Stormy Coast

The lines outline the water, the clouds, the trees, all show the volume and depth of each element. The use of lines surrounding the ocean and land show the division between each land and water. The use of lines on the rocks show the layers and rigid layout of the land instead of just a flat ledge. The painting also has a lot of shape and definition. The clouds have a fullness so you can see the difference between sky and land. I think Bierstadt also used some aerial perspective in this painting. The sky is blue in spots showing that it is further back in the sky. It’s almost like you are looking down on the fishermen from the sky. The light is very bright and tends to stand out over much of the painting. At first glance your eyes are drawn straight to the light because much of the painting is very dark and gloomy. The light would be focal point of the whole piece. The light allows you to clearly see the mountains and the beach. I think a lot of low key values such as the dark clouds and the water were used in the painting. However, a lot of high key values were used such as the sky and the clouds. This painting is one of my all time

Nevertheless, the flag stands erect and flapping in the wind. On the right side of the piece, we view the exact magnitude of the storm through the “white wash” of the violent waves. Additionally, the sky to the right of the ship’s crow’s nest is lighter and hints of a sun trying to break through the lurking darkness. Despite the presence of other visual elements, what clearly connects is that the ocean, embellished and predominantly highlighted in the work, was Moran’s principal interest. However, the fact that something so fleeting as surging waves dominates the composition even to the visual expense and weight of an obviously colossal ship.

The painting has contrasting colors like red, white, yellow and green. While it also has some dark colors to create a sense of power. These vivid colors create a complementary contrast. The dark red background with the gold designs makes the black man wearing the different shades of green stand out. Also, the white horse has various colors of brown and black which makes it stand out from the red. The main idea is to see the black man on the horse and you can tell Wiley thought the color scheme through. The contour lines Wiley used were organized, thin, and nicely controlled when it came to drawing the horse’s hair and body figure. Also, gold lines were detailed in the background creating a type of pattern to create an illusion. Closely, if you look into the background Wiley drew little sperms to complete the background. Lastly, the actual texture of the painting has a smooth finish. The oil on canvas painting almost makes it seem like if you touch it the horse would be silky

The image shows a sailing ship, it could be an optimistic view of the painter expressing their particular direction of their goals and how we make choices in life. Or goals that are merely drifting away because it is difficult to get what we want out of life at times. Also sailing away could be a form of independence and freedom were we wish to break free from the constraints of everything we do in our daily lives. sailing on stormy waters depicts the difficulty of our choices and that things might be tough going forward. Or simply the strong desire to change life symbolizing the positive changes of our

They complement the dark colors but do not over power them. While the yellows and oranges are easy to look at, the dark greenish black pine trees are not hard to miss. The leaves are warm colors while the dark trees are cool, opposite colors that clash and draw your focus toward them. Then at the bottom quarter of the piece is the rocks, which are not jagged like most rocks are, they sort of blend in with the dirt and overlap each other. The lines in this painting are unsymmetrical and have to prediction as to which way they are going to go next. All the lines in this painting are actual lines, none of which are implied lines. They draw the viewers attention down a path area and lose focus around a turn in the leaves. This painting exemplifies great harmony and rhythm. Nothing is overdone and never follows the same pattern. That is a great quality in this piece of artwork because nothing in the forest is the same. The proportion is to scale as nothing is too small or overly

Looking at this painting instills in one a feeling of an almost serious sort of serenity. With the dark blue in the background gives the work an almost mysterious undertone, possibly portraying how life in the ocean is an unknown and often scary ordeal for the creatures that inhabit it. The viewer is struck with a sense of awe at the simplicity of the overall

The birds appear to be very small when compared to the fish and the leg. I believe that The Slave Ship opposes vantage points to communicate to the viewer both sympathy and judgment. The composition of this work differs from other Romantic landscapes which show nature in all its beauty and serenity.

Thematic Thesis: I believe the men on the boat are very frightened because their expressions on their faces tell us that they are worried as they stare at the drowning boy. The men with the rod seems to be very courageous and mad as he is

The artwork that I chose was The Slave Ship by J.M.W. Turner. This was a piece made with oil on canvas, made in 1840. The subject includes a slave ship on the ocean with a storm coming. Some objects in this painting are a ship, raging ocean, birds, and bodies in the ocean. The Slave Ship was created during the romantic era. One quality that shows the piece is from the romantic era is that he displays humans as helpless to nature. Turner uses dark reds, grays, blues, and yellows to convey despair and hardship. He did a great job of showing that nature is superior to humans by his proportion of the slave ship. The ship is small and engulfed in waves showing that even though humans may be selfish, nature will always have a power

The main composition of this painting is dynamic. Winslow made use of blue as the main color but, in every ground plane, the color is in different tone making some bright and some dull also, the waves/storm of the ocean shows a busy movement of the water in fact, looking at this painting from far or near will keep the eye busy so, it is dynamic.

The blending of colors is much different though and has more emotion. The sky is distorted with reds and yellows, creating an almost apocalyptic scene. It is hard to distinguish where the ocean starts and stops due to the use of waves and blending. Even the sky gives the water a reddish reflection. The colors stay similar in a red and yellow spectrum, and the painting gives a sense of fright and horror. This is almost as if something is going horribly wrong.

For instance, he works with a variety of shades of black within the murky storm clouds. Raetta Parker notes, “Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown” and “denotes strength” (Parker). For this purpose, Rembrandt uses the storm to symbolize the hard times, or “storms”, in a person’s life. In this case, the strength of the storm is overpowering the boat, making it hard for the disciples to keep the boat from being destroyed and overtaken. By looking at the picture, the storm has cause one of the riggings to break free from the boat and tore the sail, not standing a chance against the strong winds the storm is throwing at them. Also, the dark colors of the overcast prevent the disciples from being able to see the shores. There is no place for the disciples to dock the boat until the storm passes by, stuck in the middle of the storm Comparing the painting to life’s challenges, people can often be broken emotionally or physically, whether it may be a death of a loved one or having to face a terminal illness. They can feel as if, like the disciples, all alone with nowhere to escape to safety. Whatever situation one may face, it can be overpowering and seems as if there is no hope in

You respond differently when you can empathize with the characters. The man in the boat immediately makes me feel sad for him, and fearful of what will happen; although his fate seems to be pretty obvious. If I put myself in his shoes, I would be terrified. However, I can also understand his submissive attitude; whatever will be, will be. There is nothing he can do so he might as well sit back and enjoy the ride, so to speak. The boat on the horizon is just a small glimmer of hope, but I feel like he has a better chance of drifting to land than being seen by the boat since it is so far away. I feel like he's not left with any options. He is left to drift uncontrollably at the mercy of nature and beast. The overall mood of the painting is dark with imminent death being his unfortunate

3. Light as a Medium - The pigments used carry the medium in the painting.