Activity #10: Mediums and Techniques

Tomorrow I May Be Far Away was painted by Romare Bearden in 1967; using a collage of various papers, charcoal and graphite on canvas. Bearden used many different kinds of media when creating this piece which include clippings from magazines, catalogs, wallpaper, art reproductions, and painted papers. The use of magazine clippings on faces of the man on the stoop and the woman in the window help emphasis each person’s strong features. The papers used on the house to create shingles give the house a lot of texture the yellow pieces look like pictures they could have been pictures of wood.

The City from Greenwich Village painted was painted by John Sloan in 1922 and the medium used was oil on canvas. “The artist painted this picture from his Washington Place studio on a rainy winter evening while he was looking over 6th Avenue.” The smudged style painting used to paint the sky gives it a cloudy appearance. The colors used for the city especially the yellows and tans help to give the city a gleam, a glow of the night life that may have been going on in the city that night. The yellow paint used below the tracks is the focal point of this painting, the viewers eyes a drawn to the glow of that city block.

Although two different mediums were used to create these paintings, both compositions reflect life each of the artist surroundings.

Creative Notebook #7



This picture is titled Flute and it was painted by Gil Mayers. I love the use of color on this picture. My stepdad is a musician and plays the flute and I bought this picture for him and had it framed. The man pictured in this painting looks like he is really into his music, like he's feeling it from his soul

Activity #9 Write About It!

The early camera that first became a phenomenon was a little more than a pinhole camera and can be traced back to 1558. It was called the Camera Obscura (Latin for dark chamber); this camera was seen as a drawing tool for a clearer and realistic portrayal of objects.(http://www.advancingwomen.com/cinema/index.php) The image was temporary, and could not be lastingly captured on to paper for later reference. The first camera that was small and portable enough that was practical for photography was built by Johann Zahn in 1685. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera#History) The camera as we know it was made public in 1839, about 30 years before the Civil War.

The camera made portraits available to the general public and photography made it possible to record important events for newspapers and journals. Photography became a “new realism”. Through the use of photography an event could be recorded on the spot and was considered to be the bare truth. Because of “new realism” visual artist were open to explore more expressive ways of illustrating their topic by changing color, subject matter, or the presentation of subject matter.

Visual artist of this time knew that the main medium of photography was light and as a result they became more interested in the effects of light on objects and colors which became a new matter of content for their work. Visual artist also used a new tool called cropping. They used this tool to create harmony in design; this was an important element in their work.

Over time the camera has transformed into one of the most widely used gadgets. There are hundreds of models of cameras available today both for the amateur as well as the professional photographer. From pinhole to digital only time can tell where the camera will go from here.

Activity #8 Blog It!!


I decide to do my collage as a mock Washington City Paper "I Saw You" Personal Ad.

Activity #7 WRITE ABOUT IT!

The theme of my exhibit is “View from the Corner – Various Perspectives of City Life.” In this exhibit you will see various pieces of still life artwork that depict different views of street/city life in various cities.

In the first painting is titled “The Block II” by Romare Bearden. This painting shows a view inside of row house homes and businesses. The technique used for this piece is collage of various papers with foil, paint, ink, graphite, and surface abrasion on fiberboard and plywood panels. The artist used both warm and cool colors in this piece. The brick cutouts help to give the picture texture.

The second piece in this collection is titled “Play Street” by Jacob Lawrence. This piece shows people playing in the street underneath sprinklers. Color plays a significant role in this painting. The brick color along with the tan used on the buildings help to give the structures some length and depth. The focal point in this piece is sun in the mural painted on the front of the building.

The third piece selected is titled “Streets in Cagnes” painted by William H. Johnson. This painting is based on asymmetrical balance. Using cool colors and smudged strokes the artist is able to give texture and depth to the sky. The dominant color relationship operating within this piece of art work would be browns, oranges and the yellows which are used to depict the homes and the dirt road.

The fourth piece is titled “The Street” painted in 1977 by Romare Bearden. This painting is done using ink on paper. The focal point in this painting would be the profile of the person sitting in the window on the left hand side of this piece. The lines used throughout the brick on the building and on the lamp post give this picture rhythm.

In the fifth piece titled “Street Life, Harlem” was painted by William H. Johnson in 1939-1940. This painting was painted using oil on wood. Using a combination of warm and cool colors for the buildings behind the couple give the buildings depth like they are in a row. The focal point on this painting is the yellow flower on the woman’s hat.

In the sixth and final piece titled “Brownstones” by Jacob Lawrence was painted in 1958. The dominant color relationship operating within this piece is the red used for the buildings; the red along with the lavender used for the street help to give this painting depth and structure. The focal point for this piece is the gold, black and white designed skirt that the woman pushing the baby carriage is wearing. The use of vivid colors in this painting brings it to life.

The pieces selected for this exhibition were chosen because of what they have in common. All of the pictures selected depict life on a street block, city streets crawling with activity. All of these pieces were painted from the artist view of what city life was like.

ART 101 Mid-Term Exhibition




Romare Bearden
The Block II, 1972

Artwork borrowed from the National Gallery of Art





Jacob Lawrence
Play Street, 1942

Artwork borrowed from The Phillips Collection













William H. Johnson
Street in Cagnes, ca.1926-29

Artwork borrowed from the Smithsonian American Art Museum













Romare Bearden
The Street (Composition for Richard Wright), 1977

Artwork borrowed from The National Art Gallery













William H. Johnson
Street Life, Harlem, ca. 1939-1940
Oil on wood, 116.2 x 36.1 cm

Artwork borrowed from Smithsonian Institution













Jacob Lawrence
Brownstones, 1958
Egg tempera on hardboard, 31 1/2 x 37 1/4 in.

Artwork borrowed from the Whitney Museum

COLOR GAME

To play my color game CLICK HERE


Activity #5 WRITE ABOUT IT!

In Romare Bearden’s, 1967, Tomorrow I May Be Far the purpose of this painting is for the artist to show a reflection of his childhood in North Carolina. Color plays a significant role in this piece. The yellow, green and maroon colored tiles on the house help to give the house its definition and texture. Use of the magazine cut outs for the faces of the man in front of the house and the woman in the window help serve as a focal point for this picture. The dominant color relationship operating within this piece of art work would be blue and white colors; which are used on the man sitting on the porch, the pail beside him and the woman walking in the background. The blue and white colors used on these items help to provide some intensity in this painting.

In John Sloan’s The City from Greenwich Village painted in 1922 the purpose of this painting is for the artist to portray his view of Greenwich Village. The use of yellows underneath the tracks in between the buildings helps to give that city street some light. Lighter colors such as pale pink and yellow along with the plum used for the sky help to define the city skyline this is how color plays a significant role in this painting. The dominant color black is used in the roofs on the buildings and train on the elevated tracks help to give the portrait of this city definition.