Analysis Of William Harnett : A Smoke Backstage / Oil On Canvas

The lines within the composition draws the viewer into several directions. The ruffles draw the eyes upward to the Daniel’s finger as it points to the right. Daniel’s finger directs the viewer horizontally as it does the king. The table with its array of dishes is another example of a horizontal line. The king’s hands are holding a fork and knife. The fork is also pointing right where as the knife is pointing left diagonally towards the king. The courtesan, leaning against the king’s right shoulder, is another example of a diagonal line. The painting also has a vertical feel to it. This is evident in the composition of Daniel standing, the candle and the arm holding the cigar. Like every line, every color used draw attention to the object.

From her auburn curls cascading from beneath her tilted hat, to her arm positioning, the trees, clouds, down to the tiniest blades of grass, they all slant one way or the other. The artist has utilized the diagonal line is multiple ways; the slight angles that Reynolds incorporated into each area provides a sense of movement in what could have been a dry and stagnant scene. Along with movement, there lies an illusion of depth: paired with shading, the use of line gives the perception of more area being included than there actually is. These lines also direct the viewer’s eye toward the sitter. Objects located around the edges of the composition lean towards the center, pulling the viewer’s glance directly to the

Smoke Signals is an award-winning movie directed by Chris Eyre, written and co-directed by Native American poet, fiction writer, and filmmaker Sherman Alexie and based on the book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. The film reveals the reality of modern Native American life on an Indian reservation using Native American oral tradition storytelling to present insightful interpretation how different and indirect the path to forgiveness works within the movie. Alexie suggests that the importance of authentic cultural filmmaking is best told through the eyes of Native Americans and their acceptance of their given life. Alexie beliefs the storytelling path to forgiveness and acceptance manifests through powerful and humorous

However, the desert scene and mountains suggest that this was painted in Southern California. In the background, one can see a man leading a pack animal, a woman, and an infant along a road towards the church, identified by the cross on the rooftop. There are no shadows to define form in the background. This is, again, a contrast to the shadows made by the Madonna in the foreground. The lack of shadows, however, does not make the background look flat. The Impressionist styled painting and the lack of detail in the background creates a distant look that gives depth to the painting. The numerous contrasts between the background and the foreground allows the artist to subtly draw the viewer?fs attention towards the foreground. These contrasts help grab the viewer?fs gaze and direct it to the most important part of the painting: the woman and baby.

It is almost a reflection of the man’s trident. That same pitchfork shape also appears in the window of the house that sits in between both figure’s heads. Repetition can also be seen in the dotted pattern of the woman’s outfit, which also appears in the material of the curtain that hangs in the house’s window. The echo of verticals in this painting is also strong. The faces and bodies of the figures seem to be stretched, and narrowed. The pitchfork’s slender prongs and the green stripes on the man’s shirt also add to the elongation of their frame. The copious amounts of vertical wood boards that make up the house and the barn, keep the viewer’s eye moving up and down the picture plane. Wood’s use of verticality in this painting is overwhelming.

The horizontal lines of the land represent calmness and te diagonal and vertical lines of the sea represents power and ever changing . There is a contrast with these two such as the sea is ever changing and the land that is hard slow to change. Next I looked at the shapes of the painting. With landscapes, such as this painting, there is organic shapes that show the chaos and never ending change of the ocean and storm that is pounding the land that is calm. I then looked at the contrast of the waves and land then the sky and storm. The waves are dark with the land being light with the opposite light above the dark waves and dark above the light land area. It makes it seem like the storm clouds are passing with the rising of the

The heavenly portrayal of the background and foreground shows a flawless use of space. The distance between the foreground and background was well selected for this piece. This is die to the fact that the two children are not close enough to exaggerate the way they look but they are also not too far away. The distance covered in the background communicates a message of clarity and relaxation that is evident in the children's faces. Two dimensional portrayal of the painting appears to fit the calculated purpose. The

