Art Museum Project: Olga Britantchouk February 26, 2013

Picture 1:

The Forest in autumn

Gustave Courbet: 1841 realism, European Art

Source: https://www.google.com/url?
sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=uf4ZltZMdUYCYM&tbnid=Onk2wHQ9K6xSKM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A %2F%2Fwww.paintinghere.org%2Fpainting%2Fforest_in_autumn3198.html&ei=I8krUfm4FNDcigLkloCoBw&psig=AFQjCNHQtu_Fbod2ovXgqCKsvf51f9C4CA&ust=1361910434497336

Description: The base colors for the majority of this painting are hues of orange, browns and dark moss greens. The focal point is looking straight through the two large trees both on each side of the painting, you can see a bit of the blue sky through the center of the image as well as a light brown jumping deer and a man in the farther left. The tops of the trees are

dotted with a brighter orange to represent the leaves that are being kissed by the sun. The rest of the painting inside the forest is gloomy and dark which holds true to a real autumn day. The tree trunks are darker in color in some spots to represent the texture of the bark. The ground is very brownish green and it looks very unpleasant compared to the upper half of the image where there is sky and brighter colors.

Analysis: The man that is in the farther-upper left appears to be standing in such a manner that he is getting ready to be shooting the deer. He is merely a black outline and the deer is a lighter brown innocent creature. The deer is very light and is hard to see in the blend of the forest. The trees are lined up asymmetrically and although they all have the same types of shades and hues in this image, the placement of the colors varies on each tree and it gives the picture visual blending from father away but if it is observed closer the different placement can be seen. In this image nature is a deer, and humans only contaminate it.

Interpretation: The man is made very dark and is placed far away because this represents his underlying intent. He is about to shoot the innocent animal and is portrayed in this image as the negative that is why he is a dark outline in the background. The deer on the other hand is light brown representing its lack of being able to fend for its self. It is also brown and blends so well with the background because it is more in touch with nature than humans are. At first glance it is barely even seen. This is done on purpose to contrast the human which is one of the first things that visually pop out when looking at the image. The trees

that are lined up asymmetrically are placed that way on purpose as well. This elucidates that nature is not symmetrical or perfect, it is always at a visual imbalance and this image is so realistic and beautiful for that reason exactly.

Judgment: This is an extremely accurate and realistic portrayal of nature. Anyone can relate to a forest in the autumn time. In our society, hunting for game is also a social norm so most people can relate to this as well. It is really interesting to see how perfect the colors are chosen for this because it makes me feel like I am walking through the park blocks in the fall term all over again. It brings feelings of warmth and pumpkin spice lattes and it draws you to comfort.

Picture 2:

Mt. Hood
Albert Bierstadt: 1869, American Art

Source:
https://www.google.com/url? sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=aWXLeeuG87O7KM&tbnid=PF4R7P_JxyMUWM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A %2F%2Fmyporchblog.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fsunday-painting-mount-hood-byalbert.html&ei=1c4rUdWREOTuigKyzoHADw&bvm=bv.42965579,d.cGE&psig=AFQjCNHAuu0RjPRcr2jWnuqcFgmxcc8MdQ&ust=1361911825483 916

Description: In this image, there are tones of blue and pink that contrast in the most beautiful way. The snow white tip of Mt.Hood is the focal point, which takes up a good portion of the image; also the painting is surrounded by the green hills and the animals. The light hits the hills and this is obvious in the reflective slivers of white in the midst of the green. The darker blue in the water is seen under the focal point to show depth in the water. There appears

to be a rock formation in the water sticking out and amongst all the trees on the right of the image there is one in particular that sticks out and slumps down.

Analysis: The pink in the sky creates a visual assumption that the time of day in this image is sunset or early morning. The bright light that hits the green formations in the center of the image next to the focal point also means that it was either the morning of the evening as well as giving a season frame. This was painted either in the summer or the winter because it is Oregon and the weather seems very nice. The animals that are surrounding the bottom right green patch on the other side of the river are the same color as some of the rock formations and the soil. The rock formation sticking out of the water is a sign that the water may not be very deep but there is depth to it in some places as a result of the color placement within the various blue hues. The tree that sticks out in the right side of the image towards the top is also something that most people are drawn to see as they view this image. Nature is a system, a system that is unfathomably large. Humans can not grasp the power of nature and how powerful and much larger it is in comparison to us.

