Audrey Flack
World War II (Vanitas)
Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
1977
"I always wanted to draw realistically. For me art is a continuous discovery into reality, an exploration of visual data which has been going on for centuries, each artist contributing to the next generation's advancement. I wanted to go a step further and extend the boundaries. I also believe people have a deep need to understand their world and that art clarifies reality for them."
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http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=b&ID=332
My first impression of the piece is that i liked it. I think that the meaning of all the items in the piece is very clever and i wouldn't have thought of doing it that way. The artist used alot of red which is a warm color and she also used alot of blue witch is a cool color. my favorite part of the piece is the butterfly. i think that the butterfly is very pretty and stands out even though there is still some blue surrounding the butterfly. I also like the pearls on the left side of the painting even though im not sure what they mean. I think she was very cleaver by putting a candle in the peice by making it "bleed" onto the picture, it was a good idea because she didn't have to actually paint blood. My focal point is on the butterfly but i also think the pasteries are a big part of the painting. they bring alot of color to the peice. the artist used red and green to make the rose stand out even though they are supposed to be red and green. I can tell she used pant to make the pearls look smooth and make the painting have demention even thought the painting was flat. My thoughts havent changed since the being i still think it is a nice peice and that it would have been really hard to paint the little words and letters like they are printed out of a book.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first looked at this painting, my eyes didn't focus on just one specific object. All of the objects kind of flow together and fit together nicely. I didn't like it much when I first looked at it, but the more I looked at each piece I realized how creative and good it was. Also, I didn't notice that all of the objects in the piece had specific meanings to them until after we had studied it. I think it is very creative how every thing has a different meaning to it but yet it is all in the same piece relating to the same thing. That is the coolest part in my opinion. Most of the colors are pretty mellow too, not much pops out and it gives off the gloomy mood of the Holocaust. I really like this painting now that I have looked at it and learned the meaning behind everything in it.
ReplyDeleteI love the textures, there's no negative space so I dont see any specific thing; maybe the people? I believe that I see them more because their not colorful at all. The piece that is the background is sad, its angry, there are expression's on each person's face that change as your eye moves from left to right. The pastries add this mask on what I believe is going on, To keep you from moving to other parts of the big picture, and I believe this has something to do with the holocaust, or some sort of inprisonment.As well as the gray monotoned background, I'm also attracted to the butterfly, it's a symbol of the soul, but to me it's a symbol of change. Of something morphing into something new, I look at the time peice and this symbol of the butterfly seems to ride off on that (it flows); like a change in era- gradually. The automatic thought that comes to my head when I see the rose is love, but that comes to everyone's mind; I think it symbolizes the fallen in this picture - absent friends. The apple core looks like sin, it's rotted, and drifts into the background image of the faces in bondage. I believe it has alot to do with guilt, and sorrow (shame). The pain of the victims progress' with the red through out the picture, its bold, and really craves your attention. The most unique part of this art work is the way it was put together, to tell a story. I love collages, and things that tell a way of life or a time period; this is definately a favorite.
ReplyDeleteMY first impression of this picture is that it is very caotic looking. There is alot going on in it. my eyes dont focus on just one point for long, but they tend to start at the faces. I like the way there is alot going on. My favorite part is probably the pearls.. im not sure why but i like the way they look. they sort of give the piece some flow from top to bottom. The candle is also another thing that i like alot because it really looks like it is on fire and glowing. everything in this picture looks realistic. wheni look at this picture i see alot of warm colors and therefor it gives me a good warm feeling at my first impression, but when i really get to looking at what is in the picture it makes my mood kind of sad because of the items that are actually in the picture. the faces of the people, the candle(because it reminds me of mourning), the pear(because it looks old), they all seem like sad things in this picture. But the artist also included things to lighten the mood, like how the candle is burning(that could represent hope), the sope(that could represent cleanleniss), the rose(which is beautiful), as well as the pearls. THis picture really speaks to me.
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