Critique #1

The artist of my painting is Steve Atkinson and the title is Hope and Despair. He uses acrylic paint over a triple primed canvas. The subject matter is hope. In this painting there is an obvious change between dark and light. In the painting the dark colors which are the mountains are enclosing the person who is also painted dark colors. The dark colors represent despair and anguish. The light colors in the sky are a deep red, orange, and bright yellow. The sun is in the middle and the focal point of the painting. The bright colors represent what is coming in the future for the person, which is hope.
In critiquing this painting I would have to begin with the term chiaroscuro. In the painting there is an obvious distinction between dark and light colors. In the painting the content in the art is in despair and looking and reaching for hope, which is in the distance. The emphasis of the painting is the dark tone of the mountains is placed around the brightness of the sun and vibrant happy colors. In the painting the artist shows a person in the middle of it which represents figurativeness. The focal point of the painting is the sun which represents hope. The foreground of the painting is the dark colored mountains which represents despair. By interpreting this painting I would say the person is surrounded by darkness and is reaching out for hope which is the sun and light colors. The pigment of the painting is dark colors including brown and black. It also has a deep red, orange, and bright yellow. The painting has shade within the mountains and the person. The subtle message the artist is trying to give is that the person is reaching out for hope. The value of the painting is light and dark figures. Lastly, the graphic is painted with acrylics.
The focal point of the piece of art is the sun. The surrounding colors around the sun are darker and the sun is deeper than the color of the sun. The closer to the sun the brighter and more vibrant the colors get. The bright colors represent hope. The narrative is subtle. The dark colors which represent the mountains and the person represent despair. The sun and vibrant sky represents hope. The person is reaching for what is coming in his future, which is hope. The mix of dark and light colors makes this painting very effective and unique.