Week 1 Assignment

The first piece of art I choose was painted by George Bellows it was pained in 1911 and it is called New York.

The artist combined a bunch of commercial buildings into the painting from different areas from the city to try and show how busy New York can be. His utilization of space on the canvas was thought out really well and he was able to capitalize on everything going on in the city. As far as colors are concerned he took a modern approach to what things would really look like as pertaining to colors. The value of what this painting is trying to show is priceless. The artist is trying to show how truly busy New York can be without having to do it in multiple paintings.

In 1911 when this painting was made life in New York was booming. Business was growing and people were moving to the city looking for work. The work of art really speaks a lot because it shows the utter chaos that goes on in New York. All the people going to and from work. People at the different markets trying to sell their goods. It’s a really good example of how life in the heart of the city really was.

The second piece of art I choose was painted by Alexandre Hogue in 1936 and it is called Erosion No. 2 – Mother Earth Laid Bare

In the painting the artist uses shapes that are more natural in the environment such as like a sand dune. That’s the first thing that this painting reminds me of. Within the sand dunes he depicts a woman or mother earth below us. The main color of this painting is a sand tan color. But he also uses colors on the work equipment to help them stand out to depict a possible farm.

The painting in my opinion shows a farm without the crops and the top layer of earth removed. It seems like that the artist is trying to convey that what the farmers harvest is coming from mother earth herself and she is gifting us with the food that we are growing. With the farming equipment and the farm house it almost seems like she is watching over the crops which we rely on to feed our families.

The third piece of art I choose was painted by Jackson Pollock in 1952 and it is called Convergence.

This painting is definitely different. There are many different shapes and colors and is not your typical painting. I myself can only spot about 5 different colors in the painting, but if you also look deeper into the colors that have somewhat blended with each other they may make a new color. Unlike other paintings this one has no depth. It is meant to be seen as a flat surface with different shapes and colors.

With this painting it almost seems as the artists is trying to say I can do whatever I want and it will be beautiful or there is a hidden image within the different shapes and colors which I have not been able to spot. When you look at it, it really makes you wonder why the artist choose to paint like this. It makes you wonder if he was upset or if this is really something he had imagined in his mind that he wanted to do. Regardless of what it was anyone who looks at it will be looking for a little to see if he is trying to give out clues.

The fourth piece of art I choose was painted by Jacob Lawrence in 1941 it is called Migration Series, No. 58.

The shapes in this piece are very organic. Straight lines, human figures and some numbers. The colors on the other hand are very vibrant and jump out at you. The value of this piece could be perceived in a couple of different ways and it all depends on how you look at to make your own judgment.

For me this piece of art almost seems like the girls in it are climbing a ladder of education. As with each girl the number gets higher as well as the height of the number. It almost seems as if they are proud of what they are doing with the bright dresses and with just looking at it, it seems like the first two girls are even doing it with a smile on their face as they are happy of their accomplishments. It almost seems like the third girl is standing on her tippy toes trying to reach as high as she can with her head facing the chalk board and her legs together but it is hard to tell because the feet are not visible. Whereas the other girls are in a more modern stance.