Self-Portrait by Chuck Close and Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat - Research Paper Example

Please check out (the original turns out to be lecture details (no particular question/case to be analyzed), so there are only 3 actual questions in all beginning with (#2)). I adjusted the numbering accordingly. (1) Discuss the use of visual elements and principles of design in the following two art pieces: “Self-Portrait” by Chuck Close and “Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. Address each work individually and then compare the two works, pointing to specific commonalities and contrasts in how the artists chose to use elements and principles. In the “Self-Portrait” by Chuck Close, the compositional structure appears to consist of subject within a glass or a glassy texture bearing diagonal grid. The grid frame exhibits patterns of intersecting line segments forming tiny squares which carry with them specific details of color and shape. Each square making the diagonal grid of the human face may be observed to encapsulate a somewhat abstract irregular form with a set of colors distinct from the rest yet as a whole, the unique pieces converge to unify into a focus that lies somewhere in the plane that connects the substance of the eyes to the lower portion of the face. One recognizes the finite sense of continuity in the balanced wholeness of the portrait that evokes a character of calm insight as seen through the composition of the eyes and the presence of symmetry indicating how the artist strives to attain an ideal head pose and tilt that introduces the confidence of the figure to the audience. Apparently, the glassy effect neutralizes the rather rigid and rough-looking facial profile as sustained by the quality of light in perspective as well as the mild blend of shades. Chuck Close’s “Self-Portrait” speaks to the viewer in a way that communicates the essence of parts in an approach that signifies how the coming of captured irregularities may proceed to establish logic and meaning of the art in-toto. On the other hand, while the work of Close in “Self-Portrait” takes on a modern concept, the creation of “Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat tends to remind a critical viewer of an art in the period of Neo-impressionism. Strokes of subtle and sublime impressions are projected in each figure where Seurat occurs to refine all curves and lines to the mood of a carefree Sunday just as how the thematic time and space is ideally imagined. Softness among elements in texture, color, and movement implies rhythm of pure order and smooth gestures that send the painting adrift to a valuable social dimension which flourishes one’s concrete thought of a light afternoon day in which the chief subject is leisure. “Sunday on La Grande Jatte” as it is exudes richness in classic attitude that can be dated back to the Renaissance wherein the equilibrium existing between emotion and intellect in the characters of the composition is highly manifested in the spatial arrangement of literal forms which go well with the aspect of meticulously blended hues. Within Seurat’s frame, the look and feel of landscape is poignant much as the sight of fashion in French women’s late 19th century clothing and demeanor that reflect through the image of hats, long ballooning skirts, and fancy umbrellas of common design featured with even distribution across the scenery. Compared to Close’s “Self-Portrait” which seems to represent the notion of individualism and centered at pondering on the man’s modern expression, Seurat’s “Sunday on La Grande Jatte” promotes the value of having company, a symbol of mutual affection, so that the principle of focal point in this case is applied in a manner that renders one to look around and examine the painting’s context from the inside out. It would feel as if Close’s theme, on the contrary, draws the inspecting task from the outside going in since the external with all the minute significant details are initially scattered for the view to collect the parts of the work into the intended yield. Furthermore, Seurat’s work is characteristic of miniature dots made for the emerging structure to be optically unified whereas Close’s attempt makes a 20th century style derived from a method of photorealism. (2) Discuss the use of visual elements and principles of design in the following two art pieces: “A Woman Drinking with Two Men” by Pieter de Hooch and “Zapatistas” by Jose Clemente Orozco. Address each work individually and then compare the two works, pointing to specific commonalities and contrasts in how the artists' chose to use elements and principles. An immediate impression one might probably have of “A Woman Drinking with Two Men” is a mood quite lethargic at having perceived a portrait of distant characters lain in canvas that brings across a 17th century household norm in reference to etiquette and mode of conversation. The light progresses from the window beside the table where the three principal members are gathered to discuss a seemingly crucial matter that this eventually makes the left half of the piece radiate the side where the focal point is designated, with the focus being the glass of wine held by the woman’s right hand. As opposed to the lighter area of de Hooch’s work, contrast is presented via the dim region with the servant and the painting above a chimney behind her to allude how such scene bears no relevance to the discourse taking place at the well-lighted side. Because “A Woman Drinking with Two Men” is a composition that belongs to the age of late Renaissance, it appears to develop an idea of ‘Enlightenment’ or anything closely associated to the use of intellect in proper decorum. Chequered in black and white, however, the floor may be claimed to symbolize harsh reality of gender differences and contending opinions which can be inferred from the position of the woman who is standing in front of the two seated men, as if she raises a very important point that requires serious attention. At this point, the emphasis placed on the wine glass with reddish liquor intensifies the woman’s sense of dominance as well as the conspicuous moment of intelligent exchange among the three main characters. With Jose Clemente Orozco’s “Zapatistas” of the early 20th century, nevertheless, the Mexican artist evidently assumes a form of visual art that greatly evokes violence which originally depicts a historical event of real Mexican Revolution for which Orozco himself expresses contempt as shown in his personal interpretation of the incident. “Zapatistas” stresses the consequences of the violent revolution which had brought the peasant followers of Emiliano Zapata, the revolutionary leader, to a death march and this particularly justifies Orozco’s wide utilization of earthly shades comprising of sharp bloody reds and blacks that equivalently possess a mixture with brown, as though to imply nativity and the trait of natural courage associated to a native pursuit concerning freedom or independence. Both the emboldened lines bordering human figures and vivified curves of the Mexican hats and swords suggest meaning of political injustice, coercion, and deprivation of human rights. These elements hold relative contradiction to the flowing clothes of the female members whose gentle shapes occur to set balance against the prevailing adversity of the intense colors and movement. Generally, both pieces “A Woman Drinking with Two Men” and “Zapatistas” are by nature historical and political depictions that essentially mark the times of their respective creators de Hooch and Orozco. While de Hooch’s art piece concentrates on portraying the value of intellect with a variety of classical colors, Orozco’s creation revolves around a more physical subject so that observers are led to contemplate on ‘fighting’ rather than ‘thinking’ men of reform. If there must be a tone related to the way de Hooch had structured “A Woman Drinking with Two Men” it would be somewhere within the range of philosophical rhythms that are more enraptured and fluid unlike in “Zapatistas” that could be imagined with distorted melodies of protest. (3) Discuss the use of visual elements and principles of design in the following two art pieces: “All of the Above” by Judy Phaff and “Several Circles” by Vasily Kandinsky. Address each work individually and then compare the two works, pointing to specific commonalities and contrasts in how the artists chose to use elements and principles. Judy Phaff, in her highly unique fashion, comes up with “All of the Above” in order to impact the audience with a strange insight of forms and patterns that irregularly extend in various directions of a huge space. Basically, Phaff combines curvilinear elements with texture, movement, shape, and mass by means of a mixed media consisting of materials such as strings, Plexiglas, lights, steel, paint, grapevines, plaster, and dye. These items are consequently designed to generate loop wires, disks, and vine-like objects distributed and arranged throughout the available space for a modern compositional structure which can be surreal or bizarre to look at. Such abstract expression may have originated from the artist’s passion for the primeval state of nature which could be thought of as coming from numerous indefinite forms capable of guiding a critic to the possibilities of visually meditating the picture of the world before the ‘definite’ and the ‘regular’. “All of the Above” is spread into a three-dimensional work so that viewers can literally explore within the structure of spinning wiggly wires and disk-stacks and judge that everything may have indeed undergone turbulence and disorder prior to the existence of ideal shapes and textures. “Several Circles” by Vasily Kandinsky, on the other hand, entails in it the theme of discovering the beauty of regularity out of two-dimensional circles of stellar colors. Such circles come in different sizes and are dispersed within the frame that centralizes on what appears to be an eclipse between a blue circle and another of one of unknown color. Other circles either partly or wholly intersect still others from which to see some primary colors and formation of complementary colors thereof. From the observer’s reference point directly across the framework, it would seem as if the variation in circular sizes has something to do with the distance of each circle from the eye-point of observation. Altogether, Kandinsky’s composition indicates a concept of evolution where the essence of intersection among circular entities represents creation that starts with the organization of the heavenly bodies. It turns out that Phaff and Kandinsky agree to a certain extent with respect to their views of the ancient world and time. Kandinsky prefers rich cosmic colors while Phaff maintains emphasis on mass and textures leaving a few colors to set contrast with each other. Though both artists express deep appreciation of the origin of things that might have included their notions of planets, dusts, gases, stars, and universal expanse, among others, they differ in terms of treatment of visual elements and the corresponding design principles each of them believe should govern the targeted forms and patterns, whether regular or irregular. Read More