Images contain arguments, whether if there are many or just a few. A series of images with no words but contains an argument is a pictorial essay. John Berger's Ways of Seeing (1972) contains both word and pictorial essays. The book is divided into seven sections, three being pictorials. In the very first chapter of the book, Berger made it clear that "the way one image follows another, their succession, constructs an argument which becomes irreversible." Having noted that, it would seem that the sixth essay argues that an observation painting provides more information than that of a directed or arranged portrait. Images that are next to one another in the book such as Sarah Burge, 1883. Dr.Barnardo's Homes and Murillo Bartolomé's Peasant Boy Leaning on Sill shows a comparison between a portrait that seems planned, and one that perhaps was drawn from observation. The information provided from each of them are different because of the way each were portrayed. The images of Sarah Burge1 does tell the viewers her status, but it does not show much of her personality or the time period she may be in. On the other hand the Peasant Boy Leaning on Sill2 provided his social status which is a poor boy due to the clothes he is wearing, a scenario he is perhaps in, possibly a conversation with someone else off to the side since he is not looking directly at the artist and that he is happy that he is being painted for other to see. What we know and what we currently see in these two images do no match with one another. Caroline Jones Senses (2010) discusses how "the senses both constitute our 'sense' of unmediated knowledge and are the first medium with which consciousness must contend." Where our knowledge comes from are based off of ... ... middle of paper ... ...edited by WJT Mitchell and Hansen, 88-99. Chicago, 2010. "Sarah Burge, 1883. Dr Barnardo's Homes." 1883, From: Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books Publishing, 1972, 118. Murillo, Bartolomé. "Peasant Boy Leaning on Sill," 1617-82, From: Ways of Seeing, London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books Publishing, 1972, 119. "Sale of Pictures and Slaves in the Rotunda, New Orleans," 1842, From: Ways of Seeing, London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books Publishing, 1972, 116. Nattier, Jean Marc. "Mademoiselle de Clermont," 1685-1766, From: Ways of Seeing, London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books Publishing, 1972, 116. Zoffany, Johann. "Charles, Third Duke of Richmond," 1734/5-1810, From: Ways of Seeing, London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books Publishing, 1972, 117.
Contextual Theory: This painting depicts a portrait of life during the late 1800’s. The women’s clothing and hair style represent that era. Gorgeous landscape and a leisurely moment are captured by the artist in this work of
Having such an image before our eyes, often we fail to recognize the message it is trying to display from a certain point of view. Through Clark’s statement, it is evident that a photograph holds a graphic message, which mirrors the representation of our way of thinking with the world sights, which therefore engages other
Another speaker, Margaret Livingstone delves into the visual aspect of our senses. Livingstone mentions how artists recognize things about vision that neuroscientists are not privy to until years later. Livingstone discussed the differentiation between color and lightness, and how the two contribute differently to a work of art. Color is thought of as “comparing activity” whereas light is thought of as “summing them.” Livingstone indicates that the visual system is subdivided into a ventral system and a dorsal system.
The painting depicts a mother and her four children, who are all leaning on her as she looks down solemnly, her tired, despondent expression suggests she felt trapped in her roles as being a mother and a wife. The woman and her children are clearly the focal point of the artwork as the bright colours used to paint them stand out impeccably against the dull, lifeless colours of the background. This painting appears to be centred around the ideology that women are home-keepers, whose main role is to satisfy and assist her husband while simultaneously minding the children and keeping the home tidy and ready for his return. The social consequences of this artwork could have been that the woman could have been berated for not taking pleasure out of being a mother and raising her children, as a woman should. She could have been made redundant as her husband may have felt as though she is no longer useful if she couldn’t adequately adhere to her roles as a mother and a
One wonders what takes place in the brain to cause such phenomenal differences in perception. The cause is unknown for certain, like many things in the realm of science it has not been researched nearly enough, but there are some indications.
... study for the overall concept they appear rather as abstract patterns. The shadows of the figures were very carefully modeled. The light- dark contrasts of the shadows make them seem actually real. The spatial quality is only established through the relations between the sizes of the objects. The painting is not based on a geometrical, box like space. The perspective centre is on the right, despite the fact that the composition is laid in rows parallel to the picture frame. At the same time a paradoxical foreshortening from right to left is evident. The girl fishing with the orange dress and her mother are on the same level, that is, actually at equal distance. In its spatial contruction, the painting is also a successful construction, the groups of people sitting in the shade, and who should really be seen from above, are all shown directly from the side. The ideal eye level would actually be on different horizontal lines; first at head height of the standing figures, then of those seated. Seurats methods of combing observations which he collected over two years, corresponds, in its self invented techniques, to a modern lifelike painting rather than an academic history painting.
The simple optical illusions used by Ariely show us just how easily our senses can lead our judgments to be distorted. The first illusion was an animation of Shepard’s Tables; an example of size-constancy expansion first published by Roger Shepard as “Turning the Tables”. We know the two tables are the same length but yet why does one table appear to be longer than the other? In this case it is because the angles suggest depth and perspective and the brain wrongly believes one table is longer and while the other in shorter. It is interesting that despite us knowing that the tables are in fact the same length, we still perceive them to be different lengths; despite us knowing the truth, we could not get our minds to see reality as it really is. In the second example, Ariely shows the ...
Reilly, "Captain Thomas Phillips: Buying Slaves in 1693." Worlds of History, Volume Two: Since 1400: A Comparative Reader, July, 2010, [623-629].
The young girl sprawls on comfortably as a way of the illustrating her rebellion, as this is not the appropriate position to have one’s portrait taken. Also, the girl seems to be from a well of family since her dress is a fashion-forward, her shawl and bow matches with her socks. Her hair is neatly placed in clean and neat shoes that that seems to be new as they have buckles that sparkle. Conversely, the little girl has insignificant concern for all this primness where her unselfconscious pose presents a novel image regarding childhood (Jones
The painting, in its simplest form, consists of a naked woman lying elegantly upon stately and rich cloths, while a young, also nude boy, is holding a mirror which contains her reflection. Upon first glance of this work, I was quickly able to make out the identity of the two subjects. ...
What we see is not the truth, but rather our interpretation and distortion of the things we struggle to perceive, as our imagination fuses with our conception of reality. We conceptualize these omnipotent forces through our uses of symbols – to create an understandable world through abstractions – in order to explain what these forces are. [INTRODUCE CAPRA]
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
Schirato, T. and Webb, J. (2004). Reading the visual. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
7.Locke, Alain L. "P. 69." Negro Art. Past and Present. New York: Albany, 1936. 69. Print.
The painting is intimate, almost as if was not meant for the eyes of the viewer. The mother gently holds the baby, within her arms, as she feeds him. The mother’s gaze is met by the child as it reaches out to touch her face. The background is simple, emphasizing the closeness between the mother and child, much like Le Brun’s piece. Additionally, Cassatt’s The Child's Bath, 1893 “with its striking and unorthodox composition, is one of Cassatt’s masterworks” (“The Child's Bath”). Within this composition, she employed the use of unconventional devices such as cropped forms, bold patterns and outlines, and a flattened perspective (“The Child's Bath”). Cassatt utilizes a pastel-like color scheme, exemplifying the delicateness and tenderness between the mother and her bathing child. Her brush strokes are swift and gentle, again, suggesting the passionate, yet soft, love the mother has for her child. The elevated vantage point invites the viewer to observe this intimate moment, but not to