The Elements of Art in Wheat Fields - Essay Example

?Full The Elements of Art in “Wheat Fields” Jim Dine’s “Wheat Fields” is a sculpture made from collected items such as woods, oar, rake, spade, pickaxe and hatchet. The materials used in the artwork are widely evident in farms and perhaps to the artist, they represented specifically the wheat fields so that he used the term as the title. This is a form of repetition that emphasizes the subject matter. The artwork that is filled with symbolisms was created in 1989 with the dimensions of 80” x 172” x 99”. Two wheels serve as boundaries on the left and right sides of the sculpture and they also serve as the foundation of the art piece, slightly angled to prevent the wheels from rolling. This creates a horizontal line that shows stability. On the other hand, the big skull in the middle of the artwork does not only serve as the focus of the piece but it also adds to the height of the structure, giving a sense of balance to the length in proportion to the height. Most of the figures are made from bronze, painted with patina and pigment to create a convincingly natural look especially when seen from afar. The skull as the focal point is not only positioned at the center of the figure but is also exaggerated in size that it is made bigger than the other figures. Comparing the skull to the size of the beheaded red figure or the lion for instance, their sizes are not proportionate to each other although the figures are at almost the same distance from the viewer. This perhaps symbolizes the importance of the skull which probably portrays the farmer or caretaker of the wheat field. The skull looks scary with its eyes colored dark compounded by the dark inscribed lines and dark disfigured nose in contrast to the lighter shade of its larger part. Such inscribed lines are also vertical and larger in size, giving a more defined contrast to the finer horizontal lines which have high key, showing off white to middle values. The skin on the skull resembles that of a mummified cadaver which is dry and brittle. On the right side of the skull, from the viewer’s point of view, is a dead tree with several branches that makes it look old and beautiful. The branches moving towards different directions add to the beauty of the artwork in general because of the contrast in lines that they depict. Just beside the tree is a polychromatic biomorphic figure of a parrot. The juxtaposition of the skull, tree and bird gives a contrast between death and life. The skull and the dead tree reflect death with their appearances but the color of the bird exudes life. Speaking of colors, the artist used the warm primary colors such as red and yellow as well as the cool primary color, blue. Secondary colors such as warm orange and cool green are also used. These contrast the lifeless and dull colors of other figures like the skull and tree. Moreover, the parrot is positioned in such a way that it implies life and movement. The position of its body suggests that it is turned away from the skull but with its head twisted to its side to appear like it is looking at the skull; the bird gives the appearance that it is moving. Towards the right side of the bird is a green amorphous figure holding a yellow pole, another contrasting image using a warm primary color against a cool secondary color. Further on the right side is an anthill with a large egg on top. The amorphous anthill again represents another contrasting element of the artwork considering the its uncertain shape to the spherical shape of the egg. Moreover, the anthill is created in such a manner that has the simulated texture of soil while the egg has an implied texture of the smooth shell of an egg. Nevertheless, both the anthill and egg are not really monochromatic as they seem at first glance but they actually have different hues which could be noticeable upon careful inspection. On the left side of the focal point are an uncertain image in patina, a mask and a lion. The three images seem to have been deliberately placed where they are to create a balance to the dead tree just beside the skull on the other side. The first two figures may well suggest lack of life while the lion could perhaps suggest movement and life based from its position. The lion is set in a manner that it exhibits movement, making it appear like it is watching something, being on guard. Whereas, the monochromatic color of the lion makes it rather appear like it is just another statue that is often seen in stores or displayed in houses. Right after the lion is the image of a beheaded man. The figure resembles the popular image of Jesus Christ, with the exposed heart and the long hair that makes a viewer identify without mistake as the Christian Savior. The headless statue is placed on top of a dark shaded amorphous image, probably a symbolism of the devil which Christian views believe to be the enemy of Jesus whom He overpowered by dying on the cross. Moreover, the texture of the two figures also contrasts each other with the implied texture of the statue of Jesus being smooth while the visual of the black figure is coarse. The placement of the wood just in front of the headless Jesus perhaps suggests or confirms the identity of the headless man. The wood can represent the cross where Jesus was hung. Looking more intently at the headless figure, the colors red, orange and yellow create a harmonious relationship that emphasizes the warm character of the person or the passion that He expressed to the world on the cross. The folds of the raiment look very natural with the careful creations of dents and lumps using long and short lines as well as contrasting thick and thin lines whether they are diagonal, vertical or curved. The placement of the blue pump handle just opposite the figure compliments its orange color. Towards the left of the headless statue is a stone where a duck is placed right after it. The two last aforementioned items balance the other side of the artwork and at the same time probably suggests the relationship between the egg and the duck. It could perhaps be understood that the egg belongs to the duck but one thing is for sure, that all the things represented in the sculpture somehow speak about the life in the wheat fields as could be understood by modern viewers. In conclusion, “Wheat Fields” is an interesting artwork that does not only present a wonderful story but reflects many elements of art design. The artist made an impressive work by putting together materials that may as well be considered useless, exposing the beauty of something when colors, hues, tints, lines, shapes and other art elements are combined together to make a piece of beauty. It could be said that the artist is indeed a genius in making contemporary artwork, linking a historical tradition to a modern world that seems to be losing the idea bout farming. Read More