Activity #7: Write About It!! MIDTERM Exhibition

The 19th century brought forth many noteworthy paintings. Joseph Mallord William Turner’s 1827 work, “Mortlake Terrace,” Berthe Morisot’s 1869 work, “The Harbor at Lorient,” and Eugène Boudin’s two works “Coast of Brittany,” 1870, and “Entrance to the Harbor,” 1883, all beautifully portray ships in their oil on canvas. On the other hand, the two 1872 oil on canvas paintings by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Alfred Sisley, “The Forest of Coubron, Le Havre” and “Boulevard Héloïse, Argenteuil,” depict alternate modes of transportation. Though they differ simply by what they illustrate, the paintings all share a common purpose and theme: looking outward, simply observing and expressing the on goings of their time. To convey this theme the artists make use of similar design elements.

One design element that all of the artists use to portray their theme is line. Line is a path traced by a moving point (Getlein, 82). In the works by Turner, Morisot, and Boudin, strong horizontal lines are present. In contrast to these horizontal lines, the masts of ships and trees in the paintings present vertical lines that intersect the horizontal lines. The two pieces by Corot and Sisley, however, are dominated by vertical lines as can be seen in the presence of trees and houses that line the street in Sisley’s painting and the trees in Corot’s. Line is not the only element that all the artists make use of though.

Another element of design that is common to all the paintings is implied light. Implied light is a type of radiant energy present in the painting that gives a three dimensional aspect to figures in a work (90-91). In Turner’s work, we understand that the light is coming straight at us. We know this because of the shimmer reflected off the water and the shadows cast by the trees fall toward us. Like Turner, Corot’s “The Forest of Coubron” and Boudin’s “Entrance to the Harbor, Le Havre” depict implied light that comes at us from the horizon. The bright upper left corner of Corot’s work shows the light direction and the bright sphere on the horizon in Boudin’s piece confirms the implied light. Morisot’s “The Harbor at Lorient” and Sisley’s “Boulevard Héloïse, Argenteuil” both have implied light that comes from the right of the paintings. In Sisley’s work, the contrast in value on the sides of the buildings reflect shadows. Value is shades of light and dark or the relative lightness and darkness (92, 96). In Morisot’s work, contrast in value also portrays shadow as seen on the darkened face of the woman resting on the wall. In Boudin’s earlier work, “Coast of Brittany,” the implied light is much more difficult to recognize. The far coast in the painting is light while the coastline in the foreground is darkened. The overcast sky suggests that the light source is from above and the coastline in the foreground is under cloud cover, while the distance coast is exposed.

Finally, all the works present the element of space called linear perspective. Linear perspective is based in the systematic application of two observations; that form seem to diminish in size as they recede away from us, and parallel lines receding into the distance seem to converge, until they meet at a point on the horizon line where they disappear (108-109). Common to all the masterpieces is the diminishing pathways to some point in the distance. With this the artists are able to depict purpose, because it seems that the objects in the paintings have some destination to achieve.

Turner, Morisot, Boudin, Corot and Sisley all create similar, yet distinctly different pieces using many of the same elements. The underlying theme present in all is one concerned with the activities taking place not the objects themselves. Looking outward, the artists observed their surroundings and were able to capture and preserve the simplicity of life in the 19th century which made these works timeless.

Sources:
Getlein, Mark. Living With Art. 8th Edition. McGraw-Hill. 2008
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. http://www.nga.gov/

Activity #6: MIDTERM Exhibition

All the following artworks were taken from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.


Joseph Mallord William Turner
British, 1775 - 1851
Mortlake Terrace, 1827
oil on canvas

Berthe Morisot
French, 1841 - 1895
The Harbor at Lorient, 1869
oil on canvas

Eugène Boudin
French, 1824 - 1898
Coast of Brittany, 1870
oil on canvas

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
French, 1796 - 1875
The Forest of Coubron, 1872
oil on canvas

Alfred Sisley
French, 1839 - 1899
Boulevard Héloïse, Argenteuil, 1872
oil on canvas

Eugène Boudin
French, 1824 - 1898
Entrance to the Harbor, Le Havre, 1883
oil on canvas

Activity #5: Write About It!! Theme

In Rembrandt van Rijn’s “Abraham’s Sacrifice,” an ink drawing on paper completed in 1655, and M.C. Escher’s “Reptiles,” a 1943 lithograph, the artists make use of themes.

