Art Comparative Essay
Museum of Art: Paper After visiting the Raleigh Museum of Art, I discovered two paintings that conjured up opposite feelings that I will compare and contrast. The painting I liked most was titled, Jungle Camp, 2000 an Acrylic on canvas 72 x 60 in. (182.9 x 152.4 cm), from one of North Carolina’s most respected artists, Maud Gatewood. Her paintings record the varied experiences of a wandering life. Writing on the back of the canvas, the artist notes the origins of this picture: "Trapped in the Amazon with a bad leg". Confined to a hut, she made the most of the opportunity. The second painting titled, Venice without water, by North Carolina’s artist Donald Sultan was the painting I truly disliked because of the feelings it provoked. Sultan’s painting from 1990 was an acrylic painting and measured 96 x96 inches in dimension. Sultan used Butyl rubber, acrylic paint, and plaster on vinyl composite tiles, which were mounted on four Masonite panels. Both painting represent landscapes captured by the artists’ eyes or through a photograph. These paintings gave me two strong, but opposite, feelings: joy and sadness. I will describe the differences and contrast these two works of art.
The two pieces of art works have several differences in style. First, the shape in the painting, jungle camp, is rectangular; while the second painting is square. The choice and use of color in the two paintings are completely opposite. Since color is most important to me, I chose the jungle camp painting due to the variety of bright colors that pop from canvas. The painting from Mrs. Gatewood is colorful, which gave me a feeling of joy and warmth. However, Sultan decided to use contrast instead of colors in his painting. Thus, Sultan’s painting is filled with different tones of grey, black, or white.
Gatewood’s painting represents a jungle’s view from a patio or balcony. I can see tall palm trees all stuck to each other in her painting, which gives the impression of abundance and
The two pieces of art works have several differences in style. First, the shape in the painting, jungle camp, is rectangular; while the second painting is square. The choice and use of color in the two paintings are completely opposite. Since color is most important to me, I chose the jungle camp painting due to the variety of bright colors that pop from canvas. The painting from Mrs. Gatewood is colorful, which gave me a feeling of joy and warmth. However, Sultan decided to use contrast instead of colors in his painting. Thus, Sultan’s painting is filled with different tones of grey, black, or white.
Gatewood’s painting represents a jungle’s view from a patio or balcony. I can see tall palm trees all stuck to each other in her painting, which gives the impression of abundance and
Cited: Maud Gatewood, “Art in Embassies”. U.S Departement of State. Web. 25 Feb. 2012. Donald Sultan, “Artnet.com”. Artist biography and links. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. Images [pic] Donald Sultan, Venice without water, 1990 an acrylic painting 96 x 96 in. (243.8 x 243.8 cm) rubber, acrylic paint, and plaster on vinyl composite tiles, mounted on four Masonite panels, museum of Art, Raleigh, NC. [pic] Maud Gatewood, jungle camp, 2000 an Acrylic on canvas 72x 60 in. (182.9 x 152.4 cm), museum of Art, Raleigh, NC.