Lucia Flores Homework 4

#1
I used books to find paintings, and then found pictures on the internet for the actual post.  The colors are a little different on the internet photos.

Morning in a City, 1944

Oil on canvas, 112x153cm

Edward Hopper

1.       Volume through color- The cool tones, in Hopper’s painting give depth in the shadows, and accentuate the lit areas of the skin.  The slight warm tones on the woman’s hand help give a depth between the shadow near her thumb and the thumb itself.

2.       Maybe if the background walls were a warm color the figure would have more depth.  Using heavy warm colors on the breast, thumbs, and ear, draw attention away from the rest of the figure.  If Hopper’s intentions were to create a narrative with what the figure is holding, then I feel like the warm colors were properly used.  Looking at the figure without a narrative in mind, I would say his figure could use some warm tones. The shirt the figure is holding seems like it would cast some shadow on the figure, which would give her more depth.

The Angel Prevents the Sacrifice of Isaac

Oil on canvas; 1635

Rembrandt

1.       The use of warm colors against the dark background gives depth to Isaac, and using cool colors in the shadows keep the background from being completely dark.  Hints of white and opaque cool colors in the beard make the hair seem life like.

2.       Isaac’s right knee is very orange against the reddish brown background (right next to the knee) it almost looks like a hot poker, then immediately goes dark. It seems like darkening the right calve under the left shin would get rid of that poker hot triangle.  Because of the small triangle the leg look more like a pant and boot rather than skin.  The ground next to the right knee take away some of the depth, I’m not sure if its because of the fabric under the knee seems flat up against the ground or if it’s because the right knee and ground are too close in warm tones. 

 Sick Bacchus (1593-94)

Oil on canvas

Caravaggio

1.       Caravaggio’s use of fine detail and dark browns in each wrinkle of the hand, eye, and neck give depth to Bacchus.  Opaque highlights and hints of pink are well blended with cool tones used to define the muscles.

2.       I would try expanding the lit area that creates a triangle on the left knee out towards the end of the knee.  I think this will make the lighting more obvious and keep the knee from blending into the background.  I would also leave out the right leg, or show more of it.  The colors between the right and left leg lack depth, I can tell if his right leg is against his left leg or away from it.  If he would have painted more of the right leg, I think he would have had room to add more light colors to the leg giving its position a place.

#2 I went to the ABQ Gallery on Menaul and Wyoming.  There are two oil figure paintings that had some great figurative touches.  One was by Maria C. Cole, she has a great way of capturing light and Jean Porter used lots of colors to paint hair.  The hair was the best part of her paintings, at first glance you see a blond, but then as you look closer you start to see all the different cool and opaque colors she added for volume.  I may have the first figure painter's name wrong, there are only two on display right now.  Unfortunately they wouldn't allow pictures, and the website, doesn't have the paintings listed. The only thing I found intriguing was the hair and use of cool colors for Jean Porter, and For the other Figure painting, I found her use of brush stokes interesting, her painting seemed elegant and blurry around the face, but the face itself was well blended and detailed.  I'll keep searching for other figure paintings, and hopefully find something that I can take a picture of.