Critical Analysis Paper ART PDF

Preview

Summary

Critical Analysis Paper template ...

Description

1 Critical Analysis of Night Lights

Critical Analysis Paper Student Name ART 209-B04 Fall 2019

2 Critical Analysis of Night Lights

Analysis of Night Lights

Night Lights (Night Lights 2015) is an oil painting on canvas by the artist Betsy Havens. It is part of her Congregate collection, located at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, of Myrtle Beach. Upon fist sight it draws feelings of bittersweet with the dark color scheme and the dreary background. When viewing this piece, you see a busy road and sidewalk, with older vehicles on the road. The vehicles appear to be from around the 1940s, and the silhouettes of the people appear to be wearing clothing of the same time period. The human figures are clustered on the side walk and some are crossing the road. They also appear to be wearing heavier clothing implying that the weather is cold. The streets are lined older styled buildings that are illuminated from within. The light within the buildings is casting the shadows on the road and it appears as though it recently rained, and water is still in the road. The light from inside the buildings also seems to be illuminating the sky as it becomes darker the further away from the buildings it becomes. The color scheme of this piece is dark and cool. This helps create the feeling of a cold rainy night. The shadowing of the piece creates a three-dimensional illusion, that feels as though you could almost step into the busy streets of the piece. The lines of the piece are slightly blurred and the piece borders between realism and impressionism. Realism is a general stylistic term to forms of sharply focused almost photographic painting irrespective of subject matter. (Tate YEAR) Impressionism is painted as though it is a fleeting impression of the surroundings. (Kelly

3 Critical Analysis of Night Lights

Richman-Abdou 2019) In this piece you see aspects of both, a perfect blend of both types of painting style. The artist used a wide array of dark colors and only a few light colors in this art piece. The light colors used depict the light coming from inside the buildings. This light is creating a slight glow in the image, that illuminates the street and sky. This helps create a realistic depth in the piece. The elements of art and the principal of design go well together in this piece. The color of the piece helps create the atmosphere. That along with the line of the piece create a dreary, but almost fantasy atmosphere. The busy streets and bustling people create a fast-paced rhythm in the piece, that contrast with the dreary background creating a stimulating image with depressed undertones. The piece is a two-dimensional media. It is oil paint on canvas. This is a common media used by Betsy Havens, with many of her works using the same media. This piece is different then other in her collection because it borders between realism and impressionism, while most of her work is strictly impressionism. Also, the content of this piece is eye catching. It varies from the other works in her collection as this piece is dated by the content. The older style vehicles and buildings differ from her more modern style. Betsy Havens seems to have worked very hard on the shadowing on this piece. The shadowing of this piece is subtle but creates the depth in this piece. Without the shadowing the piece would have been bland and boring. The light also is coming from inside the buildings instead of from the background or foreground. This must have been a very difficult technique for Betsy Havens to prefect. And seems like a daunting task for many artists.

4 Critical Analysis of Night Lights

Night Lights (Night Lights 2015) elicits a bittersweet emotion. The color scheme, shadowing, and content create a depressed overtone. While the busy streets full of cars and people create an almost happy contrast. The subject of this piece seems to be of the time after World War Two. The vehicles, clothing and buildings are of a style that suggests this time frame. This contributes to the bittersweet feeling of the piece. It suggests the happy atmosphere of having won the war and now the soldiers are home, but many lives were lost and not all of the soldiers came home alive. But the people must still move on and move forward. The artist seems to have wanted to convey the melancholy of the war but also the happiness of it having ended. This creates a contrast of emotions in the viewer of this piece. Betsy Havens is a local artist in the area of Georgetown SC. She has studied art since the age of 12. She now has her work displayed all over the world with many high-end collectors of her work. She has a passion for human figures in her works, depicting them doing a wide range of activities from fishing to dancing. She always depicts the human figures in an impressionistic manner, were you cannot make out their characteristics. She also uses a wide array of backgrounds for the human figures. Creating intriguing images for the viewers. Overall Nights Light (Nights Light 2015) is a wonderful work of art. It elicits contrasting emotions of melancholy as well as happiness. This bittersweet emotion helps draw the viewer into the painting. The artists mixed style of realism and impressionism creates a dreary fantasy that you feel as though you could almost step into.

5 Critical Analysis of Night Lights

References

Havens, B. (n.d.). Myrtle Beach.

Shovava. (2019, June 17). How Impressionism Changed the Art World and Continues to Inspire Us Today. Retrieved from https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-impressionism-definition/

Tate. (n.d.). Realism – Art Term. Retrieved from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/r/realism...