Interpretation: The contrasting colors were done on purpose to show how white and large Mt. Hood is and how much more superior nature was then humans are. The mountain takes up most of the page and the eye is automatically drawn to features in an image that pop out. The animals are placed in this image for many purposes; to add to the realistic factor of this picture, to show how much more in touch they are with nature then we are (due to their

color blending into the overall color scheme, with respect to the first image), and most importantly the size of the deer in comparison to the focal point is done so for a specific reason. This demonstrates the metaphor of nature being an unfathomably large and giant system that controls everything. Without nature being a system, humans and many life forms would seize to exist.

Judgement: The painting is very beautiful and for the most part realistic. I have seen and been to Mt. Hood very often and there have been days where I have looked at the pink sky and the white snow and was faced with an image almost identical to this one. It conveys feelings of hope and happiness and knowing that even though the seasons change in the city, Mt. Hood will always be colder and we are always only 45 minutes away from a fun day in the colder weather.

Picture 3:

A Shipwreck
Charles-Francois Lacroix: 1763, European Art

Source:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=mAYr_ZT2BvcgM&tbnid=ROAi53vLCLEUfM:&ved=0CAcQjB0wAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.learner.org%2Fcourses%2Fworldhistory%2Farchive.html%3Fpage %3D74%26f_itemNumber%3D3791&ei=N_8rUebSE67viQKy6oGACg&psig=AFQjCNFr0t1CStINgdLJ8B4iR4Fyw_F5BA&ust=1361924279358720

Description: A Shipwreck was an accurate and literal title for this image because that is the focal point, the remainder of a ship on square tall rocks. The background shows a sea or a large body of water with many dark colors and waves. And a fairly tall ship in the background with many sails is heading from the pink distance in the middle right corner towards the shipwreck location. There are people standing on the rock that the ship crashed against as well as a separate rock to the right of the bigger square rock. There is a castle on the

upper part of the cliff that is on the shore and there is light shining down through a hole in the sky that is apparent on the upper right half of the image.

Analysis: The waves in the water are a result of what appears to be a storm. The rocks are the safe and dry place for the people that suffered the shipwreck which they can take refuge on. The season is most likely in the warmer time of the year in an overall warmer climate because of the beautiful colors during something as uncomfortable and frightening as a storm. The taller sail ship is sailing towards the shipwreck site because the way that the sails are positioned the wind is blowing it toward land. Nature in this image is destructive or a problem. Looking at nature as a commodity (like the problem Emerson illustrated) it is frustrating when nature destroys property or something man made that was created to make life easier for us.

Interpretation: The waves in this image signify nature being destructive to humans and humans not being able to fight back and surrendering themselves to nature by taking refuge on the rocks. The light that shines through the right side of the image is there because it shows that even in the worst situations, like the ship wreck for example, there is always balance within nature. It is natures way of saying that life goes on and that things will get better in the end and I believe that this image is an accurate representation of just this. Humans are using nature for its resources all the time and this image shows nature fighting back to humans.

Judgment: This painting is dated back to 18th century European times and it is a very realistic situation because there were a lot of people that used ships as transportation and they could have very well crashed at some point. This image evokes feelings of despair yet hope because the way the lighting is set; it lets the viewer see that things will get better. The ship that seems to be coming to help the people also gives hope that everything will be okay in the end.

The forest in the autumn and A shipwreck comparison The metaphor behind The forest in the autumn is that nature is a deer, in a sense that animals are more in touch with nature than humans and humans simply use nature for a commodity and that we dont take the time to appreciate nature like we should. It is in the wilderness that the understanding happens. (Emerson, Nature) and by this statement the overall theme of the image is that we understand reality, which is sometimes cruel, through understanding nature and being immersed in it. However the metaphor of A shipwreck is that nature fights back sometimes by natural disaster, or in this case a storm which is shown by the violent waves and the wrecked ship in this image. It is the deer that is distraught in the first image and in the second image is it the people. The first image the humans have control and in the second image it is nature in the end that truly does. According to Pollans ideology about nature this hold true to a sense of balance. Thoreau and Emerson believed that eliminating all outside sources a deeper philosophy of nature will be gained, but Pollan believes in the more realistic balance of the two and the humans and nature intertwining because thats how life is realistically. And these two images demonstrate all these concepts by contrasting very well.