A Symbol of Civilization and Rejuvenation and Love - Assignment Example

and interpretation of images Image The first image, PH-244 of 1953, by Clyfford Still, is merely abstracted and can easily gain varying interpretations all over the world. The unsigned work is almost possible to describe with words as Still wanted not to be specific or influence the audience’s interpretation of the work. However, it still makes sense even in its unfounded and formless nature. PH-244 of 1953 is a large image of a color field crudely applied by use of palette knives. The colors, applied on a board, are beautifully interlocking to create a beautiful impression. What is more visible is the pale brown patch shapeless separated from the other amorphous pale brown patch by a patch of purple color. Moreover, on the canvas, some patches of earth tones are visible and this can be interpreted as streams of water. The entire image appears to be immersed in a large water body, probably an ocean. A short distance from the pale brown colored patches, there is a green patch which looks more of vegetation. The vegetation seems to be similarly immersed in water. Despite this, the vegetation looks health and easily distracts attention from the shapeless pale brown images. There is a thick line that runs vertically on the canvas dividing the canvas into two equal portions. On the left side of the canvas, there is a formless figure which looks more of a replication of the image on the right side. This indicates the artist’s prowess in utilizing negative space in creating a masterpiece that communicates the intended meaning without diluting the message or controlling the audience’s mind by providing any kind of realistic information in the image; not even the title can help in making any meaningful interpretations. I strongly believe that through PH-244 of 1953 Still wanted to express the way life was changing in America. The pale brown patches imply the hardship that Americans, particularly the blacks, were undergoing in America, and the green patch denotes a land where all suffering Americans were eagerly eyeing for. For many Americans, during the time of the painting, life had lost meaning, and Still decided to use his artistic prowess in championing for their liberation and equal treatment. Clyfford Still made the image more abstract and avoided giving any meaningful title so that it could have a large audience which could associate themselves with the occurrences in America during the 1950s. PH-244 of 1953 portrays abstraction at its best. Image 2 In the second image, Still uses some red patches, black color, white and brown to create the image of the upper part of the human body. The man’s head is painted in black, a representation of hair, while the face looks more of an elongated face mask with some blue patches denoting the eyes. Some pale blue color seems to be coming out of his eyes connoting tears. The man’s hand is huge and ghostly with the fingers being huge over ordinary size. The man is wearing a shirt with some red patches. In the background, one can notice a brown blanket and some blue waters in the far distance. In the drawing, the artist utilizes thick black lines in shaping the edges of the man’s portrait, as well as the frame of the image. The simplistic and almost childlike handling of form is appealing and cannot go unnoticed. This seems to have been created from pure imaginations but still communicates the envisioned message. The artist manages to combine intensity of the image with a high and often rare degree of delicacy and sensitivity to produce an image that stares back at the audience. While the colors seem to have been applied using a palette knife, a clear look of the image makes one to vividly remember the kind of torture that blacks were subjected prior to world war 2. Through the image, Still portrays the physical, psychological, and emotional effects of hard work. While many Americans believed that hard work was the way of attaining political, social, and economic prosperity, Still considered hard work to be destructive considering its form during the 1930s and created such a dreary image as a way of revealing the negativities of hard work on the victims as a way of calling for elimination of the practice of forcing people to work. The man’s fingers are swollen as a result of working extra hard. Similarly, his face is deformed due to the struggles undergone during the work. The image’s back and front side are equally scary and portray the adversarial nature of the working environment during Still’s time. It is a call for respect and dignity for humanity. Image 3 In the third image, Veronica Herrera Forever After Pencil 2014, the skull of a human head is seen. The artist uses a pencil and smooth paper to draw an upsetting human head skull. However, upon a closer look at the eye sockets, one realizes that the skill is simply a halloween and eyes full of life are seen in the space meant for the eyes. The artist uses a pencil to draw sharp lines that join on the surface creating some circular patches which resemble flowers. The skull is ornamented on every side against the common form of skulls. Equally, the teeth and nose are sharply drawn and can easily be recognized at first sight. Apparently, while the audience expects the skull to be lifeless, the artist deliberately includes drawings of eyes of a human being full of life. The artist creates a sharp contrast between life and death. The skull, which is often used to caution people against impending danger, is decorated with patches of flowers to indicate the beauty of life regardless of the fact that one has to die. I believe the author candidly wanted to express frustration with life by merely using a pencil and calling upon human beings to prepare for death since they are dead anyway. The artist equates the living conditions to death considering the many problems facing humanity from every side; ineffective leadership, natural calamities, social inequity and social-economic instability are common among them. Hence, in our present form, while still living, the many factors that work against the harmonious and comfortable human life have reduced human beings to a state not far from dead beings. Since the image is dated 2014, it simply portrays the challenges faced by contemporary societies and their current meaningless, dull, and unattractive life. Communities are on the verge of total death and the artist calls for improvement of all factors that have the potential of affecting human life. Thus, to me, Veronica Herrera Forever After Pencil 2014, seems to be a perfect masterpiece that tells humanity to reconsider its ways and actions. Image 4 Image 4 is the Psyche 2010 by Donald Lipski. I can see the image of a beautiful butterfly. The image is made of black steel metal which acts as the body of the butterfly. The butterfly has beautiful four wings created by a perfect combination of black, dark red and white colors. A deep look of the image indicates that what looks like dark red patches are test tubes filled with resin. The test tubes filled with resin seems to be lightly suspended from the steel that divides the wings. Apparently, the test tubes represent the veins of the butterfly. Similarly, the black patches are made from steel sheet whereas the white patches have been created by making holes on the steel sheet. What’s more, there is a glass curtain wall from where the butterfly is suspended using chains. The bluish light is caught by the butterfly and seems to be reflected. The artist uses simple and readily available materials to express his imagination in a beautiful and attractive manner as well as incorporate aspects of space and dimensional considerations. The masterpiece must have been drawn on a piece of paper by simply using a pencil before being transferred to the form that it is in this image. Donald Lipski draws this image to show the beauty of sciences. A butterfly is a common insect in biological sciences. Similarly, test tubes are basic equipment in the field of science. By using the test tubes and resin coupled with steel to create a butterfly, the artist wanted to portray the beauty of science. The interpretation is that science is an important field and can aid in the creation of beautiful things. The image acts as a factor that motivates students to take interest in science-related subjects. Since time immemorial, butterflies have been associated with god and are messengers of anticipation and confidence. This indicates the confidence and anticipation that lies in sciences. The image gains more prevalence considering that it is positioned outside an art and science building. It always reminds students to consider the benefits of science. The enthralling masterpiece indicates the artist’s prowess as well as his resourceful imaginations. Moreover, for many Americans, the butterfly is a symbol of civilization indicating rejuvenation and love. Donald Lipski paints a new world full of love and hope. Read More