Oil Painting: The Flame

The Flame by Jackson Pollock is an example of oil painting on canvas. Pollock, called "Jack the Dripper" by Time Magazine in 1956, experimented with different ways to use paint on canvas. The Flame was painted in his younger years, before he became famous for his work. Pollock was also an alcoholic, which eventually killed him at the age of 44 in a one car accident, in which he was driving. It's not a stretch to see how someone dealing with the demons of alcohol could create something like The Flame. There is some symbolism in it, surely. Most of us have vices, and some of us end up getting burned by them, which is what happened, figuratively, to Pollock. 

Encaustic: Target with Four Faces

Target with Four Faces by Jasper Johns is an example of encaustic, which involves using hot wax with pigment added.  Johns grew up in the deep south, in what he considered an artless community. Target with Four Faces seems to imply violence, as I'd argue most of us view a target as a means to end, with the end usually being some sort of ordinance, whether a bullet or a bomb. The faces give this a human element, as if to say that the target isn't implicitly harmless. It's possible that it's a comment on the ubiquitous violence in American culture. However, it was painted in 1955, so if it is, it's a reflection of what was happening at that time. It'd be easy to draw a parallel with modern times.

Watercolor: Still Life in Winter

Still Life in Winter by Charles Burchfield is an example of watercolor. Burchfield also used some pencil in the painting, and the painting was done on mounted paperboard. The painting was done during the period considered Burchfield's "Late Work," and may have been prompted by a psychological break around the time he turned 50.  His work during this time was marked by bright colors contrasting with almost haunting images. In this painting, the stark-white beauty of the owl contrasts with the dead plants in the background, an almost perfect analogy for winter.

Gouache: Tombstones

Tombstones, by Jacob Lawrence is an example of Gouache. Lawrence uses dark colors in contrast with the bright reds and blues to create and effect of despair. The figures are all very black, very dark. The opaqueness of the figures lends a sinister sense to what they're doing. Lawrence was born during World War 1, and the struggle for equal rights for African Americans in this country was documented by him. It definitely played a part in his paintings. Tombstone is interesting, especially with the amount of killing that currently occurs in poor neighborhoods in America. It's almost as if he foresaw what was going to happen, although the painting may be alluding to several other facets of African American life. 

Etching: Entombment; state I

Entombment; state I, by Rembrandt van Rijn is an example of etching. I chose this piece because of the subject matter (I believe it to be Christ's entombment) and the way he uses lines in the etching. Rembrandt went through several periods and styles during his life, and produced artwork of biblical and mythical stories. He was forced to quit etching after having to sell his printing press later in life. He used etchings to create religious artwork, as well as several obscene etchings. 

Woodcut: The Doctor

The Doctor, by Emil Nolde, is an example of woodcut art. The medium for this piece is the paper and the dark ink. What makes  it unique is the roughness of the artwork, which adds a sense of reality to the work. It's unrefined and rough around the edges. It's not perfect, just like the world isn't perfect. Nolde worked in several different mediums, and had an obsession with Vincent Van Gogh. He was also a supporter of the Nazi party in Germany, until he was forbidden to paint by Hitler. He continued to paint, calling his collection during this time the "Unpainted Pictures." His belief that all people should experience art is contradicted by his affinity for a party that took away that right (among many other, arguably more serious rights - including the right to live). 

Scale and Proportion: Mistos (Matches); detail of single spent match

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's Mistos (Matches); detail of single spent match is much larger in proportion to a regular-sized matchstick (obviously). The artists, I believe, are making a comment on fire, and how a matchstick looks so ordinary to us, but has the power to destroy and really change things. I think there may be a social comment in there, about how we may be ordinary, but if we were "lit" figuratively speaking, we could be dangerous.

Visual Movement: Race Riots

In Race riots were very numerous all over the North because of the antagonism that was caused between the Negro and white workers. Many of these riots occurred because the Negro was used as a strike breaker in many of the Northern industries by Jacob Lawrence, the movement starts in the lower right part of the painting, and snakes its way through to the left and ends at the top right corner. 

Contrast/Variety: The Penitent Magdalen

The Penitent Magdalen by Georges de La Tour is an example of both contrast and variety in a painting, as described in the text box. The painting itself is incredibly creepy.

Rhythm: War Series: Another Patrol

War Series: Another Patrol by Jacob Lawrence is an example of Rhythm because of the colors used in detailing the men's uniforms, the items they are carrying and the color of the men themselves. They appear to be walking, in rhythm, up the walkway. The repetition in the painting is not boring at all, as it implies movement.  

Emphasis: Elderly Woman with Her Daughter

Elderly Woman with Her Daughter by Anne Vallayer-Coster demonstrates several points of emphasis. First, there is the contrast in the colors: The blue and white dresses in contrast to the dark, drab background. She also uses direction, as the woman in the white dress reaches for the dog. The line of her arm points you to the dog. 

Balance: Winter in Union Square

Winter in Union Square by Childe Hassam is an example of asymmetrical balance, based on the contrast set by the dark colored buildings and buggies and the lighter colored sky and snowy ground.