Essays

ART 001: Formal Art Analysis

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For reference, the specific class was "Art Appreciation" (ART 001). This isn't really an essay, but I figured it might help somebody.

"[W]rite a 1 page formal analysis/critique of one of the pre approved artworks attached. A formal critique is a way to communicate everything you are seeing, and most often overlooked or took for granted. This is an exercise that will help you expand your observational skills, and communication skills as well.

The format is known as DAIJ - Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Judgment."

If you'd like some more information on the topic/purpose of this essay, leave a comment!

Grade: 100% 

Description:

Hermanitas – Sisters by Eva Soliz is an oil painting. There are three vibrant, female figures near the center of the painting. They resemble game pieces but with female heads. The tallest is painted red, the mid-height is blue, and the shortest is green. The red figure has a loop and is hooked to some chain that extends off the top of the canvas. The blue figure has an eye screw hanging from its back. The green one has a small white dog and leash attached to it. A wavy grey wall separates the tallest figure from the two shorter figures closest to the foreground, and it trails off into the horizon line in the background. The dog is posed like it's peeing on the wall, and there's a crack in the wall right above it. The ground is brown, and the sky is blue with white streaks across it. About a third of the way from the top of the canvas is another game piece figure. It's yellow, looks like a baby, and is on the same side of the wall as the blue and green figures. The shadows cast on the ground are harsh while the shadows on other figures are soft. Overall, this painting utilizes saturated colors.

Analysis:

The painting is asymmetrical. The wall extends from the lower-left corner of the painting to the top right corner, creating movement via diagonal direction and its waviness. Eva Soliz utilizes linear perspective since the wall is largest in the foreground and grows smaller as it reaches the horizon line. There is unity through the repeated rectangular sections of the wall and the shape of the figures. There is also variety within the figures via color and details connected to their face and bodies. The three largest figures, closest to each other and to the foreground, are contrast against the wall and ground. The dog also contrasts against the wall and draws the eye to the bottom left corner. The smallest figure is more subtle and almost blends into the yellow-brown color of the ground.

Interpretation:

I believe this painting is meant to represent a family. The title of the piece suggests that at least some of the figures in the painting are sisters. I believe the size of each figure relates to their age. The three largest figures are close in proximity while the smallest is alone. The blue figure is on her toes looking up to the red figure like a younger sibling looks up to their older siblings or parental figures. These two figures also share similar hair and "accessories" (a sphere on top of their heads and objects connected to the loops on their bodies like piercings). The wall acts as a barrier between the red figure and the rest of the figures. The blue and green figures are close to the barrier, while the yellow figure is far away from the wall and the other figures—like it's removed from the situation. The proximity of the dog to the crack above it, as well as the peeing pose, suggests to me that the dog represents something that is helping to break the barrier between all the figures.

Evaluation/Judgment:

At first glance, the vivid colors and unique shapes of the figures stood out to me. Both drew me into the piece, and I just kept staring at it. Since I'm not quite sure of a related topic other than family, which I discussed in the previous section, this work's message or intent did not make me change my opinion on a topic or consider a different point of view.