Cezanne Reflection

1. For this unit, I chose to make a painting of an orange sand-dune against a blue sky. I used oil paint, which allowed me to blend the colors on the canvas and work on it over a period of time without it drying out.
2. I used the contrasting colors of orange in blue to create my piece. There were many variations of these colours through the painting. The sand dune had different shades of orange, with red and yellow tints to create value. The sky followed a gradient pattern from dark blue to light blue with different shades of cobalt.
3. I applied Cezanne's techniques by using contrasting warm and cool colours. There were tints of blue in the sand dune to connect it with the blue of the sky, unifying the whole piece. At first, I had planned to use little droplets of thick paint and layer them on one by one, to create a texture. However, this technique took way to long, and didn't turn out the way I had planned. In the end, I smoothed it over, and went with a more simple texture.
4. The motif of my painting would be the orange color. This color appeared several times throughout the sand dune, and had different variations to create value.
5. I think that my painting creates a hot, desert-y mood. I established this through the use of bright, vibrant oranges and reds.

Portrait Visual Research

This artist reveals many things about herself in the photo. Her hand is covering her face, suggesting that she is a shy person. She chose to make the photo in black and white, keeping it simple and drawing  our attention to the subject. The photo is composed so the person is in the bottom middle, of the page, and the words are creating a frame around her. The words are shaped in a thought bubble, and are above her head, to indicate that this is what she is thinking. The girl is hiding one of her eyes, suggesting her shy personality. The words surrounding her reveal her personality. She is telling the viewer that she contradicts herself, she is a dreamer, she likes to escape from things. She is easily hurt, and she is usually frightened. This is reemphasized by the picture of her. The viewers eye looks at the girl first, and then reads the words around her, going from left to right. The mood in this photo seems to be timid. She seems insecure in this photo, and the words around her support that. The viewer can come to the conclusion that the artist is a shy, insecure, but determined person.

This artist only shows the top half of her face in the photo. Her eyes are very vibrant, and seem to be happy, or perhaps curious. The white background helps bring our attention to the subject. The person is in the middle of the photo, and it is only a small part of the person's face, leaving the viewer to imagine what she looks like. The photographer is close to the subject, allowing us to see more details in the subject's face.  The hat and the snow give it a winter-ish mood.

This photo is black and white, allowing us to focus on the forms and features of the girl. She seems to be looking off into the distance, and the viewer is wondering what she is looking at. The black background brings our attention to the subject. The lighting seems to be coming from in front of her face, which illuminates it. The sweeping hair around her face provides a frame for the subject. The mood of the photo is curiosity, because of her facial expression.

The white, mystical colors in this photo contribute to a magical mood. The girl has a funny expression on her face, one that a lot of toddlers have. The color of her eyes seems to be repeated through her hair and her skin tone. The photographer is close to the subject. The background is made up of feathers and smoke, making the girl look almost like an angel. However, she doesn't have a peaceful, angelic face—she has a funny, frowning face. I suppose these ideas are juxtaposed in the photo.

This is a woman in Tibet. It seems to be taken in a poorer village, since her clothing and appearance seems to be poor as well. The yellow background is contrasted against the dark reds and the blue in her clothing. The photographer is close to her subject. Her rosy red cheeks are the same color of the red of her coat. The woman's eyes seem to be dejected, but maybe a bit hopeful. She seems to be shy to have her picture taken. There seems to be a dejected mood in this photo.

This photo was taken in South Africa. It is comprised of a young girl and a dog who are sitting outside. It is in black and white, highlighting the shapes of the subject, rather than the colours. The background is darker, focusing our attention on the girl's face. Everyone seems to be smiling in this photo, even the dog. The mood of the photo seems to be youth, with the young girl and the dog in front of the green plants.