Jack Vettriano A Contemporary Artist - Essay Example

Question – include the artists this is where you should give a brief biography and background of the artist. Title of the work you are going to write about, what style is it (cubism, pop, conceptual…) and what is that style about, subject, is the work abstract, representational or non-representational. (15 points) The Artist whose work I chose to review is Jack Vettriano. Jack Vettriano was born in the year 1951 in a city called Fife in Scotland and he dropped out of School when he was the age of sixteen in order to pursue a career in engineering, with emphasis on mining. At the age of 21, Vettriano Jack had an interest in painting when he received a set of water-colors as a gift from his girlfriend and thus spending much of his spare time learning the styles and techniques of painting (Vettriano, p 4). A breakthrough in Jacks artist life came in 1989 when he produced two paintings, The Portrait of Gail and Saturday Night to the annual exhibition of Royal Scottish Academy which were accepted and later sold. In 1990, he entered three paintings for the London Royal Exhibitions and this shaped his image as an artist since his works were greatly approved and widely accepted. In 1999, Vettriano work was exhibited, for the first time in New-York. He produced twenty paintings and all of them were sold after the first day. Vettriano has produced artistic paintings such as, Voyage of Discovery (1992), Dance me to the end of Love (1993) and The Singing Butlers (1992). 2004 was a great year for Vettriano since his painting, known as the singing butler was sold at Sotheby, Scotland for close to 750,000 dollars and he received the Order of British Empire Award (OBE) for his excellent work in visual arts. Jack Vettriano is also involved in Philanthropic activities. In 2008, he donated a painting, the study of blue-birds for auction in the London Trade fair in-order to raise funds for the Terrance Higgins Trust. In 2004, Vettriano set up a scholarship for St Andrews University to fund a student who was unable to attend University. These are only but a few examples of Vettriano Philanthropic activities. The style of Vettriano painting is often described genre painting and is viewed as sentimental or mysterious as they often depict elegant men and women, with cigarettes and in cocktail parties hinting at erotic activities with intimacies. Today, Jack Vettriano works in his studios in London and Scotland and he has many collectors of his works.   The artistic painting ill review is The Singing Butler painting. The Singing Butler is a classic painting and was produced in 1992 and it is suited for framed art print. The Style Used by Jack Vettriano to develop this painting is called the Pop Style of Art which first developed in London in 1952. (Vettriano and Anthony, p 12)This style is aimed at enhancing images of popular culture and thus targeting a broad audience and it is mostly inspired by comic activities, advertisements and entertainments. The Subject matter portrayed in the painting is Romanticism. Romantism is depicted when the Man, with an impeccable suit and neatly combed haircut holds a sleek woman dancing near at the sea side. Romantic dances, near sea side’s is uncommon and thus the Nostalgic theme on the lost days when people used to camp at the sea side having a romantic feel. The Painting is an example of a Representational piece of Art b) Media – What media does the artist use? What are the characteristics of that media and the process which was used? How does the media or technique affect the meaning of the work? (10 points) Oil has been used as a media in painting this piece of art. Oil as a media has the following Characteristics, Its dry films are flexible It produces effects of gloss and transparency Its rate of getting dry is low. The Process used in using oil as a media of painting involves the following steps. Sketch the subject on the Canvas. Usually, Canvas is used hand in hand with oil while painting. Mix the oil with a solvent to create a thinner drying effect on the oil. Apply the paint on the sketch using a paint brush. On the sketch, add more additional oil than the layer beneath it to produce a fine paint. The media used in producing this paint, brings out its texture. Oil has produced a shinny and a glossy texture in the picture and thus, a viewer is able to identify the mood in the paint. The Nostalgic effect/Mood Question 2) Analysis – What Visual Elements and Principles of Design does the artist emphasize and how? (10 points) The artist has emphasized the following Visual Elements and Principles of design. Use of Color The artist has used dark and Bright Colors. There is emphasis of black colors, Red Colors and Yellow Colors. The contrasting use of colors produces a perfect feel of elegance in the painting. Color has also been used to produce the naturalistic beauty of the surrounding environment and thus producing the emotive aspect of the paint. Tone/Light He has used light and darkness to produce/depict the elegance of the painting. The sky on the background produces a dark effect and on the fore-ground, the sun is high over-head, thus producing a light effect. Light as used in this painting produces a feeling of elegance and Nostalgia and the romantic touch in the paint. Use of Lines The artist has used both horizontal straight and curved lines to produce this paint. The Umbrellas have a mixture of straight and curved lines. The Women’s postures are curved and on men, the artist has used both curved and straight lines. There is also use of curved lines on the dancing techniques. The curves make the visibility of the wind currents and it is anchored by the horizontal line. The horizontal lines are also used to portray the wet beach from the background. The artist use of lines produces an emphasis on the act itself. The dancing act is depicted and thus portraying the importance of this romantic act. This enhances the development of the Romantic theme. Size/Mass The artist use of size is proportional and thus the drawing is viewed as symmetrical and thus drawing the assumption of equality between the men and the women. This is a modern cultural value of Western Europe. Texture The artist has used a smooth, dull and a rough texture to design the painting. Use of a dull texture is portrayed on the background while use of a smooth and rough texture is portrayed on the fore-ground. Emotion There is a calm relaxed emotion portrayed in the picture. This is shown by the dancing of the two individuals and the postures of a maid and the other man carrying an umbrella (308).   Question 3) Interpretation – What is the Content of the work (What is the meaning of the work?) What is the theme and/or function of the work and why? (10 points) This work by Jack Vettriano depicts a picture of four individuals. A man, sharply dressed, in dark suit with neatly combed hair, holds a woman, dressed in red clothing and they are in a dancing position. The other man is also dressed in a dark suit and he holds an umbrella. The other woman, looks like a servant. She is dressed in white apron and a dark dress. She is also holding an umbrella. The sea is also depicted and on the background, the sky is shown. This work can be used to explain the meaning of Romance. As in an erotic feel between a man and a woman produced by engaging in seductive activities (Vettriano, p 16). The theme that is depicted in this painting is Romanticism. Romance is depicted by the manner of dance between the two couples and also the location of their dance. Colors have been widely used to develop this theme. The sea in itself, in the picture produces an erotic feel of romance. Use of bright and dull colors in this painting produces also produces a romantic touch. The function of this work is creating a nostalgic feel of the lost practices of Romance for example Sea dating and dancing. Q 4: Judgment: What is your informed opinion of the artwork? Why is it important to the history of art? (5 points) This is a perfect piece of art. Jack Vettriano has managed to use the visual elements of arts and principles of design to effectively develop this painting. Use of light is effectively used to bring out the composed and calm mood in the painting. Curved and horizontal lines on the other hands depict the importance of the act itself, the dancing act. The contrasting use of colors produces an elegant feel and the use of tone/light helps in developing the romantic theme of the painting. This work of art is extremely important to the History of art in the following ways, It is a perfect example of representational painting produced by modern day artists. It has many critics as well as supporters. It is the most expensive piece of art to be sold in Scotland. Work Cited Jack Vettriano. A life / text by Anthony Quinn. London: Anova books, 2004. Quinn, Anthony, and Jack Vettriano. Lovers and other strangers: paintings by Jack Vettriano. London: Pavilion, 2000. Vettriano, Jack. Jack Vettriano. New ed. London: Pavilion, 2011. Read More