Painting Analysis

'Searching for a new distraction' by Michel Keck (year unknown) materials: oil pastel, oil paint, acrylic paint, crayon, photos link:http://www.michelkeck.com/ABSTRACT_ART_PRINTS_by_Michel_Keck_p/081217-shoppingfor-gicleeprint.htm

 

   The first painting I am analysing is ‘Searching for a new distraction’ by Michel Keck. The painting is created on white canvas which creates an interesting effect with the thick water resistant materials used such as oil pastels which form the second layer of a faded colourful cross hatch effect. Also on the second layer in the top left is an image of a woman on a rocking horse in grey with slight aspects of vibrant colour such as the lime green on the horse, where the image is repeated in the top right it is also mainly grey. I think the use of colour in only certain areas shows how faded other sections are and the decay of the image. The third layer is composed of vibrant acrylic paints in pink and dark blue this creates a random effect on the canvas as if someone has just thrown paint at the canvas with no particular pattern which matches how the images also look like they have just been found and have decayed as they are messy and smudged like the paint. The fourth layer is a mixture of crayon and pastel scribbled over the top of the paint and images and of where Keck has carved into previous layers of paint to show previous colours on the surface below.

   The use of line in the painting seems to be completely chaotic with no order to it as completely contrasting but bright colours have been used; I think this shows the painting to be very childlike as if a 2 year old has been given a box of crayons and some old photos and has used the brightest colours and scribbled all over it without thinking about what colours match or what the final picture will look like. The childlike lines used relate to the title as the messy lines and trying to decipher what the painting’s message is, is very distracting as it isn’t very clear.

   The painting has been composed to drag the viewer’s eye to lower centre, right of the art work where the most colours are and also because the marks on the painting are curved towards what resembles an explosion of colour; this is also the section of the painting with the most layering of colours and line.

   I think this painting was created as the title suggests to distract as the artist obviously had a lot on her mind and the scribbles and the bright colours are much more distracting than a geometric pattern or a monochrome drawing as the chaotic-ness of the painting causes anyone viewing it to be fully drawn in trying to understand it, which is ultimately very distracting.



'Love Affair' by Jose Parla (2008) materials: paint on canvas, link: http://www.artslant.com/par/works/show/251244-love-affair?tab=ARTWORK

   The second painting I am analysing is ‘Love Affair’ by Jose Parla. The painting base is canvas with the first layer being composed of various shades of brown in order to resemble a paint peeling building or wall (which Parla often uses as a canvas). There are also mismatched sections of scribbled yellow and white paint which when later layered with writing resemble flyers or papers which have been stuck to the wall and are decaying. The second layer is of calligraphy layered using acrylic paint layered so that it looks like different aged graffiti marks on a wall some of which have faded away, which makes the writing unreadable. The third layer is of white paint merging with the background. The fourth final layer is crimson paint which is dribbling down the canvas over the white and says the title of the painting ‘Love Affair’.

   The use of line on the painting is mainly shown in the graffiti and mainly consists of straight sharp lines and many are faded and redrawn to give the effect of layered and removed graffiti. The colours used are mainly earth tones of browns and reds which adds to how it is meant to look like an old wall.

I think the message of this painting is that Parla wants to forget an old relationship as the past relationships represented by graffiti have been replaced with others layered over and a large chunk is covered by peeling white paint possibly suggesting he can’t forget everything and traces still remain under the surface.

An interesting effect used is where Parla has carved vertical lines into the canvas which look like rain or some kind of urban decay which makes the painting even more convincing that it is from a wall and not a canvas.

Comparison

Overall both paintings are similar in many ways such as their use of a decaying effect by layering many materials then carving through the top layer to reveal previous layers below which is shown in both paintings. Also they both make many different styles of marks on their canvases although Keck’s are randomly arranged on the painting whereas Parla’s are layered more heavily at the top of the painting to give the impression they are dripping down the page.

However they are majorly different in their use of techniques as Keck has used contrasting materials such as pastel and oil paint which create a very textured effect which doesn’t blend whereas Parla has used paint which has all merged into one swirl of writing and dripping paint which involves focusing more to clearly read.

  

 



Robert Rauschenberg Art Analysis

 

   


Robert Rauschenberg, Black Market (1961) Oil paint, watercolour, crayons, printed paper, rope, metal and other various found objects.
Image source:http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/R/S/rrc_15.jpg

    Robert Rauschenberg was born in 1925 in Port Arthur Texas and died on the 12 ^th of May 2008 in Captiva Florida. He was a part of the pop art movement and worked using techniques such as screen printing, collage and sculpture.

   The piece of artwork I am analysing is the combine (a technique popularized by Rauschenberg which is a hybrid of sculpture and painting) ‘Black Market’ (1961). The canvas is square with paper in grey and blue covering the base then oil and watercolour paint has been swirled on top which resembles a stormy polluted sky but the earth tones used at the bottom of the canvas give an industrialised city effect. The second layer is of a number plate in the bottom left and a signpost in the top right; Rauschenberg composed these two signs well as they are at opposite sides of the canvas so they give a chaotic feel to the piece but due to their positioning they add symmetry to the piece so it isn’t too obscure and the city scene of the artwork is still clear. At the top right is a one-way sign with a piece of string attached which is tied to suitcase on the floor. Finally on the top layer of the canvas are 4 metallic notebooks which look like lights due to how they reflect, similar to lights you would see on a busy street like the first layer of the art work depicts.

   Although at first ‘Black Market’ appears to have no clear lines it is actually constructed of many straight objects clashing at different angles, I think this really shows the relation to a city as cities are mainly many straight rectangular buildings but the artwork shows how crowding causes everything to overlap and look chaotic. The texture of the piece is messy and dirty-looking this could be because Rauschenberg liked to work with found objects to create assemblage work (the composition of a 3D piece of artwork made using found objects) such as the New York rubbish he found on the streets then shaped it into buildings; effectively ‘Black Market’ is supposed to be a scene of New York made from New York.

   The artwork is composed to drag the viewer’s eye towards the suitcase on the floor due to the string hanging off the one way sign. I think this piece was created to get people to share more as the people are encouraged to take an item from the suitcase and leave an item for someone else in there, then write in the notebooks on the canvas what they took and left. This is why the piece is called black market as it’s an unofficial exchange of objects and I think it shows that everyone is a blur in a chaotic city where no one properly talks or communicates but this piece makes people exchange an object with someone they don’t know which shows a simple message of sharing in a busy atmosphere.   

 

    The artwork could also relate to current events in early 60s America such as the civil rights movement and segregation; this could show Rauschenberg’s support for the movement as the combine convinces anyone to share with everyone no matter who they are. This is also reflected in how the objects exchanged are just exchanged without looking at how much they are worth; this reflects how objects are worth different amounts to different people because of sentimental value not monetary worth.

   It’s difficult to see how this combine relates to Rauschenberg’s life during its creation, as combines often have no clear layout or straight forward focus point. Therefore I think the piece is more reflective of Rauschenberg’s surroundings of New York where he lived in 1961 and how he saw the chaos and change of New York during the 60s.

I find the printing technique used over the grey background using black ink interesting as it looks a like paint dripping from graffiti, I think this is really effective as it gives an urban look which matches the city scene Rauschenberg has created. I will probably try to recreate the technique of a same colour print over a background of different textures in my own artwork as I find the technique effective to create a faded, aged effect.