In class on Wednesday, we discussed the formal aspects of artworks
(form: line, shape, color, value, texture, composition, movement). The pages below are excerpts from "A Short Guide to Writing About Art". These excerpts help to distinguish between a description of an artwork and a formal analysis. In other words, between simply saying what something looks like to to using words that actually
do something - that tell us
how the marks and colors and movement make us feel about an artwork.
(Click to view them larger... )
After you have read the excerpts, write a four sentence formal analysis of the painting below.
Remember, use sentences that tell us something about how the painting makes you feel, what it does. Don't say something is "interesting" (interesting could be good or bad), rather use words with more strength, opinion and emotion.
For example, "there is a blue line down the middle of the girl's face" tells us nothing about what it does to the girl's depiction - try something like, "a pale blue tinted stripe splits her face into two opposing halves; one demure and serene, the other a stringent, unrealistic yellow."
The painting to me depicts the women wanting to be something she is not. The way she sees herself in the mirror to me, almost looks depressing, that she is unhappy with what she sees. The way she is looking out into another direction makes me feel she is ashamed of people looking at her and she wants them to look away. The paintint over all looks unhappy and that her life is unsatisfying.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Barbiero
The expression of the woman's face shows that she is disturbed by the face staring back at her in the mirror. She appears to be shunning the false image and faults that she "sees" in herself by the way she is refusing to look into the mirror. Her mirror twin looks nearly dead because of the huge dark red holes in place of her eyes, representing the misconstrued existence of flaws. The colors used in the woman on the left are realistic colors, grounding which of the two is real and which is imagined.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Humen
It seems as if the woman in the painting is avoiding eye contact, reluctant to look at the inevitable skewed reflection that awaits her. However the reflection is looking directly at her with devilish red eyes and a mis constructed image with dreary dark colors. As if trying desperately to get her to acknowledge and adopt the unavoidable embellished imperfections that her left side of her yellow face. But to prevent further damage and indoctrination of herself she looks away to save whats left of her true image, the right side of her face divided by a subtle purple line.
ReplyDelete-Mike O-
The reflection of the woman in the mirror seems to tell another story of who she really is like it’s showing her true colors. However the woman in the left appears not to be comfortable with it and makes it visible with her face expression. The left side of her face seems to be sad but there is something on the right yellow side that also makes her look mad. To me the paint reflects that the woman it’s disappointed of what she sees on the mirror, and by looking away seems like there is a reality that she doesn’t want to admit.
ReplyDeleteMars Ram.
The division in the girl's face shows us that she is seen in two different ways. When she looks in the mirror she sees herself in a negative light, as suggested by the darker colors in the artwork. When others look at her, they see her as normal and perhaps beautiful. The curves on the right side of her body seem to also be surreal, also telling us how she sees herself or views her body.
ReplyDeleteGirl in mirror painting
ReplyDeleteThe painting to me shows two figures at odds the one on the left is trying to be a part of or have the right figure accept the left figure defined by the close proximity of space between them. The vibrant colors of the left figure to me show signs of hope and optimism and the extending arm reinforce the feeling of wanting or being accepted. The dark colors and close containment of the right figure display opposite feelings and intentions of the left figure. The orange and blue line that runs down the middle separating the two figures summarizes the mixed feelings and intentions on both sides of the painting.
-Andrew S