True Beauty
5 Step Critique
Step 1: Observe
- I see a mountain range in the background
- I see many trees in the middle ground
- I see a dock floating on a lake
- I see the reflection of the mountains and clouds in the lake
- I see another doc near the other end of the lake
- I see that the photo is attached to a piece of wood
- I see nails helping hold the photo on to the wood in the corners
- I see a rope attached to back to help hang the photo
- I notice how the gray of the wood compliments the colors in the photo
- I see fog lifting off the lake
Step 2: Describe
In the photo of the lake I see a big mountain in the background that glows almost orange and pink with the morning sun. In the middle ground of the photo I see many different shades of green in the trees and the grasses. In the foreground I see perfectly calm and flat lake that reflects the colors of the mountains of the sky. On the lake I see an old rustic doc floating. I also see a rope hanging from the back of the wood that the photo is attached to help hang the photo. I recognize the nails on the corners of the photo helping hold the photo in place. This piece of artwork was printed on a big piece of semi- glossy photo paper and glued and nailed into a piece of wood to display it on, hung by an old rope. To create this photo I went into Lightroom to add a good filter that brought out the colors. I then adjusted the saturation, clarity, and contrast to give it more color and greater lights and darks.
Step 3: Analyze
One connection of that I notice is between the element of art line and the principle and design movement through how the lines of different ground levels help lead the viewers eyes through the photo. There appears to be a line between the foreground (lake) and the middle ground (land area with trees) and a line between the middle ground and the background (mountains). The positioning of the lines from a low point to a high point help to see the movement by starting at the lake then following the lines to background. This helps the view see all of the photo. Another connection I made was between the element color and the principle balance to make the different values of colors around the photo fit together. You can see this connection in the photo between the darker green colors of the trees and the lighter pink, orange, and blue colors of the mountains and the lake. With the lake and mountains "sandwiching" the darker green trees, it helps the viewer see the balance between the mountains and the lake because the viewer can see the blurred mirrored image of the mountains in the lake. One final connection I made was between the element of art texture and the principle of design unity. Through the texture seen in the rocks and edges of the mountains and the needles of the trees, unity is created because they show very different textures in each ground level. The lake shows a very smoother soft texture through its calmness and reflection of the mountains.
Step 4: Interpret
yThe idea the artist is trying to show in their photo is how much they love nature and the beauty of being outdoors in it. Through the trees, mountains, lake, and clouds the viewer is able to see all the different parts of nature that the artist admires. Through the bright orange and pink colors from the mountains and the lake, the photo also shows their mood in nature. This environment makes the artist feel happy and calm seen from the calmness of the lake and the warm feeling that the colors give the viewer. Finally, the story behind this photo shows how special the lake is to the artist and their family and how often the go out on it and enjoy it. The doc in the middle of lake shows how kids and other adults jump and play off of it. This photo is very special to the artist.
Step 5: Evaluate
I think that this photo is a very successful piece because it shows the true beauty of nature and also tells a story. Through the three different connections of element of art and principles of design the artist is able to prove and easily show their idea, mood, and story behind the photo. I really like how the artist brought out the colors of the mountains on the reflection of the lake as well. I think that the contrast between the mountains and the trees really brings balance to the photo, especially with the dark trees in the middle of the lake and the mountains. Overall, I really like this photo and think that it is a very successful piece.