Cheryl Alberti Art Appreciation – Midterm September 5th, 2010 “Andre Derain, London Bridge” Visual Elements Line – I believe implied lines were used in this painting. Some edges are clear with a defined start and finish. The line weight varies. The lines also vary in width and length. Mostly straight lines with a few curves. Shape – The shapes range from rectangles, arches, and squares, to blurs that appear to be buildings in the far back corner. Mass – I believe the mass is actual. The Bridge itself is the bulk of the artwork, its mass size stretches across the painting.
Space – Space is created by the placement of the bridge and the buildings in the background. 1. Two Dimensional – The water and the boats appear to be two dimensional. I see a lot of three dimensional in the painting. The bridge has height, width, and depth as well as the buildings in the background. 2. Illusion of Depth – The tunnels under the bridge imply depth. The buildings in the background and the end of the bridge near them show diminishing size in two directions even the boat in the back of the painting isn’t as large as the one in the front.
The bridge and the boat in the front have been placed vertical while the buildings are horizontally placed. 3. Perspective – The artist uses perspective technique to create an illusion of three dimension on a two dimension surface. Using variation between sizes of depicted subjects, overlapping some of them and placing those that are on the depicted ground as lower when nearer and higher when deeper. Linear perspective – Derain creates the illusion of spatial depth on a two dimensional surface. We can see parallel lines as converging in the distance.
The lines of the bridges are slanted inward making them appear to extend back into space. The same with the buildings the lines extend back to a vanishing point. Atmospheric or Aerial perspective – An Atmospheric haze is used in this particular piece of art. The sky in the background is a bright orange and red. Time and Motion – It doesn’t appear to have an event occurring in succession from the past through the present to the future. Motion can be possible with the fact that the boat appears to be going into the tunnel and the water appears to have movement. 1.
Implying Motion – Derain chose to use brushstrokes that would imply that the water was moving making motion appear possible. 2. Actual Motion – Light- Discrimination between light and dark. 1. Seeing light – Light appears to be reflecting in the water and in the skies horizon. The waters value is of a lighter choice of colors where as the tunnels and the buildings depths are darker. 2. Implied Light – Chiaroscuro is used for the tunnels and the buildings to show depth. The water definitely has strong value contrasts where as the buildings in the back going into the distance have minimal contrasts. . Light as a Medium – The pigments used carry the medium in the painting. Color – Color is definitely an important fact in this piece. This particular artist developed Fauvism along with Henri Matisse. Using bold colors and exaggerating color in their art. Derain was known as a Les Fauves painter. Les Fauves believed that color should be used to express the artists feelings about a subject, rather than simply describe what it looks like. This painting has two main characteristics a simplified drawing with exaggerated color.
Texture – The texture used in the London Bridge creates the feeling of the art. The texture used is implied. Principles of Design Unity and Variety – A feeling of completeness is created by the use of elements in this piece. Unity is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of design. Variety is obtained through the use of diversity and change. By using and changing the elements of color, value, line, shape, form, texture, and space both unity and variety are achieved.
Balance – balance is achieved by the arrangement of the color, shapes, form, space and lines appearing asymmetrical creating a feeling of stability in the work. Emphasis and Subordination – There is emphasis given to the bridge and the water. The right back half of the artwork is subordinated with not much emphasis on detail or color. Directional Forces – The lines from the bridge draws you to follow the bridge back to the buildings. Contrast – The sky and the water contrast each other. The reds and oranges in the sky and the blues, greens, and yellow used in the water.
Repetition and Rhythm – Again rhythm is used to create the look and feel of movement. There is not much repetition but there is some with the design of the bridge and the buildings. I think that with Andre Derain it is more of a simplified drawing with bold color. Scale – The painting is a larger scale measuring 26” x 39”. The proportion goes along with the emphasis. The use of more intense hues in the sky and water emphasizes those two areas of the painting while the composition of the bridge emphasizes that area of the painting.
