The purpose of assignment was to observe and take note on pieces of art at a prominent museum. I was fortunate enough to visit the Museum of Modern art in New York City and I hoped to critique very famous paintings like Pollock 's drip paintings and The Persistence of Memory. However, it was a Saturday afternoon in the middle of July in New York City. I wasn 't afforded the luxury of being able to observe famous paintings such as those without a large crowd forming around it. In order to complete my assignment I went to the Getty. I found that finding a painting to study was harder than it seemed. I made a return trip to the Getty after brushing up on Art and Physics. The Getty is home to a variety of artwork dating as far back as the 1300s. I focused on art that was featured in different galleries of the museum including Italian Renaissance era and early Christian work. The paintings that I finally decided to write about were The Portal of Rouen Cathedral in Morning

The symmetrical appearance of the work was also common in Southern pieces that rooted back to the Greek’s advances in mathematics, while the realistic human anatomy roots to the newly acquired humanistic values in art. There is a clear focal point of Mary, with the addition of a subtle triangular composition created by the Mary, Jesus, and St. John. This composition creates order, which is more appealing than a painting with chaos and no clear focus. The trees and pathways in the background also seem to be proportional to the sizes of the three characters, diminishing in size as the picture recedes. This creates a visually appealing tone to the work of art, as for the brain does not have to atone for the abstract and surreal. The bodies are realistically portrayed, which again, adds to the curiosity of Southern artists had of true human anatomy. Mary has a figure, a popping bosom and stomach are not typically seen in a depiction of her. Jesus and St. John both have noticeable baby fat around their arms, legs, and stomach, which is unappealing for a piece of art, but is still

Despite the fact that these two paintings share analogous attributes, they also differ in many ways. According to the museum information card on Derain’s piece, the work is “expressive of

All the figures in the painting have different expressions on their faces. For example Mr. Columbus starrs dirrectly at the group of coucil men sitting infront of him to convince them of the new world he had discovered. He stands infront of the crowd, looking like a honorable man, with his chesting bulsging out and his right footing pointing forward. His left hand is holding a map, while the right firmly points at it. There is a concil man sitted next to where Christopher stands, looks down at the map to validate Mr. Columbus agruement. There are three figures standing on the left excluding the king and his guides. These men seem so suppresed by what Columbus is telling them, that one of them grab the other firmly on the shoulder to perheps ask him how all of it is possible. The king on the other hand opens his month wide in disbelieve and his hands lift up at about a 30 degree angle, as if he was attempting to stop Columbus from fabricating more lies. On the far right of the painting, there is a boy with what appears to be a map that he is showing two men on his right.; they both starr at it while the other lean forward with his hand placed under his chin. Human drama remains me of Giotto style in Italy 1400-1500. He was the first artists to incoporate human drama into his work by including little details of gustures and emotions. This very artist was great at expressing different types of emotions on the faces

There are unifying factors that argue that these paintings are part of a collection together. Both angels are positioned upright in the vibrant blue sky, with their body fitting within the picture plane. They appear gentle and are viewed from straight on. The angels are equal sizes and almost mirror each other, except for an item in their hand and the placement of colours.

A painterly quality with an otherworldly aesthetic is what set pictorialism apart from other photographic practices at the time. This notion of perfection is what really captures my attention. What I find quite interesting is that looking into this aesthetic every man

Diagonal lines formed by the legs and arms of Mary and cherubim show the motion. There are horizontal lines on the ribbon tied around her waist. Moreover, both horizontal and vertical lines are used to create the frame of the painting. Also, rhythm lies in this work. There are repeated organic shapes such as flowers and cherubim scattered all over the painting. Some of the cherubim are overlapped with each other. This is a symmetrically balanced painting as a vertical line can be drawn at the center of the painting, which shows the balance of visual

Shepard Fairey’s piece titled Pay Up or Shut Up is a representation of the role that money or your role in society dictate the power of your speech. This piece of art by Fairey was released in May of 2015. It is a screen print on cream speckletone paper.

When first looking at the two pieces, the contrast between the depictions of the human form is most evident

The portrait features a fully naked depiction of a standing boy in his early childhood. With its feet missing from knee level downward and arms missing from chest level below, it imposes a hard task to ascertain the precise size of the art piece. Yet, from the intact portion of the piece from the head to his central torso, a best guess is that the artist depicted a boy representation in life size. Its smooth texture and gentle

The shapes of the figures are sharply defined and the objects such as the table, book, and string instruments. There are diagonal rhythms throughout the painting in which it creates movement. The light source in the upper left allows the source light to have a more natural appearance throughout the painting. The shadows at the right-hand corner and the men wearing green in the middle contrast the main object with the most sources of lighting. The objects shadows and lighting create dimension and a vivid sense of more contrast. There are areas in the making with more contrast and the sharp contrast that creates movement in the painting. The shadows and the lighting throughout the painting show gradations and the highlights create more depth. Staring from the upper-left hand corner with the first figure of a gentleman wearing a hue of blue and yellow, the left side of his face and garment shows the source light in right above him. The source light above the

In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus defines beauty and the artist's comprehension of his/her own art. Stephen uses his esthetic theory with theories borrowed from St. Thomas Aquinas and Plato. The discourse can be broken down into three main sections: 1) A definitions of beauty and art. 2) The apprehension and qualifications of beauty. 3) The artist's view of his/her own work. I will explain how the first two sections of his esthetic theory relate to Stephen. Furthermore, I will argue that in the last section, Joyce is speaking of Stephen Dedalus and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as his art.