Form, Content, and Subject Matter

Form, Content, and Subject Matter GENZ 220Z-Art Critique Paper Shelby M. Dykes In this paper, I will discuss the form, content, and subject matter of three different paintings. Each of the paintings represents the following: representational painting, abstract painting, and a portrait. The paintings I have chosen are: Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks 1942, Wassily Kodinsky’s Colour Studies: Squares and Concentrentic Circles 1913, and Pablo Picasso’s Self-Portrait 1907. Representational paintings show clear objects or events and have a clear subject matter in the painting.

The subject matter is quite evident in Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. The subject matter is the dominating, brightly lit diner. The diner is proportionately large. It is built on mostly straight lines, both vertical and horizontal. With the exception of the curve located at the intersection of the two streets. The line of the ceiling of the diner and the line of the green window ledge intersect with the vertical lines depicted by the window frame. The interaction of the horizontal and vertical lines seems to be an essential element in the painting.

It produces a pronounced angularity in shape. The overall shape is a rectangle. This is seen with the windows of the diner, as well as, the vertical rectangle in the building in the background. I notice a triangle formed by the silver light on the background building’s window. The lines formed by the diner window seem to trap the people inside the ominous diner. The dramatic uses of light colors against dark colors add variety to the painting and give the painting the feeling of depth. The darkness seen outside the window really gives a feeling of impending doom to the customers inside.

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Outside, there is no one seen walking the street. The yellows painted show the electric light from inside the diner. This achieved by the high value of the yellow. The low value of green is evident in the building in the background. The brilliant streak of green along the window sill is a great example of green at its saturation. The building is proportionately larger than the patrons sitting inside. The diner gives a feeling of doom and loneliness; this is the content. It seems as if Hopper wants us to see the people dining, but he does not emphasize the human element in the painting.

It is strange that the window does not show a reflection of the viewer looking into it. The man sitting at the corner of the counter is dark and looks sinister. Is he a “bad guy? ” Even the coffee pot behind the counter seems proportionately larger than the people. The coffee pot dominates the size of the people. I don’t see a door in the diner, are the customers “trapped? ” the painting brings the suggestion of “once upon time. ” Edward Hopper’s, Nighthawks, is a clear example of a representational painting.

Although I think other participants would agree that the diner is the subject matter and the form is clear, would a viewer agree with the ominous, scary feeling that I feel makes up the content? Wassily Kandisky’s, Colour Studies: Squares and Concentric Circles is the painting I have chosen to demonstrate abstract painting. Abstract art does not have a recognizable subject matter. Instead the color, form, line, and even texture are clearly the subject. It is completely non-representational; the content is the feeling evoked by the color and form, etc.

This painting represents something that is not visual. It represents a sound, emotion, or experience. Upon looking at this painting, I can see that Kandinsky used careful planning in the painting of what at first seems like “just circles. ” The painting is making my eye look at the contrast of the color and the contrast of the shapes. The composition is made up of twelve sections of relatively equal portioned circles that are inside of squared-off into divisional angles. The square shape consumes all the space of the overlapping colors created by the circles.

The painting has perfect balance, movement, rhythm, proportion, variety, and unity! Even texture is achieved by the circular lines and brush strokes. I can almost picture Kandinsky’s brush moving around the painting in quick, swooping motions. The linear design of the painting is clear with the vertical and horizontal, fine lines painted as squares. Without a doubt, the “all-at –onceness” of the painting is created by the color. Kandinsky used such a wide range of color techniques that when I close my eyes upon viewing the painting, the image is still present.

The colors are bright primary and secondary colors mixed with more earthy hues. The two overlapping circles on the bottom left are made evident by the low value of the green mixing with the saturated red to create almost a black. The contrast created by the black and yellow square touching is eye-catching. The gradation in the upper left square is evident by the continuous changes from the swirl surrounding the circle. It changes from yellow to green, then to blue and back to yellow! Can you feel the excitement in my description?