Finally, the depiction of figure is perhaps the most interesting and intellectually challenging element in this piece. The figure, while emotionally withdrawn from the viewer, is physically imposing. She is looking down and away from the viewer, as if the isn’t aware that she is being watched. Her mask-like facial features also do little in the way of conveying emotion. Her body, however, is quite different. The dark thick lines shaping her muscles and limbs, the detail in the curls of her hair, the placement of her fingers, and her exposed breast all demand the attention of the viewers’ eye. The bold lines that define her legs, waist, and hip, make her seem intrusively part of our space. The awkward placement of her

The relationship in the painting between the mother and daughter give it a definite asymmetrical balance and maybe a little radial balance. A radial balance because of their eyes being the central focus, then the faces, then the holding of each other, then where they are placed on the canvas, and then the bench and the landscape. The colors used by the painter, also creates balance with in the picture. The wine colored dress of the mother, red sash of the daughter’s dress, ruby lips, and the rosy cheeks give a warm feeling to the central focus of the mother and daughter. The cool color of the sky is the same as the women’s eyes as well as the trees and green on the mother’s dress. These balances give unity or a unifying feeling to the painting, especially between the mother and daughter.

Pollock explicates that the once again the reason for these differences goes back to the fact of the differences of men and women in the social realm. She describes the fact that the proximity of figures in their works of art, such as Morisot's painting The Harbor at Lorient. In this painting the figure is seated in the extreme right of the picture, isolated. To Pollock, Morisot was trying to show "...the boundary between the spaces of masculinity and of femininity inscribed at the level of both what spaces are open to men and women and what relation a man or woman has to the space and its occupant (Pollock, 251)". Pollock goes on to state how Cassatt does the same thing, just in a different way. Cassatt uses proximity in her works usually by making the figure dominate the work, therefore "The viewer is forced into a confrontation or conversation with the painted figure while dominance and familiarity are denied by the device of the averted head… (Pollock, 251)".

The use of line in this piece is also very interesting. The artist employs a high horizontal line to create a plunging effect giving the piece more depth. Another use of lines in the image is to create focal points to attract the viewer. Lines are also used to separate the different sections of the painting. Overall this painting uses lines in dynamic ways that vastly enhance the viewers’ pleasure and admiration of the piece.

I think the artist is able to communicate the bad condition of the ship and its crew is in. The mood of the work is scary and gloomy. The design and intensity of the waves, the changing weather, and the ships in the ocean seem to make the scene come alive. It really conveys a since of naturalism in the painting the way it depicts the environment around the ship.

The beautiful painting is a visual treat to anyone laying eyes on it. The blue sky the wavy water the sailboats all are ironic to any coastal shore. The moon on the distance is an indication that it’s early dusk or dawn. The sea looks windswept but calm and clear rather than stormy and angry. The ship is setting out on a long journey but the butterflies are an indication to a positive spin on departure so it’s probably intended for people who have had or will have firsthand experience with departure and those emotions.

Then there are also many psychological lines to be seen in the work. One such line is of the woman and the floor, where she is staring down towards it. Another is from the young child and the store clerk, showing a defiance between the two. Next, light and value are not very contrasting in this painting, with only the basic highlights and the shadows seen. It isn’t completely contrasting or contradicting since the colors blend well together with close to the same value ranges, dark colors seen throughout except for the people’s pale faces. There also seems to be a variety of light sources since the woman’s face along with the shop clerk and the young boy’s is lit up by what seems to be a light bulb since they’re much brighter and highlighted and then the men and women in the back aren’t really as bright, except for the ones who close to the open door, creating a blue tinge from the outside light. The shapes shown through the painting is shown to be either very round or very geometrical. There are organic shapes in things such as the umbrella or even the back of the chair, but mostly it is either straight lines and geometrical shapes. The volume shown in the painting is very much implied, correctly showing the

Further more, in the painting, “the Gleaners”, the entire screen is filled with contrast elements. First of all, the main figures in the front labor scene are full of rich vigor, contrasting to the background with silent objects such as hay, trees and farmhouse. Secondly, the color brightness of the front contrast to the back, as well as the comparison of relative sizes between figures and scenery, applying the principle of perspective. What’s more, the most classic is the horizontal line, the intersection of the sky and the ground, contrasting with the light source, from the top left. Consequently, 2D and 3D spatial effects are combined precisely. Meanwhile, the sense of space of the image is strengthened as well.