I’ve thought about it, and not only are these posts fun but they help me grow as an artist. In it, I pick an image from past art and give out my thoughts on it. I’m not really an expert (though I have actually had the classes), and what I say is merely how I feel about the work.
Please let me know your thoughts on the art or other comments, and I will also be posting this on my MySpace blog as well. So, without further ado, here is the first of the new incarnation of This Week’s Art.
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This Week’s Art 4/21/07 – Grimshaw
This is John Atkinson Grimshaw’s A Moonlit Evening (Oil, 25.5 x 46 cm, 1870’s), one of my favorite pieces and a great one to start with. For me, it’s a very inspirational piece, as it has everything I look for in a work of art.
For one, the layout of it. Grimshaw did a fantastic job here of highlighting exactly what was needed, and leaving off details where none were required. The detail of the outer edge of the piece helps bring your eye to the softer, more open center. The placement of all of the pieces in the work is perfect, as everything leads your eye exactly where Grimshaw wanted it.
It also radically uses color, something Grimshaw often did that is stunning here. The green is startling, but somehow isn’t as shocking as you would expect. It lends an air of the fantastic to the work, and yet because of his subtle uses of color here and there it isn’t disturbing. Quite the opposite, the green somehow is soothing, despite it’s very abrupt feel.
Above all, as in many of Grimshaw’s works, there seems to be a story to it. We aren’t privy to it (ok, maybe I’m the only one who isn’t), but there is a strong sense that there is something going on here. Is it the longing of the girl to go home? A fear of going back? A girl just stopping for the view? It’s a great piece that keeps you interested in it far after your initial look at it. Like all great art pieces, it gives you an emotional reaction, one that sticks in your thoughts.
Opinions?