This is what the painting makes me feel while participating. Despite the sectioned off circles and squares, the painting demonstrates unity. That is, the painting forms togetherness, despite contrasts of details and regions. The color also helps define the depth. As depth was clearly seen in Nighthawks, the depth of Colour Studie is not as readily evident. Look at the bottom left square. The circle seems somewhat flat. Now view the upper left square. It gives the feeling of protrusion. It seems as if the circle is popping out of the square.

On the other hand, the circle located in the upper right square seems like it is sunken into a spiral. This is achieved by Kandinsky’s ability to use different hues at minimal and maximum values around each circle. The bottom left circle seems like it is lacking depth due to the constant use of the saturated red and no visible contrasting colors swirling around it. The abstract art, Colour Studies: Squares and Concentric Circles, creates an intense feeling of “here and now. ” That is an element that is often lacking in the representational paintings.

The portrait painting I have selected is Pablo Picasso’s, Self-Portrait 1907. This is another example of abstract, even though it has a clear subject matter. The subject matter of course, is the man depicted in the painting, Pablo Picasso. The paining however, clearly demonstrates excellent use of line, texture, and color. All are seen in a very simple, non-confusing form. The painting looks like something I could have created, or even something found in a “coloring book. ” The lines are so apparent that it looks like an outline could have been made and almost filled in with color.

If I had to make an assumption, I would think that Picasso started the painting with eyes. The “all-at-onceness” of this painting is achieved by the hugely proportionate eyes and bold lines surrounding them. The distinct, awakeness of the eyes seems evident with the bold lines and brown hue in the pupils. Why are his eyes so much larger than the rest of the painting? I actually don’t think that in true relation to the facial features they are larger. The nose is distinct, as well as the ears, but the eyes still seem largely dominating.

The lines that make up the nose and cheekbones are vertical and create an up and down movement with the eye. However, the up and down movement is over-shadowed by the horizontal movement the bold eyebrow line creates. Also over-shadowing is the circular bold lines of the eyes and eye lid creases. The lines making up the mouth are so much smaller. The color of the lips closely resembles the same hue of the surrounding skin itself. Did Picasso want us to see his eyes more blatantly or is that just the way he saw himself, awake and aware? The lines painted also seem to be apparently painted with direct diagonal strokes.

The line making up the forehead seems to come to a point of the jaw and cheek bone if it were extended. The diagonal lines in the collar of the shirt create shapes and give dimension without the use of heavy shading, which is so apparent in representational pieces. There is some slight shading on his right lapelle. This is created by variations in the value of the pale green color and darker olive green color created. I also notice the vertical symmetry achieved by the straight line from the nose, to the upper lip, and continued down to the straight line in the shirt.

These vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines all come together to give the painting balance. Texture may be seen in the brush strokes of the hair. Each stroke seems uniquely defined with a bit of space left between them to give the impression of the hair stranded “clumping” together on the forehead. Texture is also seen is the redness created in the skin surrounding the nose. The skin appears to be rougher in touch in the areas. Texture in the painting is created on both the right and left of the jaw in the orange background.

The viewer’s right side seems to have less paint giving it a high value of orange. The viewer’s left side of the painting seems like more paint was used to create a low value of the orange. The color used creates that of warm feelings. The earth tones seen are orange, brown, peach, and pale green. Look at the value of color in the ear. You can see where white was added to the lobe of the ear in comparison to the distinct peach found in the inner ear. The pink added above the eye brow is also seen under the eye, on the side of the nose, and under the tough jaw line.

This does give the perception of depth in the facial features. The portrait of Picasso is clear in content. He evokes feelings of awareness, even though he appears to be wearing something similar to that of a “Halloween mask. ” The portrait is distinctly abstract, although clear subject matter is defined. In conclusion, the three works of art chosen represent three different types of paintings. All have distinct content, even though the subject matter is not always apparent. This shows that both subject matter and form will help the viewer participate in the art work to determine the content.

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