Sense of Space

Final Reflection

1. I have improved my use of color by using more different colors to create one, rather than using just one or two to create one. Also by using color to create the sense of shadows, highlights, mood, emotion, etc.
2. My use of composition has improved by improving my proportion of the objects in my paintings, and using good balance and emphasis.
3. My ability to create the illusion of different surfaces and textures has improved especially in my surface and texture painting of a picnic. I improved on making objects seem shiny, or rough, or making fabric look like fabric.
4. My ability to create the illusion of space and depth has improved in this last painting in the way i am painting a simple closet and allowing the space of a small crack in the door change the mood.

Observations on the history of oil painting

Who have been the major players throughout the history of oil painting? Why is this so?
Major players are Edward Hopper, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, etc.
Who seems to be missing from the history of oil painting? Why is this so?
Women, and non whites are missing from the history of oil painting.
Where in the world did most oil painting taking place?
Most oil painting took place in Europe and the United States.
Where did all these oil paintings go? Why? How does where these paintings “live” affect who learns about them and why?
Oil paintings are found in art gallery's, museums, and in people's homes. Where these paintings live affect who learns about them because they might be in more wealthy or educated environments.
How has subject matter changed over time? Why?
The subject matter has changed over time because it has gone from a more nature-like activity to something that mostly the educated people know about.

Critique Feedback

Use of Color: Neutral background with red popping out, good mixing color to make black.
Illusion of volume and depth: Highlights and shadows on glass make it look see through. Shape and texture of pitcher. Texture of fabric. Could have made wrinkles in fabric and curvy lines.
Composition: Organized in horizontal bonds. Balance- more objects on right but blankets balance it out.
Texture in Q-tips improved by looking at basket, little detail, layered colors

why oil pant?

Oil paint came from mineral pigments, and is now made out of pigment and linseed oil. Oil painting was used in 1410 and was reinvented in 1511 in Europe. In the oldest civilizations in Egypt, Greek, or Roman, it was said that they used vegetable oils like flax, walnut, and poppy seed oils. Natural oils like olive oil were used in other places as well such as Italy. I think that artists enjoy using oil paints today because they came from a natural base, and has been used all throughout history. I think the fact that the simple and innate substances that makes up oil paint makes it special.


(http://www.arcyart.com/history.htm)

what is a portrait?

Linda Nochlin and Daisy by Alice Neel
This painting represents portrait by the woman and child sitting on the couch looking like they are posing. The artists uses a lot of highlights and shadows to accentuate the lighting in the room.
Self-Portrait by Chuck Close
This painting is made up of a lot of little pieces which brings all of the attention to the face when it is looked at from a far view. The colors in each piece create the aspect of the portrait.


Diego on my mind by Frida Kahlo
This painting brings attention to the face because of the head on her forehead. The face makes it seem like there's something more to the painting than just her. Also the textures in her face structure gives her more emotion.

The artists express the concept of portrait by representing themselves or other people how they would most want to be seen. This includes the way they are sitting, their face expressions, objects , lighting , mood, setting, and more. Artists like Chuck Close look like they are reinventing a concept of portrait instead of working within the tradition of portrait making. Alice Neel's painting looks more traditional, even though she gives it her own style.

A sense of place

Edward Hopper

Edgar Degas

The mood in the painting by Edward Hopper is very relaxing and mysterious. It looks very stress free and unwinding. The texture in the clear blue color of the ocean and sky make it seem settled and warm. The mood in the painting by Edgar Degas seems more concentrative and intelligent. The colors are little bit dull and the movements in the people look slow and steady. The artists create the illusion of mood by the setting in the painting. Also the colors and textures bring out the movement. Another thing that both the artists do is use shadows and highlights to express what time of day it is and what the weather is like, which expresses the moods of the paintings.

