ARTS 1 X1

Submitted by:
Alarin, Lois Jianina B.
Vida, Miguelito
Zarate, Alexandria B.

Submitted to:
Prof. Maria Teresa DV. Arejola

Submitted on:
September 19, 2019
 The artwork ​Red Pillars is one of the abstract paintings exhibited in the Sining Makiling
Gallery under the theme “Breaking Grounds.” This particular masterpiece was painted this year
(2019) by Jay Ragma, who is known for his distinct and unique art style. For this artwork,
Ragma used acrylic on a 36” x 48” canvas.

In this work of art, the main subject is the red lines, which were created in such a way
that it would be the most noticeable component of the work at first glance. Considering the name
of the painting itself, these lines were drawn to resemble red pillars. However, the image formed
cannot be directly considered as an accurate depiction of what pillars usually look like in real
life, making the painting an abstract one. Moreover, the elements of the art can also be analyzed
to further cite how such painting fall into the category of an abstract art.

The most evident element of the art that can be seen in the painting is the lines. There are
horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines which all together established the entire abstract image.
Through connecting the lines, the artist was also able to form some geometric shapes,
specifically rectangles and diamonds. Aside from this, the artist made use of the element of space
by varying the size and placement of the lines and shaped. By incorporating the concept of space,
the artwork efficiently conveys an illusion to the viewers in which some of the components
appear smaller or larger compared to the other parts of the painting.

It also exhibits a monochromatic color scheme with the addition of thick, red lines that
make up for the subject of the painting. Despite having only black, white, and red for colors,
Ragma was able to convey the image of pillars in an abstract painting. Another noticable
characteristic of the artwork is its ability to provide an illusion from various points of view, in
which when one person admires it from a certain angle, it appears to have a 3D effect.

The artwork ​Red Pillars i​ s an example of artwork that refine ideas and feelings to
viewers. We, the viewers felt something that is distinguishable from ​Red Pillars but we were not
able to perceive what the artist was trying to tell us. With that said, the painting may serve as a
support to the one of the distinctive claims that in expressionism the work of art is an imaginary
object that exists in the artist’s mind. Upon seeing the artwork, we concluded that the artist must
have a strong feeling inside his mind because of the different elements of arts observed on the
artwork that convey emotions particularly the myriad number of lines and the distinguishable red
color on the center.

The aesthetic theory of art pointed out that there is no agreement on what beauty is. ​Red
Pillars may appear beautiful to others but for some it may not. We students apply this aesthetic
theory in choosing what artwork we shall prepare. Some members of the group do not agree with
the decision made by the other members for the reason that they respond to an artwork simply
because of its appearance. With this phenomena, aesthetic theory was observed because all
artworks we visited in the gallery have no level on what beauty is. In other words, the aesthetic
theory of art states that beauty is relative to the viewer and/or artist.