There are many famous paintings in the world today that are created by different artists. Each one of them tells a story or narrative, the paintings are put together in many ways by the color, shape, and style. Most of the paintings even shows symbolism to the meaning of the artwork. The painting I chose was Rocket to the Moon created by Romare Bearden a famous artists in 1971. This painting is different from others, because it’s a collage of different pictures used to make this painting. Also the painting I chose have many different colors, shapes, different styles and it even show a little symbolism. Rocket to the Moon” tells a little story or narrative that shows self-expression.
To me the story seems to be about the life and struggle of African Americans in the inner cities. I say this, because of the big buildings, lights, and the images of the black people in the collage. The city the painting seems like it’s trying to explain, looks like the city of Chicago to me. I say Chicago of many cities, because it’s known to have many black people struggling there and by the way the city looks with the big buildings. The painting could even be about the roaring 20’s of African Americans or in other words the Harlem Renaissance.
The roaring 20’s is known for rural life and urban life, jazz, African American music, and even paintings. If you look close into the painting you could see some of those things. For example, the big buildings could represent the rural and urban life back then. When you look at this collage you can see the many different shapes, color, and texture of how this picture is put together. The shapes that are used in this painting seems to be positive because it catches your eye to make you be more focus on the shapes used. There are a lot of shapes used because there are a lot of boundaries which are separated from what surrounds the picture.
As you look at the collage you can tell it has actual lines. For example it has horizontal, vertical, and even diagonal lines to actually bring the art work out. The colors used are mainly dark dull colors. There are not that many bright colors used besides light blue, that’s used in the little caution light in the painting. As you look at the painting you notice it contains many visual tools. As you look at the lines in the collage you could see that some suggest motion. For example the rocket in the picture seems to look like its moving, because of the way the lines are formed.
The buildings, the shape of the moon, and the collages of the people can be considered implied lines, because it forms geometric shapes. The mood of the painting is more of a calm and depressed scene. I say this because of the colors that are used in the painting. The color it mainly contains are dark brown, light brown, dark blue, black and some cool colors. The painting also contains a monochromatic color scheme used to make the sky. This is also another thing that could set the mood of the painting. Most monochromatic color scheme are used in paintings to set that certain mood.
Another visual tool used in this painting is light. The direction of light can affect the way things can appear in a painting. The cut out images of the African American people and the buildings can be consider chiaroscuro, because the shading is from light to dark. The lighting of the picture makes the shape and color more visible. The design of the painting is sort of a simple design, because it’s a collage. As you look at the design of a painting, it could consists of the color, direction, point, and even size of the painting. The painting Rocket to the Moon contains all of these types of designs.
The buildings in this painting can be consider a rough texture because of the bricks used to build the building. As you look into the painting you can see the direction of how the collage is going. The painting is slanted towards the right a little. I say this, because as you look at the items in the picture its looks to be slanted. Direction in paintings can also give the paintings a mood. For example, the strong horizontal lines of the buildings give a feeling of stillness and calm. Another example, the diagonal lines of the rocket in the sky reinforce the feeling of movement.
As you look and stare at most paintings you notice each one has a little meaning to it. Not only does it have a meaning, but most objects artist’s paints in a painting symbolizes a certain thing. In Rocket to the Moon it could mean plenty of things to different people. As I take time to look at the painting, different meanings comes to my head about this picture. The first thing I notice is that it’s a collage of African Americans in a city with a caution light on red. To me this painting means African Americans are struggling in a city with economic problems or is having some kind of problem in the city.
This painting contains many objects that could symbolize a certain thing. The rocket in this painting can symbolize African Americans trying escape from there situation in the city. The pictures of the black people can symbolize everyday rituals of African Americans rural life in the south and urban life in the north cities. As I look at the painting I notice one of those people looks like Martin Luther King Jr. this could symbolize the dream of them escaping there problems in the city, because he always had dream things would be better. I chose Rocket to the Moon by Romare Bearden, because the collage of the painting caught my eyes.
There is more focus on detail and color on the front portion of the painting rather than the back cityscape. Most paintings I have seen before are not like this one. Also I chose this one, because it really showed how African Americans are struggling in most cities. The colors in this painting really make you pay close attention to what is really going on. I like the way there are geometric shapes in this painting, because you can see the two-dimensions easier. Overall this is a great painting by Romare Bearden. You can tell he reflected his life in this painting of a collage of different things put together.
