Chapter 7- Other Formal Elements

For our chapter 7 blog post, we were asked to compare a piece of contemporary art (from the last ten years) to an older piece of art in regards to the other formal elements.

The first image is Untitled (SK-MY) by Angel Otero painted in 2013 and located at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Angel Otero Untitled (Sk-MY) Oil on canvas

I thought this painting was a prime example of one of the other formal elements discussed in this chapter- texture! This painting doesn't only have visual texture, but actual texture as well! If you could reach out and touch it, it would have actual piece and a rough feeling. This painting goes beyond just paint and incorporates paint skins to give some 3-D texture to the piece. Grattage is one thing discussed in this chapter in regards to texture and while this piece doesn't use that same style, the same effect is created in a new way. This painting also uses motion in a way. It shows the motion that wen into creating such a piece.

One of my favorite artists of all time was mentioned in this chapter in regards to time and motion. This artist is none other that Claude Monet. His Water Lilies series give the illusion of time and motion on the water. One of my favorite of this series is located in Paris at the Musee L'Orangerie. 

Claude Monet Water Lilies Oil on Canvas

The display of this piece also gives it the appearance of motion. The scale of this piece really is what makes it so powerful. You have to walk around the entire room to see all of it!

Abstract art like the first painting is very different than Impressionist Art like Monet is famous for but both use colors and textures to create a more moving image. Impressionism and many modern art forms seem to both put emphasize on movement and texture which is interesting considering how far apart historically they are. 

Although these paintings are very different, they both demonstrate many of the other formal elements mentioned in chapter 7.