Mid-term reflection

What has been the most challenging aspect of the course so far?
So far, the most challenging aspect has been creating the illusion of color with all white objects like we did in the last still life. It was difficult to bring out different colors in white objects along with shading them in and adding highlights.
In what areas have you progressed the most and how have you progressed?
I think I have progressed in my color mixing and using shadows and highlights. I learned alot from it from the past two paintings, especially the fruit painting. It was hard for me to mix colors to look similar to the object, but I am now more comfortable with it.
How does looking at examples of painting from throughout history affect us as painters today?
Looking at other paintings can teach us different styles and ways of painting so that we can see other techniques. It can also teach us not to do something if it turned out a different way than you expected.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

This painting is the most interesting to me because it has random objects doing weird things, but the shadows and texture make it look natural and normal. I like how you're not really sure why there are three clocks laying dead on a beach/desert. The main object in the middle looks like some sort of animal but i'm not 100% sure. The curiosity of the objects and setting in this painting makes it interesting to me. It looks more fictional and imaginative than a real life painting, which I like.

Creating the Illusion of surface and texture

These artists created the illusion of surface and texture by using extreme highlights and shaddows in all of the objects. In the painting, Banquet with Mince pie, by Willem Claesz Heda, The fabric looks so real and lively like a photograph because of the way he uses shadows and highlights in texture. It shows the shadows everywhere the shaddows would actually be in real life. In the Still Life With Peaches and a Silver Goblet, Jean Simeon Chardin, the peaches look fuzzy and multicolored, just like they are in person, because of the way the artist uses texture. Same with the highlights on the grapes. they are all hitting the grapes like they came from the same light.

Using Composition as a tool

Still Life With Watermelon, by Fernando Botero, 1992

This Still is most interesting to me because it doesn't look like someone placed these objects down to paint. It looks like somebody was using the objects like the fork and knife and cutting the watermelon, etc. Not only that, but the balance of the objects in the way they are placed makes it look like something is going on, or like a person is somehow involved without actually being in the painting. Same with the contrast, form, and shadows of the objects.

Studies in Smallness

Morandi vs. Van Gogh

The artists' choice in color in these paintings are affected a lot bythe object in the picture and the mood of the picture. Giorgio Morandi's picture has more dull colors and less interesting objects, but is filled with a lot of highlights and shadows which brings the objects to life. In Van Gogh's paintings, the flowers are bloomed and colorful and are more focused on texture and detail rather than having a three dimensional effect. The color palette influences the subject matter because the flowers in Van Gogh's paintings are beautiful colors and show that the flower is blooming. You can tell that the flower has life and is a living organism. The objects in Giorgio Morandi's paintings are less lively colors to show that the objects are not living things, and are just 3-d objects sitting next to each other with different lights hitting them in different ways.

Color Mixing Chart

What I know now

The primary colors are red, yellow, blue. The secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. You create secondary colors by mixing the primary colors. The complimentary colors are purple, orange, red, green, yellow, and blue. Two ways you can emphasize something in a painting is to make the color stand out more than the rest of the painting, or to use a lot of texture on something specific. If i were trying to create a shadow, I would mix the color of the object that is casting the shadow and the color of the base that the object is on. To create the illusion of a highlight on an object, I would make it lighter by adding white and mixing lighter colors into it. If I were trying to make an object look farther away I would make the object smaller. The first step I would take to build a painting is to lightly sketch what I am painting with a watery/grey colored paint. I would mix the colors of the objecets and paint them in. Once i've done that, I would add texture, shadows, depth, etc. I would then paint the backround, and then touch everything up.

A Painting I remember

One painting I like and look at a lot is a painting in my house above my staircase. It is a large painting of an old fashioned woman sitting on a chair whose facial features are very exagerrated. I remember this picture but I see it almost everyday walking upstairs, and I always see something different/interesting about it everytime I look at it.

My Skills as an artist

My strengths as an artist are mixing colors and using them to create the illusion of depth. I sometimes struggle with depth of feild and proportion.

Why I am taking oil painting

I signed up to take oil painting because I enjoy paints and mixing colors. I also have never taken this course before or oil painted before and I wanted to try something new.