Examination of Three Paintings Essay
Introduction
The current exhibition details three photos that denote their correlation with human and natural science. The first photo entails the work of Edward Munch called Ashes created in 1925. The photo shows a woman in forest. The photo can be argued to play a critical role in showcasing the relationship between human beings and the environment. The availability of trees from where the woman is located shows a good coexistence between human beings and the nature. She seems to be not happy perhaps to indicate her desperation because of destruction of the forests. However, she might be in deep thoughts about something that is not clear. Perhaps, it could be something related to her life. The mural print is a depiction of a man and a woman in a forest that is dusky. The atmosphere in the picture is relatively gloomy filled with both hopelessness and despair.
The trees and the existence of a man and a woman can be interpreted to be a form of a romantic adventure. However, the adventure may have been crippled by a misfortune. The woman has her hands on her red, long hair while standing at the center of the picture. The frowned face is filled with desolation and despair while the direction of her eyes is towards the audience (viewer). Apparently, she is regretting something. On the other hand, the man has his hand on his head while sitting on the left corner of the picture. The tone of his face is apparently not only sickly but also green. In fact, the man appears to be so hopeless that his pace can’t face the viewer. The dress that the woman has on her is white and it is half unbuttoned. Inside the white dress, one can glimpse at the red undergarment.
The second photo entails oil with sand on a cardboard. The dominant color on the picture is blue and which is mostly used by artists to mean wisdom, trust and faith. Oil is a natural resource that has been exploited by man for energy purposes. The use of sand can be argued to play a critical role in explaining that the man has been drilling oil but the same has some effects on the land. For instance, the issue of greenhouse emission has been contentious for a long time and has to be looked at to prevent more damage to the environment. When there is no control of the use of oil, there is a risk of depletion of the ozone layer.
Besides the information that Juan Gris is attempting to disseminate or rather communicate, the blue color often symbolizes wisdom, trust, intelligence, confidence, and faith. Therefore, my interpretation is that regardless of the coded information in the picture, the artist, Juan Gris is not only confident but also intelligent in her drawing. The blue color is however dominant of the top and right side of the motif. The other colors present in the picture are brown, black, and white. Moreover, there is a calligraphic form of writing in the cardboard. The white substances that appear bluish in color apparently indicate oil with sand. The artwork is a depiction of a kind of a technical aspect of work and is a form of cubism.
The third picture shows an individual ridding on horse and threw out another man while there is another man consoling the man that fell down. The horse is seen to be struggling to stay up as it fell down as the commotion continues. The background shows a dusty ground where the commotion is taking place. There is relationship between the human conflicts and the effects it has on the environment. If no care is taken, there could be more damage on the environment. The conflicts have negative effects both on human beings and the environment. Therefore, all these pictures depict important information to be communicated to people in order to understand the nature.
The Rationale for the Photos
The colors depicted in Munch’s work can be interpreted in several ways. According to my interpretation, white is used to represent innocence of the woman in question while the red one can be a symbol of either love or passion or even romance. As for black, which is normally associated with negativity, symbolizes either death or sorrow. The green painting on the man’s face expresses a disturbed state of the mind and a sad mood. Interestingly, a clear look at the picture using high definition quality glasses indicates that there is lack of communication or interaction between the man and the woman. None of them is looking at the other. In addition, the environment and atmosphere depicted in the picture is also relatively dark and unpleasant for adventure. In other words, the environment commensurate with the situation Munch is attempting to illuminate to the viewers of the mural print.
Abstractoin-1915 by Juan Gris/ the Phillips collection
There is little similarity between the three images described above ranging from the colors used to the kind of images represented, as well as the context of information the artists are attempting to reveal. For an instant, Munch’s work is related to a gloomy atmosphere characterized with disappointment in form of love, interaction and communication while in Juan’s work the use of oil, oil with sand on a cardboard represent some technical aspects of work the artist might have been involved with. The use of colors also differ in that those in the Munch’s mural commensurate with the atmosphere created while those in Juan’s also commensurate with the technicality aspects of work entailed. In addition, the brush work on the Much’s entire picture is relatively fluffy and wavy while in Juan’s, they are slightly bold. As for the physical dimension of the two images or drawing, Munch’s picture appears to be larger than that of Juan Gris. The other distinction between the two images is that Ashes 1925 is in form of expressionist form of artwork while Abstraction 1915 is in form of cubism form of painting or artwork.
The majority of Juan’s murals are in the form of cubism. Cubism has emerged as one of the most influential styles of visual arts. The principle behind cubism is that arts should either emulate/copy nature or adopt perspectives, foreshortening, and modeling that are of traditional techniques. In 1910, in reference to cubism, the pictures subject was always discernable. On the other hand, the objects and figures were analyzed and dissected by dividing them into multiple facets. These facets were then reassembled for the purpose of evoking similar objects or figures. Juan Gris became involved in the movement of cubists after meeting Pablo Picasso though she took an approach that was deemed mathematical to paintings that were cubists. As a result, images she drew were precisely of discrete form with the resemblance of drawings that were technical. The predicaments of this artist defined his life into artwork and enabled him to transverse across America while expressing his ideals in paintings.
In the above image, the hue and the value of the hue incorporated in the image have got a great impact in terms of appealing the viewers. The intensity of the colors used as well matters a great deal since employing the grey color with brown scalps in the painting made the art to be more fascinating as it fetches the attraction of the viewers. This has made it to be more popular hence considered to be one of the famous paintings in the world.
Conclusion
Munch and Juan are some of the renowned artists that have significantly shaped the field of art. In particular, one of Munch’s artwork (Ashes-1925) that has been dissected in this essay is that which consist of a couple in a forest characterized by a gloomy atmosphere. In addition, the couple appears to be in guilt or regretting concerning something that is burdening their thoughts. The brushes employed in the painting, as well as the colors clearly communicate the atmosphere and the theme that Munch is attempting to portray. Moreover, the posture of the persons and their attires speak volume concerning the theme being illuminated. This shows the ability of the artist to express himself thus asserting the perception that he is an expressionist artist.
Bibliography
Munch, E et al. Edvard Munch: 1863-1944 :Liljevalchs&Kulturhuset 25 Mars-15 Maj 1977. Stockholm: Liljevalchskonsthall, 1977.
Munch, E. Edvard Munch. London, Eng: Sirrocco, 2005.
Galligan, G et al.The Cube in the Kaleidoscope: the American Reception of French Cubism, 1918-1938. , 2007.
Schmidt, K. PeintureAméricaine 1920-1940 =: AmerikaanseSchilderkunst 1920-1940: Société Des Expositions, Palais Des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles … 10.11.-30.12.1979. Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified, 1979.
