Joseph Hirsch’s painting Daniel was painted in 1976-1977. In 1978 during the153rd Annual Exhibition of the National Academy of Design, it won the First Benjamin Altman (Figure) prize. It measures 38 inches by 45 inches with a five-inch gold wood frame surrounding it. The medium is oil on stretch canvas. Everything within the painting centers on the king 's turned head and Daniel 's pointing finger. According to the placard next to the painting, the artwork depicts a modern day version of the biblical story of Belshazzar’s Feast following the sacking of Jesualism from the Book of Daniel. The painting portrays a seated king, a dozing courtesan and Daniel. The three figures exist as the focal point of the composition. Hirsch applies a strong …show more content…
The shirt rises vertically towards the king’s head, which immediately draws the eyes upward. 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. 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
One of the most effective principles Paolo de Matteis uses in this painting is his use of lines and invisible lines to direct the viewer’s attention to the child in his mother’s arms. The shepherds and their animals, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph are all instances of invisible lines in this painting, as their outstretched hands and lines of vision are all pointing to the baby Jesus. For example, the three women and the child kneeling to the bottom right side of the manger are all staring or pointing to the upper left, toward Jesus. Moving to the upper right corner of the painting, the ox and the donkey are directing their gaze to the bottom left, once again at Jesus. The two men to the right of the animals also point in that direction. In the top and center, Mary and Joseph watch their child, creating yet another invisible line pointing toward the point of emphasis, while the angels
As indicated by the shape in the foreground, the lines that signify the contour of the rocks and freestanding structure merge. The lines lead the eye vertically as it meets the center. When looking at the painting as a whole, the viewer can see how the artist uses straight
Museum visitors can see paintings by the seventeenth-century Dutch artist Jan Vermeeer, but you cannot see how he achieved his remarkable effects. Most of his paintings showed simply furnished household rooms. The people and objects in these rooms seem so real that the paintings resembled photographs. Vermeer’s use of perspective and light would also contribute to the paintings’ realism. Some art historians believe he used a gizmo called a camera obscura. This machine projected an image onto a flat surface so you could draw it. For most experts, Vermeer’s possible use of technological aids does not make his totally fabulous results less impressive. It is agreed by art historians that the paintings are masterpieces. Vermeer’s paintings are admired
When one observes a painting or drawing, the lines direct the eyes attention and dictate the piece. Line is applied in nearly every aspect of art, whether is an actual mark on a piece of paper or if it is implied in the work. Horizontal, vertical, angular, curving and diagonal. are all descriptive characteristics of line. In The Maundy Thursday Festival before the Ducal Palace in Venice, by Canaletto, the line work that was chosen guides the audience’s eye in the direction intended by the artist and was beneficial in providing boundaries. The diagonal lines help to elicit the viewer's attention from the foreground to the steeple and palace in the background. The disarrayed foreground is balanced by the use of strong vertical lines, making
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 figures in the foreground take up most of the painting and are telling most of the stories happening. Only a little of the figures in the background are being shown, but these figures are being directed to by circular shape in the middle of the frame, that is showing an important connection to the foreground. Most of the lines in the painting run horizontal and cross each other to drag the viewer’s eyes around the frame. The body of Saint Sebastian intersects the arm of the woman, also the direction of the heads in the foreground creates implied lines that connect bring the viewer back and forth across the painting. The in this painting like most of this era use lines help to convey motion. The uses of foreshortening added not only depth to the painting but
Support of how Vermeer had such vibrant paintings was the 3D glowing “working-up” which made his paintings so bright and lifelike. However true this may be Vermeer used a technique called underpainting or “working-up” which used much more paint than usual, but also added volume and gave his paintings more of a 3D feel. He would lay an initial layer of paint to the canvas, which served as a base for subsequent layers of paint. He then slowly built up the paint layers using multiple paint colors, rather than the more common method of building up the image using neutral or gray. This gave his paintings even more depth and a feel of reality. He had a very expensive pallet and used hand-ground paints and a glazing technique which was mostly used
On Painting by Leon Alberti is, in essence, a book of guidelines for novice painters. Alberti explains that since paintings are meant to represent things that are seen, they need also be approached this way. In his theory, he breaks up the way of painting into three important components circumscription, composition, and the reception of light. Within these three are guidelines for the portrayal of subjects, spaces and emotion.
This series is immensely personal for not only Rothko, but also for the viewer. These murals explore identity as these paintings are an exploration of raw emotion felt by such a deeply depressed man who committed suicide in 1970. These paintings can be seen as a discovery of Rothko’s self and also a form of emotional release due to the unsettling colours he has adopted (black on maroon and dark red on maroon); these paintings are a clear reflection of emotional instability. According to Rothko, these paintings were “concerned with the most profound questions of existence.” That statement could possibly mean that he was thinking about his mortality at this time as he had been suffering from depression and had also been diagnosed with a mild
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
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
The artist uses almost all implied lines. Taking the face of the milkmaid as a starting point, it is important to focus on the light coming from the window and reflecting directly upon her face in shadows and pale scales therefore, creating an effect of three-dimensionality. It makes the viewers focus what the maid is doing: pouring milk. Then we will see a line between the milk vessel and the bread. I also see a line from the bread basket in the left foreground to the maid's head. These lines intersect at the maid’s wrist, which lead us to the action that she is doing. Other lines in the work are the window and framework, the edge of the table, the outline of the woman’s clothes, and the bottom of the wall. These implied lines are less important than the line from the maid eyes. If you take a closer look, you will see a parallel line between the slant of the basket to her diagonal slant of her arm and head.
The use of line in this piece is also very interesting. The artist employs a high horizontal line to create a plunging effect giving the piece more depth. Another use of lines in the image is to create focal points to attract the viewer. Lines are also used to separate the different sections of the painting. Overall this painting uses lines in dynamic ways that vastly enhance the viewers’ pleasure and admiration of the piece.
The selection from Leon Battista Alberti’s On painting is mainly divided into 5 paragraphs numbered 25 through 29. Just as the title suggests, the text deals with the art of painting and its virtues. It talks about the benefits painting offers to the artist and why they are valuable, as well as showing the importance a work of art gives to the object being painted. While referring to many examples in history, Alberti also compares painting to the other “crafts” and explains why it is more noble, as well as more enjoyable and self-satisfactory.
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