February 11, 2013

Dorothea Lange photographs

Here's a link to her photos of migrant works, all taken the same year that John Steinbeck toured the West doing groundwork for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

Migrant Workers

Essay due Tuesday (20 points)
Analysis of photo or painting
What idea is the artist trying to convey, and how is the message conveyed through artistic devises? 
Be sure to analyze at least two of the following elements of visual art:

• line
• shape
• form (think of chiaroscurro lighting, which gives the face a human look)
• space (including cropping)
• color
• value (light and dark)
• texture 

Remember that artists chose to emphasis certain elements within their work, often for symbollic purposes

As homework tonight, read the following expanation of the elements of art:
Getty Museum--Elements of Art

Simplified example:
Remember the shot in the film The Grapes of Wrath taken at the point when Muley Graves' home is destroyed by the caterpillar tractor?  We see the shadows (value) of the devastated people, the texture of the scarred earth, the harsh tracks of the tractor in a diagonal line, etc.  The artist emphasizes the injustice of it all through use of strong diagonal lines, powerful triangles, texture, extreme light and shadow, and lack of color.

Here's a site that shows Van Gogh paintings and the actual locations where they were painted.  You'll see that he decided to exaggerate certain elements of art to make his point.
Van Gogh Painting Locations