Contrast, Harmony, and Balance

I took this photo near the top of Boulder Mountain in central Utah a few years ago.  It illustrates the principles of size contrast between the tree in the near ground against the tress in the background giving the perception of being in a clearing in the middle of a forest (which we were).  It also shows position contrast by showing the side of the one tree and only the tops of the others.  We can also see the contrast between the blackness of the trees against the relatively bright night sky.  At first glance, the photo may seem asymmetrical in balance because of the close-up tree on the left.  However, I feel the tree is somewhat balanced by the Milky Way's appearance on the right side of the photo mirroring the orientation of the tree.  For me, the photo is harmonious in that it feels entirely consistent with its setting.  Boulder Mountain is a world-famous location for stargazing because it is so isolated from bright city lights and this photo shows that.  The photo's consonance gives the feeling of tranquility and seclusion; who knows how far away the nearest human was at the time.

Visceral Response

'Impression, Sunrise'

Claude Monet

When I was in high school, I took an art class and as part of that class, we talked a little about art history.  I'm normally not a very artistic person, I certainly don't understand what a lot of art is all about but for some reason, when we got to the impressionist period, I was riveted.  Claude Monet is widely revered as a pioneer of the impressionist movement and so his works are among some of my favorites. This painting, 'Impression, Sunrise,' was one of his first paintings and paved the way for the entire movement.

What I love about impressionist paintings in general, and this one specifically, is the lack of busyness.  I'm a pretty simple person who enjoys the simple things in life even though I'm largely surrounded by life's complexities.  Impressionist paintings are all about simplicity; they cut out the fine details and just show the basic components of whatever scene they are depicting.  Additionally, most impressionist paintings are of landscapes or seascapes or other natural things and this is another big draw for me because I love being outdoors and getting out away from it all.

As far as the design goes, this painting doesn't have a lot of lines which means it doesn't portray the energy of some other paintings.  Even the horizon line is quite blurred and difficult to pinpoint.  This lack of lines, I believe, is what gives this painting the relaxed feeling it has.  Perhaps being a seascape makes the mind automatically think of horizontal lines that bring comfort and security because that is what we are accustomed to seeing at sea: the sun peeking over the broad horizon, the line of the surf coming into shore, and the line of the sand disappearing into the waves.  While this painting doesn't convey these lines clearly, it transports our minds to a place where these horizontal lines are so common.

I like the colors Monet uses in this painting, for the most part they are drab and dark with a lot of blues and grays but then, near the center, is the orange/red sun and its reflection off the water.  Try as you might, you can't take your eye off that beautifully colored sun.  It is the perfect hue for a sunrise sun.  An interesting side note: upon doing some research on this painting, I discovered that people have used a photometer to measure the brightness of the sun in this painting and what they found was that the sun was actually no brighter than the surrounding sky and water.  The sun all but disappears in black and white copies of the painting.  This means that it is not the bright intensity of the sun that we are seeing but only its differing color that causes it to stick out to us.

Because the painting lacks the finer details of this scene, we are unable to see what exactly is going on as the scene disappears into the distance.  This ambiguity of space allows the viewer to input his/her own interpretation of what the area looks like according to their own experiences.  All Monet gives us is the fact that it is some sort of waterway with small boats in the foreground and larger structures in the background.  The rest is up to us.  The infinite depth of this painting allows us to put in any details that we want to which makes this painting appealing to a wide variety of people.  For me, it is a painting from a dock in a harbor where fishermen from a small seaside village are out early in the morning trying to haul in their daily catch while navigating around the much larger ships anchored there.  However, there is no sign anywhere in this painting of fishing activity or even a dock, a harbor, a village, or even that the structures in the background are other ships.  For all the painting gives us, it could be a view from the shores of a busy river, or a view looking downriver at two small boats with factories lining the banks of the river.  The details of the painting are put in by the viewer and not the painter.

It is the ambiguity of this painting and its beautiful coloration that make me love it.  The simplicity and calming nature help me relax and enjoy what this painting has to offer me and what I have to offer it.