The 1st assignment of this subject is to research and refer art movement and find out the principles of design and elements of design of an artist to an artwork.
The chosen artist: Thomas Dewing
He is best known for his tonalism|tonalist paintings, a sub-genre of American
art that was rooted in English Aestheticism.
Dewing's most common vehicle of artistic expression is the female figure.
Often seated playing instruments, writing letters,or engaged in other
impassive actions and situated in gauzy, dreamy interiors, the figures remain
remote and distant to the viewer.
These scenes are tinged with color that pervades the entire picture, setting
tone and mood.Some feminist critics have lambasted Dewing's work as being
misogynistic,he rarely painted anything other than the female figure decked in sumptuous clothing with vacant expressions.
What is Tonalism?
Tonalism is an American artistic movement that was started in the late 1800's. The movement is used to describe the dark landscapes that were said to have been influenced by the French Barbizon artists. The color in a tonalist painting has a predominantly even darker color and can be associated more with moonlight than sunlight. Luminism emphasizes light in painting just as impressionism does, but without strong brushstrokes. Tonalism is in contrast to Luminism.
Dewing's Artwork:
The Lute
Principles of Design
Rhythm/Repetition: In this artwork there are four ladies which look very similar but each of them have different pose. The repetition of the dress colour and shape of the lady sitting down is repeated.
Unity:In this artwork it has a variation of ladies with different pose and it achieves unity because these ladies looks similar but different. This makes the artwork much more interesting to look at.
Balance: This artwork is considered a balance artwork by position as the three ladies on the left are being balanced out by the only lady on the right.
Elements of Design
Colour: The colour of this artworks is abit dull but it creates an imagination kind of feeling when looking at it. Green is a nature colour and it is also known as a safe colour and favoured by well balanced people.
Value: The overall of this artwork is lightness and lack of contrast
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