Formal Analysis on Rachel Ruvigny Portrait by Anthony Van Dyke

Texture and pattern are very easy to identify in this painting. The street’s cobblestones show texture and pattern in the way that they are arranged. Texture is also demonstrated through the paint strokes on the buildings, the tree, and even the sky. These thick, uneven strokes add a layer of depth and texture to all elements of the painting.

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

There is also a striking luminosity to the painting. The man and the woman’s faces appear to slightly glow, as if you can really see the reflection of the sun beaming off of their skin. This was achieved by a complex method of applying glazes. Wood would apply a layer of oil paint, allow it to dry, and then varnish it. This tedious process would be repeated numerous times. It was a process perfected by the 16th century Venetian painter, Titian. The series of glazes seems to have created an overwhelming sense of depth and radiance within the paint.

One of the aspects I believe unifies this painting is, as I talked about above, the continuation of the blue of the woman’s clothing continuing up into her hair, which gives the piece a sense of wholeness and relativity. There is also balance in this piece, for while the woman’s head is offset, this is balanced out by the elongation of her shoulder and arm in the right side of the image. Variety is also achieved in this piece through the use of a variation of hues and a lot of tonal difference. Emphasis is placed upon the hair with the use of an unnatural hair colour, as well as the face where light colours are used to highlight and pull the attention. Space is not so much of an active principle in this piece, but is still present nonetheless. Beryl is placed in the middle of the painting, with her taking up roughly 50% of the space, and the rest taken up by background.

The Virgin of Jeanne d’Evreux was commissioned by Queen Jeanne d’Evreux, wife of King Charles IV, sometime between 1324 and 1339, and donated to the royal abbey church of Saint-Denis in 1339 according to the inscription on the pedestal (Barbier). French royals in the 13th and 14th centuries often had luxury works of metal and enamel commissioned for churches, palaces, or their private homes (Kleiner).

You also notice that her clothing and hair are of light color, and she is very detailed. After studying the complex painting closely, you find that the focus of the painting is the Princess.

The flowers face many angles and are all different, most have contrasting shades of green leaves surrounding the petals and varying stem widths and lengths. This creates interest throughout the painting. To complement the bright yellow flower petals, Van Gogh has detailed a baby blue background with small, vertical and horizontal brush strokes. This contrasts well with the yellow flowers and helps to separate them from the yellow foreground. Also, to break all the yellow sections, he has cleverly used a lighted yellow tint on the bottom half of the vase, rather than shades, which he has used to outline the petals of the flowers. In doing this and by also adding light to the front petals and vase, Van Gogh has added a third dimension to his painting. Like Olley, Van Gogh has painted this artwork in warm colours to create a joyful and uplifting artwork to look at.

The uses of actual and visual texture manifest themselves throughout the painting. Actual texture can be found in the thick wooded area in the right of the painting where the top of the woodland canopy is painted in thick brushstrokes. It is also apparent in the sea, where thick, short brushstrokes give the illusion of movement and variations in height of the waves. Although rather elementary, visual texture can be found in the tree in the foreground, where thin, white and black lines give the appearance of volume to the bark of the tree.

Everything in the painting is smoothed surface. The painter did not use texture in the paint but only in very few areas like in the oil of the candle. The tones in this painting are warm. There are a lot of browns and ambers. A few cool colors were used to define the shadows of the shapes with blue. The attention getter is the candle light. It’s almost hard to ignore because it is so bright. The second brightest thing in the painting is the woman’s shirt, but even that is not as bright because of all the shadows and creases in it. Another reason why

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.

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

Copley’s piece titled Portrait of a Lady in a Blue Dress created in 1763 by John Singleton Copley, represents an unnamed female portrait painted with oil on canvas. The piece currently resides in the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The work of art can be seen from one side only because it hangs on the wall. There is a great deal of indications in the painting to show the viewer who this woman was and how she ranked high within society.

Although the use of line and light is not as defined as the color scheme, they still play an important role in the overall organization of the painting. Gauguin uses curvilinear lines throughout this work with no right angles or sharp points. The outlines in the background are fairly blurry and some of the lines blend into one another. In contrast, the characters in the foreground are comprised of precise, sharp lines. Gauguin goes as far as lightly outlining the bodies with a dark line in order to give them a sense of depth. Light also serves to enhance certain aspects of the painting. Gauguin has been careful in his use of light to create some areas of brightness and some of darkness. The central figure glows in the bright light, which shines down on her from above. This light shows the importance of the decision of whether to pick the fruit or not. It is focused so directly on one area and is void in the others.

Color and technique is another major aspect of The Kiss. In creating this painting, Klimt gained inspiration from his travels to the Byzantine, the mosaics in Ravenna in particular. This inspiration is reflected in his use of gold and the arrangement of shapes. While the majority of the painting was done using golden hues (he uses actual gold leaf to achieve this affect), Klimt manages to apply all of the colors necessary to achieve intrigue and convey his message clearly. He uses vibrant colors such as; blue, purple, and green in the flowerbed. He strategically uses the gold by integrating it into the robes and vines that swathe over the figures and over the woman’s feet. He continues his theme of contrast and juxtaposition in his use of complimentary colors. The green in the flowerbed contrasts with the red in the woman’s dress, making her dominate and stand out. This contrast is even shown in the skin tones of the figures. The man has an olive complexion and the woman has a peach complexion, making her stand out