Art Analysis - Tumblr Posts
Somehow I think Magritte might have enjoyed this humorous take on his work lol
Rene Magritte: The Glass Key (1959)
This is really quite different from all the other Rothko stuff I (and probably most people) have seen and I honestly can’t stop looking at it, the complementary colours here are mesmerising. Which tbf is a quality I would give to much of his work now that I mention it lol.
I do still prefer his later signature work (for many reasons, partly because they’re so distinctive to him and also because it’s amazing to see how much he can do within a pretty simple format). But I love getting this peek behind the curtain into how he came to his eventual style, and seeing some key elements being used as far back as this.
Honestly I wholeheartedly believe in this. It’s a really insightful and important quote about art. And the way I see it, it means if you are truly not thinking about the ideas behind your art (which doesn’t have to be done during the creation of a piece, you can be thinking about it at other times) then you’re just riffing on other people’s ideas that you’ve come across. Or riffing on the same idea you’ve already used.
What I will add is, this is fine! When you’re just doodling or messing around or trying to perfect something you’ve already come up with or just generally practicing. But I don’t think you’ll ever really come up with anything original, anything new, without having to think about your ideas first.
The idea - that is the cornerstone of great art. It always comes first.
Pedro Costa
- Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?
2001
Wow. Feels like I’m vividly seeing something lit up and shining in the night like a city, or maybe it’s being reflected in water. But it’s not clear at all what it is, like seeing it through TV static, or in a dream - everything’s so hazy. The texture of this just pulls you in, it’s so beautiful
Nenad Bacanovic
I might be going crazy but this painting reminds me of characters in a videogame. Like NPCs or the sims or something? That’s just the vibe that I got off this for some reason. Just stay with me on this one:
I’m thinking it might be the way they’re all milling about doing their daily tasks, paying no mind to each other or the viewer.
And we see them only from a distance at this kind of raised-up angle above, looking down on them — they seem so tiny here — it’s that feeling you get when you look out of a high-up window and watch people going about their lives, like a city full of ants. In that same way, we’re just a spectator here, watching these nuns. Intimate yet distant.
Dominican nuns in a monastery chapel (c.1820) Oil on canvas ― Franz Ludwig Catel (German, 1778-1856)
I love shit like this. Art that takes up volumes, it fills the room. It feels almost architectural. And I think it’s really cool how with sculptures like these you can actually see how much volume it takes up due to the semi-transparentness of all the strings, a massive scarlet web.
And these are connections that fill every room really, especially here between what looks like school desks - you know this must have been where memories were made. The only difference is that here you can see those connections.
Chiharu Shiota: Conversations Between Others (2023)
i could really analyze this picture for a fucking millennium
- neither married couple in this picture is anywhere near each other which is mainly because of the fact that the artist has separated immediate family from the extended family/in-laws but if you really think to yourself do they belong together in the first place? id argue that putting logan and marcia together would be fine but putting shiv and tom together changes the entire picture. i feel like the reasons why are obvious
- logan kendall and gerri are sitting. logan and gerri sit in very stoic and strong poses that both have their feet planted (gerri has one foot behind the other to look more “ladylike”). kendall’s one planted foot and one loose foot give away how unsure he is about his decisions. he is also the only sitting person that uses the back of the chair (he’s not used to supporting himself alone!!) however it’s still important to note that he’s the only sibling seated, and he has his own chair meant for one person (same with gerri) whereas logan has an entire couch to himself but only sits on the edge closest to the camera and doesn’t lean on it at all.
