Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb, 1630/34, Francisco de Zurbarian
When I first saw it, I thought it was cool. I had no idea what or who it was. I assumed that it was a religious or cultural painting because of the clothes worn. It shows a person in a dark setting looking down holding a skull. After reading the short background next to it I learned that it was ascetic saint Francis. Also, the robe is a monk's robe, which is common in the Buddhist religion. The art uses dark colors but has strong value. In most areas, it has dark value but there are light values on the person's foot, and the skull they are holding. The artwork reminds me of something I had seen in a show I was watching. They wore similar clothes, which is why I inferred that this may be a cultural or religious painting. It drew my attention because it looked cool but think it is intended to also draw curiosity especially if you are not familiar with Buddhism. It is a very mysterious painting; we do not know why he is holding a skull and he is also looking down therefore we cannot see the face. We all have a clear shot of the foot and skull. Which gives a creepy mysterious mood.
Still Life with Fruit, 1600s, Attributed to Joris van Son
Personally, I love still life so this one really caught my eye for that reason. It contains fruit, plants, and a wine class all on some sort of table. This has a realistic approach; it is one of those pieces where you might think it was a photograph. It has mostly muted colors aside from bright red too. There is value in both light and dark. There is more concentrated light in the top right corner. assuming it is to make it look like that is where a spotlight it comes from. As that light fades there is a dark value as it progresses to the bottom left corner. The way the values of light and dark are used makes the painting appear like a photograph. The artwork reminds me of the different still lifes we were introduced to sophomore year. Our task was to make our own. I made mine from a bowl of cherries. This reminds me of that because the use of light and dark are similar in bowls of fruit. The strength of the work is how it can fool the eye.
Untitled, 2003, Laura Owens
When I first so this painting I thought it was incredibly beautiful. I loved that it was a triptych instead of one big piece, that is what makes it even better. This is a landscape piece that also includes animals. The setting is outside with a realistic approach. The artist's intention is to display how the seasons change over time but there are 4 seasons. It included summer, fall, and winter in that order but no spring. I am not sure if that means something. But also, the piece that looks like summer also has some aspects of what is usually correlated to spring such as birds. So, o, the two seasons are combined into one. It has both warm and cool colors depending on the season it is depicted. It also has texture because as you look closely it does not look like everything was created with solid brush strokes, some parts look like it was many small thick brush strokes or was taped. Even though this was made with acrylic paint it resembles water paint because of this technique. The mood seems happy as each season has positive aspects of it neither seems to be favored. The best part is the middle one, I like it the most because it has the most detail and color depth and is easier to see.
Crying Girl, 1964, Roy Lichtenstein
This one caught my attention because I have seen it many times online but never the big version in person. And that was the artist's attention because it is pop art. I see a woman crying in a comical style. The artist's intention was to draw others in. By their styles it thinks his work is influenced by comics but if not that other pop art artists. It has a strong line within the hair and face to outline. If you look closely her face is not just a solid color, there is a little dot that ass texture to the pieceThe artist uses thick lines to create a piece that is easily seen to grab someone's attention. The mood on the feeling can be both sadness and even happiness. Although the girl is crying the artist uses bright colors which interact with that mood.
Edge Of England, 1999, Cornelia Parker
When I first came across this piece it shocked a wow factor. Mainly because it was so huge it almost looked like a decoration. I see a Piece that appears it floating from a distance, which is very abstract. I am not sure exactly what it is or if it is supposed to be something. The medium of this piece is chalk, wire, and wire mesh. I am sure the wire mesh was used to give a floating effect. The wire mesh is hard to see the farther away you are. Although I could not touch the piece the texture appeared to be rough. Almost like a rock. It also takes a 3d form with heavy movement. The artist used these elements to draw confusion. The way I interpreted it was either chaotic or confusing. There are so many random shapes hanging. This is what I would imagine my brain to look like when it is confused or puzzled. A lot is going on hence chaos. I have never really made anything of this size before let alone these kinds of objects. This piece inspired me to do that someday.