Wednesday, March 16, 2011


I’m not sure who did this piece, I stumbled across it online, but I think it’s really interesting. Though this piece is clearly contemporary it’s easy to see the influences of notable artists in it. The carefully rendered girl with the stylized clothing and hair, against the flat background layered with abstract patterns is strongly reminiscent of the work of Klimt. Also interesting is the fact that this work is clearly not digitally rendered, it appears to be watercolor and maybe graphite. The quality of the paint and graphite really make this piece seem alive. Though I like it overall the composition of the painting is a little strange, the way it splits nearly down the middle is not necessarily bad, but the reasons for that split aren’t really apparent so it could be off-putting to some. I’m not sure what this painting is really supposed to mean since I know nothing of its actual context, but the subjects of the painting, the moon, sleeping girl, owl, skull and rose make it seem allegorical as all of those things have symbolic meanings and have been used in countless other pieces in somewhat similar ways.

2 comments:

  1. I love the use of watercolors in this...the technique that the artist uses is something I can only hope to achieve someday. Watercolors are a very finicky medium to work with so the way this has been done is very admirable. It has a nice mix of linework, color, and patterns in it that bring the piece together really well.

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  2. The graphite treatment of the woman and the owl's face, which is different from the rest of the painting, make seem more important to the piece than anything else. It's interesting, because as humans we do pay more attention to faces and other humans.

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