Art Gallery Visit #2

1. Description:  Look at the work carefully and describe what you see and/or what is happening in detail.  Get as much background information as possible, such as the title, date, artist, country of origin, medium etc.  Ask yourself: what is already known about the time period, style, artist, etc.?   Is the work representational, non-representational or realistic?  Does it make use of modified images?  And so on.

 

Late Afternoon Twilight-This painting is of a small town in the suburbs. There are two horses pulling a man down the road into town. This is realistic since this painting is of real ordinary life in the 1920’s. This was a time in which the Great Depression was evident but do not know for sure if this painting had anything to do with that. Also, the title may give away what influenced Burchfield; simply late nights ride in town. Twilight could mean that the night was awakening.

Untitled (Horse and Buggy)-This drawing is of literally a horse and buggy traveling down a dirt road to a town. The land around the horse and buggy is scarce so this must have been in the country somewhere. Burchfield must have wanted to represent time and show the dirt road as a symbol of old times. This work is realistic because this depicts real life in the 1920’s. The media used to create this work offers the feeling of the “dirt” road affects.

Grain Elevators-This painting represents the late 1930’s grain elevators at the site of a river or lake. These factories symbolize hard work and dedication toward the specific company that is displayed in the painting. This work is representational and realistic because of the detail that was put into it. 

2. Formal Analysis:  Pick apart the composition or design.  Ask yourself:  What elements are     emphasized?  How are they used?  What principles?  How?  What design type?

Late Afternoon Twilight-The elements and principles that are emphasized are line, texture, space and color. Lines are represented in the sky, ground and building in the painting. This gives it the texture that can be displayed when looking at this up close. The space is presented to the left of the town and the sky. This negative space represents different tones of color. All of which are neutral shades of brown, yellow and orange. The type is infrastructure or architectural design.

Untitled (Horse and Buggy)-The elements and principles that are emphasized are line, texture and space. The lines are represented in the dirt road, horse, carriage and land. This gives a sense of pattern to the drawing. Texture is displayed when looking at the dirt road. It is as though you can reach out and physically touch it. Space is demonstrated throughout the drawing to display the land and desert-like atmosphere.

Grain Elevators-The elements and principles that are emphasized are line, variety and unity. Lines are displayed in the factories, ripples in the water and clouds in the sky. They are straight and curvy lines. Variety is represented between the buildings, lake, and homes surrounding the painting. Unity is displayed because the whole picture comes together and each piece has a specific meaning for being in the spot that it is. 

 3. Bracketing:  Artists often refer to things from everyday life in their art.  Sometimes when we look at a work of art we are reminded of another artist or style of art.  Sometimes we notice iconography we are familiar with.  Think of what you are reminded of when you look at the work.

Late Afternoon Twilight-When looking at the work, I immediately thought of the wild west or a cowboy movie. It made me envision how life was in that time period.

Untitled-Horse and Buggy-This work makes me appreciate the forms of transportation we have today and the quality of the roads. I can’t imagine how much time was wasted and how uncomfortable the rides must have been.

Grain Elevators-This work makes me think of the grain elevators in the First Ward of Buffalo towards the end of Louisiana Street. I think that times were rough because people were not getting paid like they should have and conditions were not the best that they could. Trying times were definitely a struggle for most individuals in the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

4. Interpretation:  Stop and look at what you wrote down in steps two through four.  Put all the information together to determine the meaning of the art.  What strategy is the artist using?  Are there any symbols, metaphors or allegories that tell you anything about what the artist intended?  Do you have an emotional reaction that you think the artist wanted you to have?  Make your conclusions from the previous steps support your interpretation.

Late Afternoon Twilight-The painting is represented by how the artists reflected on a specific time period. This was influential to Burchfield because he beautifully painted an image that impacted him. I am sure he wants his viewers to think about how life truly was and think about the proximity.

Untitled Horse and Buggy-The drawing is a step back in time of how “uneasy” life once was back in what we consider ancient history. I think that artist was trying to convey possibly a time when he rode in a buggy and convey that times were tough. It is much different in our society today.

Grain Elevators-This painting represents hard work in the past and makes us appreciate what we have in our lives today. Burchfield would have wanted viewers to reflect back in time to realize that life was not easy at all. Working for hardly any pay increased the feeling of struggle.

Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit? The title of the exhibit is John R. Oishei Foundation & Anthony J. Sisti Galleries. Of the three pieces of work I chose, the years range from 1920-1938.
2. What is the theme of the exhibition? The theme of the exhibit is Charles Burchfield’s perspective on life.

Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used? Dim track lighting is used to represent the mood and character of the artwork.
2. What colors are used on the walls? White walls are presented throughout the gallery.
3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space? There are a few benches for those who would like to sit and take more time to reflect on the work. Also, some artwork is displayed in glass cases to ensure that viewers do not touch it.
4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space? The artwork is spacious and allows many people to view at the same time. The open space helps the exhibit flow more easily and freely.

Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized? There is no particular order except for the way each gallery is placed.
2. How are the artworks similar? All of one artist represents each section of the gallery.
3. How are the artworks different? The artwork is made differently as far as which media was chosen to create the masterpiece.
4. How are the artworks framed? From the looks of it, all three are wooden frames.
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled? These are identified on a plaque placed to the right or left of the painting. It represents the artist, their date of birth, the title of the work, media used and where the artwork came from. The three that I chose from Charles Burchfield were gifts that were donated to the art gallery.
6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other? They are all within a few feet of each other. The size of the gallery was not very large so it made viewing the artist more enjoyable and surreal.  

 

What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?

I thought it was interesting having to visit the gallery from a different perspective. It made me look at specific things that I would not normally notice on a normal visit. The space was easily accessible making it easy enough for several people to view at the same time and still feel comfortable. The architecture was designed in a way to wrap you around in a circle leading you to another part of the gallery. The theme was Buffalo in the early 1900’s from Charles Burchfield’s perspective on life.