- everyone else in the picture is standing which i think directly indicates a lack of a “seat at the table”. the people who get to sit are the people that logan considers the most business savvy and the ones he listens to the most in big decisions, which also makes them the ones he cares about most (i.e. appreciating gerris honesty during Boar of the Floor and searching for/asking about kendall after the gunshot in the office building). connor leans on kendall’s chair and tom leans on gerri’s. i both of these are an indication that the leaner thinks they deserve the sitter’s place, despite them not having for obvious reasons. connor is the roy sibling least connected to the actual waystar royco business but harbors some feeling that he deserves the “daddy’s special boy” spot because he is the oldest and holds a slight resentment for kendall because of it. this is most exemplified by the way the connor occasionally sticks his nose into the conversation and implies that he should be given more power than he currently holds despite making no real effort to become a legitimate royco associate or employee. tom’s desire for gerri’s spot is pretty apparent because he wants to be close to logan and for logan to actually regard him as an equal rather than a disturbingly fruity son in law who he gives positions to oblige his kind of evil daughter
- only roman shiv and greg acknowledge the copious amount of dollar bills covering the room, which i think shows their relationship to the “regular” working world. especially in a time where credit/debit cards and electronic pay are readily available to most of the (global north) population, the richest among us very rarely ever touch physical money despite generating massive wealth that they hoard. greg is the only person in the main cast that has ever struggled with not having enough money and the only character that is a part of the roy family and shows even a sliver of genuine sentiment for the proletariat. he is the only one “taking care” of the money, doing the dirty work for his more cutthroat peers more capable of treating money in the way that rich people do (that is to say they have no idea how the sausage is made but enjoy the luxuries that come from spending money they didn’t really work for). greg obviously is on his way to also becoming disgustingly rich but is still used to working more menial jobs and is treated as such by the rest of the cast, thus he is the sole subject in this piece actually laundering the money. also note that counting the ironing board (which he could leave at anytime but is figuratively bound to) greg is the subject taking up the most space and the closet to the middle
- shiv is the only roy sibling depicted as having a substantial job outside of the waystar royco sphere, but she left it to work for the family company, hence the piece leads the viewer to assume she was holding money and tossed it, keeping the money literally out of her hands and putting regular (i used that word very loosely) employment options behind her. roman is holding the money but has set it on fire, which is pretty direct in illustrating the fact that he is the roy sibling who most often interacts with “normal people” (mostly against his own will) but is a total dick about it. his odd (insane and incredibly rude) behavior costs the family social and financial capital on multiple occasions and he doesn’t really care
- of course we cannot forget the absolutely garish background here. it’s impossible to miss the neoclassical architecture and renaissance art pieces, as well as the gilded ends of the columns and let’s say, interesting placement of windows. obviously at first glance it’s just an absolute hodgepodge of colours but really it’s about signaling the amount of money they have. i resides to say anything else about it because it hurts my eyes
money laundering with the gang
THIS is art to me. Art that makes me feel something. I can feel this. Not only the sadness that you feel realizing a favorite place from your past is gone but also the ghost of the memories you had inside. It was a part of your life that you want to revisit but can't. It's gone. There's nothing like it.
"there used to be a store here"
I love this.
The use of colors to create mood.
Cold dark colors to create a sense of loneliness and sadness contrasting with the bright variety of warm colors creating a happy, companion relief.
In the tower, there is no light. Nothing but cold stinging snow stained with blood as stimutation besides the numb emptiness of the dim environment.
In the mound, there is light. The room is lit with a warm lamp, eliminating the environment and showing the variety of warm colors and companions, happy and caring, filling the room with laughter and love.
The expression and body language of Pearl.
In the tower, Pearl is closed off, lonely, tucking into herself because that is the only thing she has to cling to, to trust for comfort. She sits in the snow because it bites and it stings, either to distract from numbness, sadness, loneliness, and/or guilt, or possibly to punish herself as a way to please the guilt that haunts her from her last mistakes and faults.
In the mound, Pearl is open, still noticeably tense but no longer closed and isolated. Her scars that bled in the tower are not hidden, open for the world to see; she will not be silent about her past battle nor will she be ashamed of it. She knows what happened and she won’t hide it away. She doesn’t bury her face in her arms, instead, she shows her smile, laughing with her friends and leaning onto Gem behind her. She has people now, friends she can trust, laugh with, talk to, and even find comfort in.
How deep this is; the meaning in the contrasting pictures.
In the tower, Pearl is alone. She is trapped in her isolation, no one to watch her cry and bleed into the bitter snow. She wraps her own wounds but seems to have given up at some point, letting her cuts and scratches drip blood down her skin and onto the cold stone ground of her empty tower. She doesn’t care that it’s so cold her breathe comes out in smoky plumes or that the snow will worsen her injuries; she sits the snow anyways, wallowing in her guilt and sadness because no one is there to comfort her or even care. She’s only been met with anger so why even try anymore.
Yet, in the mound, Pearl is surrounded by joyous, trusting, trustful friends. She is not alone; she has dozens by her side, there to help if she ever needs it. Her life has changed and she’s grown with it, opening herself up to those her love her and showing her true self, not having to hide away her feelings or trauma.
She used to be in her worst state, truly alone and dead; though, somehow, through all of that horror and ache just to survive, hurting herself as a way to escape from the cruel world she was forced into, she was the last to die. But now, after years of recovery, healing, acceptance, and learning, she’s found a better life; one filled with love and joy, warm and open. She no longer has to tense her muscles and growl through her teeth just the survive. She can live, she can thrive, not having to run on fumes and the sting of pain to stay functioning.
Pearl has learned to be open, to be herself, to love and care for herself.
As someone who has gone from have multiple panic attacks per day and not daring to tell anyone about my struggle out of shame and fear of failure and miscommunication, I can relate to this artwork. After years of barely making through each day, I’ve finally healed enough to feel that I can live, enjoying everyday knowing that I won’t make it my last. The feeling to recognizing her progress, how you’ve changed and developed from her past self, and realizing how much better you are living is so incredible.
In other terms, I love this duo piece; it really tells a story and helps create a feeling by showing the contrast between the past and the present after years of healing.
Incredible use of colors, detail, and expression! have a good day! :3
something something she left the tower
been thinking about traffic pearl too much
this was done fast because i have school work to do, so thats why its messy
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