In “Abraham’s Sacrifice,” Rembrandt’s themes are story and history. Artists use stories and histories because they provide the artist with subject matter (62). The subject matter is the objects or events that the work depicts (36). In Rembrandt’s drawing, he uses emphasis to portray the subject matter by creating a contrast in value with his hatching and cross hatching techniques. The title of the piece, “Abraham’s Sacrifice,” along with the subject suggests that this is a piece of history and illustrates a unique event in the life of Abraham. Escher, however, does not use history and story as themes in his work. He uses other themes.

In “Reptiles,” Escher’s themes are invention and fantasy. They come from the minds of the artists. In Escher’s piece, one can tell that the themes are invention and fantasy by the subject. Lizards crawling out of a drawing and the merging back into it can only be created through one’s imagination. It is clear that Escher conjured this work from a fantasy.

Both artists use themes to portray the subject matter within their pieces. Although the themes are different, each piece is unique and intriguing in its own light.

Color Game!!

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Activity #4: Write About It! Design Principles

Both “Reptiles,” a lithograph by M.C. Escher in 1943, and “Abraham’s Sacrifice,” an ink drawing on paper completed in 1655 by Rembrandt van Rijn, use principles of design to generate fascinating works of art.

In “Reptiles” Escher uses the design principle of balance. Balance is the equal distribution of visual weight, the apparent heaviness of lightness of the forms arranged in a composition (125). In Escher’s drawing, the plant, the bottle, the open book, and the bucket serve as an implied shape that gives the composition balance. If one of these cornerstones is removed, notice the work becomes unstable. Not only does Escher use balance in his work, he also employs scale.

Both artists utilize the design principle of scale, although differently. Scale refers to size in relation to a standard or “normal” size (136). In Escher’s drawing, the lizards in the tessellation are the same size as those that crawl out. In contrast, Rembrandt uses hierarchical scale, the use of scale to indicate relative importance (138). Notice that the angel is drawn above Abraham, who is then above his son Isaac. This causes the viewer to assume that the angel is of a higher importance than Abraham or Isaac. Rembrandt also makes use of another design principle.

In “Abraham’s Sacrifice” Rembrandt employs the principle of emphasis. Emphasis means that our attention is drawn more certain parts of the composition than to others (134). He emphasizes the focal point, a small clearly defined area (134) in the piece by creating a contrast in value between Abraham, Issac and the Angel, and the foreground.

By using the design prnciples of balance, scale, and emphasis, both of the artists produce works that are appealing.

Activity #2: Write About It! Design Elements

In 1655 Rembrandt van Rijn created “Abraham’s Sacrifice,” an ink drawing on paper. Later, M.C. Escher created a lithograph in 1943 called “Reptiles.” Both artists employ the visual elements of design, both similarly and differently, to create appealing masterpieces.

Both artists make use lines. A line is a path traced by a moving point (Getlein, 82). Escher uses implied lines, figures or objects spaced closely enough that our minds connect them (86), to exhibit motion. A figure is the shape we detach and focus on (89). The lizards themselves act as a “dotted line” that creates a circle as they morph from imagination to reality and back again. In contrast, Rembrandt utilizes implied lines to portray direction of light entering the picture and contour lines can be seen in the outline the figures of Abraham, his son Isaac and the angel. Contour lines are the boundaries we perceive of three-dimensional forms (83).

Also portrayed in both works is the design element of light; though used for the same reason, different techniques are utilized. Escher uses a technique called chiaroscuro. It is a technique that employs shades of lights and darks, known as value (92), to record contrasts of light and shadow in the natural world (92). Escher uses this to create shadow and light direction in his work. However, Rembrandt uses hatching and cross hatching to portray the same effect. Hatching is the use of closely spaced parallel lines (93) and cross-hatching is a technique that uses additional lines laid on top of the first set to achieve darker values (93). Through these techniques, Rembrandt is also able to produce shadow, apparant beneath the angel's wing, and light direction.

The design elements of shape and pattern are present in Escher’s work. Shape is defined as a two-dimensional form that occupies and area with identifiable boundaries (87). In “Reptiles” Escher makes use of implied shape. Notice the shape that the lizards seem to create as the travel in and out of the pattern is that of a circle. Pattern is any decorative, repetitive motif or design (105). The tessellation that the lizards seem to crawl out of is an example of pattern.

Both artists employ the design elements of line and light in their masterpieces. Escher also uses pattern and shape. Although both works used the same elements, they produced completely different works that are both visually intriguing and interesting.


Note: All sources are from the Living With Art textbook.

Activity #1: On Line Museum Visit

M.C. Escher, Reptiles, 1943 Rosenwald Collection


Rembrandt van Rijn, Abraham's Sacrifice, 1655 Rosenwald Collection