Jasper Johns

Jasper Johns used Encaustic to paint this work titled "Flag" in 1955. Encaustic requires the artist to work quickly so that the wax that is used stays liquid and is able to be manipulated before drying. Johns used Encaustic in several works to give his works a very tangible and realistic appearance. It is said that he painted this painting after seeing the American flag in a dream. He was part of the Neo-Dadaist movement, which placed emphasis on the work itself rather than the concept of producing the work.

Charles Burchfield

The work above is "Rainy Night," a watercolor painting by Charles Burchfield that was done in 1930. Watercolor, as noted in the textbook, is a very expressive medium. Burchfield used this medium to depict average, small town happenings and industrialization during the Regionalist movement. Spending most of his time in the "Rust Belt," he incorporated the things he saw around him into his works.

Jackson Pollock

The picture above shows a work done in 1954 by Jackson Pollock titled "White Light." It is an oil drip painting which was a popular medium used by Pollock. He produced many of his works by laying a canvas on the floor of the studio and dripping painting and using other objects like glass, sand, etc. to produce a textured surface to the work. The oil paint can be layered which allowed Pollock to add drizzles of paint on top of others to create his unique works. He has been quoted as saying that he liked to work with the canvas on the floor because "...On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting." Although this technique may seem like it is random, Pollock insisted that he was purposeful in how he dripped his paint and that everything he did, he did for a reason. Something to note: Pollock was an alcoholic. The fact that he tried to drink away his problems may be connected to the idea that he was "at ease" when working with painting. In other words, much like alcohol, the method of laying the canvas on the ground and "being in the painting" was something that comforted Pollock, which is something that he needed.

Diego Rivera

The image above is a photo of a fresco wall painting done by Diego Rivera in 1930. It is titled "History of Mexico: From the Conquest to the Future." The subject matter here is very important because Rivera is from Mexico and was one of the key figures in the Mexican Mural Movement in art. Fittingly, this work depicts many historic events in the history of his native land. Additionally, the medium, fresco, is great for producing murals like the one seen here. Not only does it produce a nice image, but due to the way it is incorporated into the plaster of the wall, it becomes a very durable and long lasting work, making it a great choice for recording history through a mural.

Rembrandt van Rijn

Seen above, "Cleansing of the Temple" is an etching done by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1635. It depicts Christ in a temple, removing corrupt individuals from the sacred place. Being a Renaissance artist, Rembrandt used biblical scenes in much of his work. Etching requires a lot of attention to detail as it involves carefully creating various lines by exposing the metal plate that is being etched with acid. The result is a detailed image which looks almost like a drawing. Rembrandt was known as a very skilled etcher and the use of contrast in the light and dark areas which depict the shadows in the image are a true measure of just how much detail he put into his work.

Albrecht Durer

The image above is a wood engraving print done by Albrecht Durer in 1520 titled "The Virgin with the Swaddled Child." As can been seen in the details of the image, the grainy end part of the wood is used to produce the image. This wood grain leaves a textured appearance which can be seen above, specifically in the dress of the main figure and the background. Durer was a Renaissance artist and so he did a lot of works that dealt with religious figures, a popular subject of the time. Such is the case with this work here.

Scale and Proportion

Below is an image of the Jeff Koon sculpture called "Balloon Dog" which was completed in 2001. The reason that this is a good example of scale and proportion is because of how immensely huge the sculpture is. According to ARTstor, it is roughly 10ft x 12ft x 3.75ft in size. This is obviously much larger than an actual balloon dog would be. This difference in size allows the viewer to see the balloon dog in a way that they would not normally. A regular balloon dog would be small enough for the viewer to hold, whereas this one is big enough to the point where they could ride it. This difference in scale gives the viewer a different perspective as to what balloon animals are like.

 

Contrast and Variety

The image below is "Untitled, 1950-1" which is a photograph taken in 1987 by Louise Lawler. Much like the example of her work found in the book, this photograph contrasts two different objects in order to create variety in her work.

Indicated by the yellow arrows, a bench is in the foreground of the photograph. This bench, rather plain in nature, contrasts greatly with the artwork, indicated by the red arrows, that is hanging on the wall in the background. These two items are very different: one has a practical use as a place for people to sit, whereas the other is an aesthetically pleasing, yet non-functional piece of art that hangs on a wall. The differences between these two creates variety in the photo where they are placed in close proximity to each other.

Repetition and Rhythm

Below is an image of "Squiggly Brushstrokes" which is a 1997 painting by Sol LeWitt. It exemplifies repetition that creates a rhythm within the painting.

 

I've placed several yellow arrows to point out all of the white colored squiggles throughout the painting. I chose the white ones because they seemed to contrast most of the other colors which really made them stand out. From the number of arrows, it is clear that there is plenty of repetition in terms of color. Each line is also a squiggly shape. While they are not each the same exact shape, each squiggle is part of the general squiggle shape pattern found throughout the entire piece. The repetition of color and line/shape in this painting creates a flow and a rhythm for the viewer to enjoy.

Emphasis

The image below is a tempera painting done by Giotto around 1300 titled "Crucifix" and it depicts Jesus on a cross. This image shows emphasis through its use of a main focal point as well as a few other points that draw the viewers' attention.

 

As seen by the red arrows, the shape of the cross naturally brings the viewer to Christ's head as it is located where the horizontal beam and the vertical beam intersect. In addition to the shape of the cross, Christ's body itself brings the viewers' eyes to his head because his head is located between his hands and at the top of his torso which is where the viewer follows his legs up to. The blue and yellow arrows indicate where secondary focal points occur. Each is the apex point of a triangle and also one of the end points of the vertical beam in the crucifix. The triangular shape indicated by the arrows is an example of the visual movement that is used in this painting in an effort to create emphasis on certain focal points.

Balance

The image below is a 1610 painting by Michelangelo called "Doubting Thomas (Incredulity of Saint Thomas)" and it shows asymmetrical balance.

 

 

 As the arrows show, the painting can be divided into two sections both vertically and horizontally. The yellow arrow splits the painting into two balanced sections. Both above and below the line, there is a great deal of light very close to the arrow. These areas of light essentially cancel each other out. The same can be said of the dark areas in the corners of the painting. Since each side of the arrow contains a similar amount of darkness, balance is achieved. Looking at the white arrow, we can see that there is balance between the areas to the left and right of it. The arrow is off center due to the amount of darkness there is on the right side of the painting. It is counterbalanced by the bright light that appears at the far left.

Visual Movement (Continuation)

The image seen below is "The Hurdy-Gurdy Player" and it is an oil painting that was completed by George de la Tour sometime between 1628 and 1630. It is a great example of visual movement as the arrows on the second picture show.

 

 

Below, the arrows, alternating between the colors white and red, show the pathway that the viewers eyes take when looking at the painting. The combination of light and shadows takes the viewer on a path that starts near the toe of the musician's left foot, travels up his left leg to the bottom of the instrument, follows the light up to the top of his head, goes down through his chin and right hand until it reaches his right knee where it cuts back down toward his right foot before finally following the shadow from his foot to the original point that we started at. This clear pathway that takes the viewer throughout the painting and then back to the original point is a good example of how visual movement can be implemented into a piece of artwork.