Sundial for Racing, 1962, canvas, paint, resin, mixed media -Scarpitta
This piece is made of many pieces of leather and other fabrics, the middle piece of this leather is actually suspended by belts on the top and bottom levitating it above the back slab. Scarpitta uses color spectacularly with a seemingly tetradic color scheme of red, orange, light blue, and yellow green. He set his piece during an automotive revolution in which cars began to become part of everyday life. He uses real car parts in his piece but “bandages them up” to show the danger of racing, important to note that he got the parts from formerly wrecked racecars. Conversely he used bright colors and bold strips to show the exciting nature of the sport. Through color and symbolism he represents his view of the fast paced sport. Looking closely it is possible to see Scarpitta’s attention to simultaneous contrast, juxtaposing layers of adjacent colors on top of each other to create interest for the eye. For example the middle rod has blue stripes covered in orange blobs, and the blue and green stripes of the leather have overlapping streaks of blue and green mixed with each other. The tears of the piece create interesting points of emphasis where the fabric buckles and raises, creating a 3d structure which allows shade to be represented on the piece. Because the wall behind the piece is white, the holes are quite bold to look at in the mostly colored piece. There is an interesting message of transition in the work, despite the new age metals, pipes and machinery, there is still an important use of old materials like leather and fabric.
The Japanese Footbridge, 1899. Oil on canvas, -Claude Monet
Monet masterfully captures a Japanese pond onto a canvas. In reality the pond would be quite dynamic, the reeds swaying the water rippling, the lily pads drifting, and thus Monet tries to create the impression of the pond rather than a photo like image. His use of color is exemplary, depicting the grass through a flurry of greens. To show the difference in the real grass and the reflected grass he uses thicker more sporadic marks in the reflection in order to maintain the shimmering effects. The bright pink and white contrast nicely with the darker green background creating continuity as the eye follows the flowers into the bridge. Up close the painting is totally different, each mark remains mostly unmixed with the next and brush stroke is well preserved. The colors of the pond also reveal themselves as hidden browns ad even oranges. The overall emotion of the piece is serene in a still yet dynamic pond. One can just imagine themselves on that bridge staring into the water, enjoying themselves. Trough the use of small unit strokes a large and intricate scenery can be developed. Thus the piece is successful at conveying its message that beauty doesn’t need to come from painstaking layers of oil paint, but simple strokes of acrylic will suffice.
Fermented Soil, 1965, Oil on Canvas, -Hans Hoffman
The piece is overly neutral colors with bright strokes of color dispersed in between. The most color is towards the bored of the browns and the white top right coroner. To the top left is a large purple section which is striking to look at. Green stokes of color are scattered in the brown mass, and seem to represent some sort of plant, perhaps something to do with grapes because there are purple strokes adjacent to them and the title is Fermented Soil.
Other than the spectacular split complimentary color scheme of orange, light green and purple, the paint application tells a lot. It is heavy and uncovered. The bristle marks of the brush were intentionally left in the painting. It reminds me of an impressionist painting except zoomed in. Perhaps Hoffman was closer to Franz Kline with a sense of action preserved in the patina application.
To me, the mesh of neutral strokes really captures the look of the soil, with so many minerals, organic molecules, and living creatures every inch of the earth looks difference from the next. Fermented might mean that the grapes are being produced for later use or that the fruit has fallen and decayed, fermenting on the soil as time passes. The white border seems to isolate the piece, giving it finite edges rather than think about a larger landscape, perhaps emphasizing the here and now.
I think the piece is successful in getting across an agrarian setting. The colors keep the painting interesting to look at. Several questions remain hidden, and keep me wondering for answers.
This piece is made of many pieces of leather and other fabrics, the middle piece of this leather is actually suspended by belts on the top and bottom levitating it above the back slab. Scarpitta uses color spectacularly with a seemingly tetradic color scheme of red, orange, light blue, and yellow green. He set his piece during an automotive revolution in which cars began to become part of everyday life. He uses real car parts in his piece but “bandages them up” to show the danger of racing, important to note that he got the parts from formerly wrecked racecars. Conversely he used bright colors and bold strips to show the exciting nature of the sport. Through color and symbolism he represents his view of the fast paced sport. Looking closely it is possible to see Scarpitta’s attention to simultaneous contrast, juxtaposing layers of adjacent colors on top of each other to create interest for the eye. For example the middle rod has blue stripes covered in orange blobs, and the blue and green stripes of the leather have overlapping streaks of blue and green mixed with each other. The tears of the piece create interesting points of emphasis where the fabric buckles and raises, creating a 3d structure which allows shade to be represented on the piece. Because the wall behind the piece is white, the holes are quite bold to look at in the mostly colored piece. There is an interesting message of transition in the work, despite the new age metals, pipes and machinery, there is still an important use of old materials like leather and fabric.
The Japanese Footbridge, 1899. Oil on canvas, -Claude Monet
Monet masterfully captures a Japanese pond onto a canvas. In reality the pond would be quite dynamic, the reeds swaying the water rippling, the lily pads drifting, and thus Monet tries to create the impression of the pond rather than a photo like image. His use of color is exemplary, depicting the grass through a flurry of greens. To show the difference in the real grass and the reflected grass he uses thicker more sporadic marks in the reflection in order to maintain the shimmering effects. The bright pink and white contrast nicely with the darker green background creating continuity as the eye follows the flowers into the bridge. Up close the painting is totally different, each mark remains mostly unmixed with the next and brush stroke is well preserved. The colors of the pond also reveal themselves as hidden browns ad even oranges. The overall emotion of the piece is serene in a still yet dynamic pond. One can just imagine themselves on that bridge staring into the water, enjoying themselves. Trough the use of small unit strokes a large and intricate scenery can be developed. Thus the piece is successful at conveying its message that beauty doesn’t need to come from painstaking layers of oil paint, but simple strokes of acrylic will suffice.
Fermented Soil, 1965, Oil on Canvas, -Hans Hoffman
The piece is overly neutral colors with bright strokes of color dispersed in between. The most color is towards the bored of the browns and the white top right coroner. To the top left is a large purple section which is striking to look at. Green stokes of color are scattered in the brown mass, and seem to represent some sort of plant, perhaps something to do with grapes because there are purple strokes adjacent to them and the title is Fermented Soil.
Other than the spectacular split complimentary color scheme of orange, light green and purple, the paint application tells a lot. It is heavy and uncovered. The bristle marks of the brush were intentionally left in the painting. It reminds me of an impressionist painting except zoomed in. Perhaps Hoffman was closer to Franz Kline with a sense of action preserved in the patina application.
To me, the mesh of neutral strokes really captures the look of the soil, with so many minerals, organic molecules, and living creatures every inch of the earth looks difference from the next. Fermented might mean that the grapes are being produced for later use or that the fruit has fallen and decayed, fermenting on the soil as time passes. The white border seems to isolate the piece, giving it finite edges rather than think about a larger landscape, perhaps emphasizing the here and now.
I think the piece is successful in getting across an agrarian setting. The colors keep the painting interesting to look at. Several questions remain hidden, and keep me wondering for answers.