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03 March 2010

Student artwork critique - Bryan

Bryan - Envy

My first piece for this investigation was envy from the seven deadly sins. Right away, I felt the color green showed an accurate representation of what envy is as a feeling. The media I used included gloss gel to create texture, a mixture of gloss medium and acrylic paints to make a bold and thick paint, and gum wrappers to create eyes which i felt are commonly linked to envy. The gold paint splattered across the piece represents gold, which is a material that can be what is being envied. It is not quite completely gold, but more of a copperish tinted color because it comes to show one is blinded by envy because it is like an addiction.

Leave your comments below.

11 comments:

Shirley Vazquez said...

I think that Bryan's art work is very nice. I like how the eyes circle around the page. Kind of giving that sense that the envy is never ending. The color green was perfect for the "envy" mood because usually green is always associated with envy.

many things were nice and the different texture and how they all tie in. Overall, Great Job Bryan!

Caroline said...

I really like that idea that you brought up Shirley, about the eyes sort of being everywhere and watching. I also agree with your comment about the composition and testure of the piece. The "envy" mood that Shirtley brought up was very apparent throughout the piece. I very much agree with your comments Shirley!

Dianna said...

Shirley did bring up a nice point about the eyes. Like the other sins, this sin will always be around as long as humans have that innate mechanism that allows them to feel threatened. The omnipresence of the eyes around the piece perfectly shows how people are always watching and appraising others.

The one thing I'm not so sure about though is the color of the gold. It seems too soft and pale against the green, and envy seems to be one of those harsh and bold colors.

Marcus said...

Dianna's criticism of the boldness implied by envy is accurate. As one of the seven, these sins are to be grotesque and powerful, and the gold does not necessarily seem strong enough.

Yet at the same time, the nature of envy itself is more subtle compared to the other sins such as pride or lust, and therefore I can see how the gold works. I also want to praise the shade of green throughout, giving a more lively, natural look to the traditional though of how envy is interpreted. Rather than a somber look, the light shades of green almost assign a sense of innocence with the eyes, remarking on how envy is human, not just for the sinful.

Morgan said...

The fact that Dianna and Marcus have opposing oppinioms on the idea of envy alludes to the nature of this sin. Envy is complex and takes many forms, and is present within all of us. The best solution would be to combine bold and soft shades of each color to add dimension and contrast.

I very much like the concept of your piece, but I recommend that you put more focus on composition next time.

Richelle said...

Morgan makes a good point. The seven deadly sins is a great topic to explore. But you have to be careful with your composition because creating a strong focal point is also important. Sometimes, we can get too carried away with texture.

For your next piece, I suggest finding an object that really embodies the sin you wish to explore. Make that object the focal point, then situate your texture within and around the object to give the piece depth.

Anonymous said...

Marcus,
Though i do agree with him, is he assuming that envy has only one certain way it should be seen? Yes the gold could have been replaced with a stronger color that would dominate the piece, it still portrayed the meaning.
Along with caroline and Shirley who believe that the eyes could represent the eyes being everywhere at once. I think its fair to say that enevy can control where your eyes are caught looking but this one emotion can control so much more than just the eyes. Can it control an entire being? Just as rage can cause horribel things to happen i also see envy doing the same. So back to marcus's comment, a stronger color could be used to describe envy. But through another persons eyes it can be seen different.

Paige said...

The comment above is from me.
I forgot to put my name.

Elaine said...

I want to agree with Marcus in that the shade of green Bryan uses is really different from what we usually think but it is also very appropriate. But I disagreee with Dianna's comment that the gold is too subtle for Bryan's message because when I look at the piece with all the green on it I'm just drawn to the gold and I totally understand the message that gold signifies wealth and it is enviable. I think the gold and green work because the green is everywhere and it's a secondary color while gold is shiny and stands out because it is metallic.

Sasha said...

The thought put behind the piece while the piece was in progress was brilliant. The risk and experimentation with the gloss mixed with acrylic was successful. The strength in the piece is drown from the usage of space. By using each section of the page effectively the theme of envy was displayed effectively. Although the gold could've been more concentrated in the area desired to be the focal point it gave an interesting twist to the piece which contributed to drawing the viewer's eyes across the page. Great work.

Vicki said...

Sasha,
I definitely agree with you. The risk and experimentation turned out great. I also agree that the use of space is the greatest strength Bryan has in this piece. I do not think that each section was used effectively, because his art piece does seem a bit chaotic. Yet, I think you and Bryan should consider the line usage and the coherency of all the movement in the piece. Had he choose the different lines and movement in his piece to shift more smoothly, I believe his piece would have looked more organized. I think the gold had to be more concentrated in the "envious eyes" area as well to be considered a focal point, too.