Critique #3

“Street Scene” is a painting done by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner that relates to my concept of conformity. In this piece of artwork painted in 1914, there is a confident-looking woman posing, followed by a long line of people without identifiable faces or characteristics. To either side of this woman is another woman, both with distinct facial expressions. Out of everyone in the painting, the three women in the front of the line are the only ones with noticeable faces.
Most of the colors used in the painting are dark and dim. Dim shades of blue, pink, black and purple can be seen. However, light green and pink are also used in the street and on the small dog by the line, and those colors contrast with all the other dark shades of color. Most of the bright colors can be found at the front of the painting, creating emphasis on the area closest to the viewer. Also, the bright green found on the men’s outfits creates chiaroscuro with the rest of the figures’ outfits, since there’s a sharp distinction between the two colors. The foreground of the painting is clearly the confident woman in the dark teal outfit. The confident looking woman is placed between the two other women with faces, creating juxtaposition. The field behind the three women consists of a line of men that seems to stretch on indefinitely. The texture of the women’s clothing makes the outfits seem soft and feathery. Based on the positions of all of the feet, the figures in the painting all seem to be moving forward. The line is formed at a weird angle, like the people are trying to avoid the carriage near the front of the painting. There is no consistent plane, since the areas in the painting do not appear to be flat, and some parts seem to curve upwards.
The focal point of the painting is the three women found at the beginning of the long line. They are the only ones with distinct expressions and outfits. It seems like the line of figures in back of the women is following them. This might be because of their sharp characteristics and their confidence, and the line could represent that the figures are following the women’s example. This shows conformity because instead of creating their own person, every person in the line of figures is following the women’s example and acting like them.

Museums and Exhibits

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/johnbrack/

http://www.pafa.org/Museum/Exhibitions/Past-Exhibitions/George-Tooker-Exhibition/130/

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/painting.html

http://artabase.net/exhibition/1949-jemima-wyman-the-declaration-of-resemblance-and-fluid-insurgents

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/beardeninfo.shtm

Parade of the Dynamo Sports Club

Alexander Rodchenko

Gelatin silver print

Le Moulin de la Galette

Pablo Picasso, 1900

Oil on canvas

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

Street, Berlin

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1913

Oil on canvas

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Example of Existing Criticism + Image #1

The Dance Hall in Arles
Vincent van Gogh, 1888
Oil on canvas
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

On 23 October 1888, Paul Gauguin met up again with Vincent Van Gogh in Arles. The two men dreamt of founding a "studio of the Midi" together, in the South of France. But their enthusiasm rapidly waned. Van Gogh's overbearing presence came up against Gauguin's fierce independence. However, towards mid-December, they started working together again during a temporary improvement in their relationship.The two great works created during these few days of renewed collaboration are The Arlésiennes (Mistral) (Chicago, The Art Institute), by Gauguin, and The Dance Hall in Arles by Van Gogh. This painting seems to show an evening at the Folies-Arlésiennes, a dance hall on Boulevard des Lices. Gauguin's influence is clear as Van Gogh scrupulously applies the principles of synthesism and cloisonnism developed by his friend at Pont-Aven. The reference to Japanese art is also evident, with the unusual elevation of the horizon, and in the strange, decorative foreground where the curves and counter curves of the hair are dominant.The multitude of characters, the variety of their style of clothes and the way they overlap, skilfully portray a feeling of crowdedness and saturation. The portrait of Madame Roulin on the right, who alone turns to look at the spectator, seems to express a claustrophobic terror. In Gauguin's Arlésiennes, two female characters also express anxiety and anguish.To escape this latent anxiety, the two men went to Montpellier on 16th or 17th December to visit the Musée Fabre. The arguments that followed highlighted their aesthetic disagreements more than ever. As a result of this day out, their separation became inevitable, and Gauguin prepared to leave.

Link:http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/painting/commentaire_id/the-dance-hall-in-arles-10684.html?tx_commentaire_pi1%5BpidLi%5D=509&tx_commentaire_pi1%5Bfrom%5D=841&cHash=018c7f904b

Paris Street, Rainy Day

Gustave Caillebotte, 1877

Oil on canvas

Art Institue of Chicago