Formal Analysis of Art

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Formal Analysis of Art ART 101 June 16, 20013 Theresa Biagiarelli Formal Analysis of Art One of the most fundamental elements of art is line. (Sayre, 2010) The way Vincent van Gogh uses line that is free and loose to create a sense of disorder in his paintings is his signature that is easily identified in his works of art. In The Starry Night van Gogh shows his reflection towards life and death in the way the town and the heavens seem to connect by the steeple of the church and the cypress tree. He expressed his confusion and through the use of out of control lines. It is almost as if he is crying out in anguish. Maybe this was a hint to what was in van Gogh’s future because two years after he painted The Starry Night he committed suicide. In Sol DeWitt’s, Wall Drawing No. 681, he too express his personality by the way he uses line. The way he divides the wall into four equal squares that are separated and bordered by a black band. Inside the squares there are bands in one of four directions that are each colored with a different color ink wash. Sol DeWitt’s line is precise, controlled, mathematically rigorous, logical and rationally organized, where van Gogh’s line is imprecise, emotionally charged, and almost chaotic.” (Sayre, 2010) In his masterpiece Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), Diego Velazquez creates competing points of emphasis.” (Sayre, 2010) The viewer’s eye is constantly moving about the painting looking at the many focal points. The most apparent of these focal points is that of the young princess girl who is centered in the middle of the painting, the light shining on her face, and implied lines that are created by the two maids staring at her. Another focal point is that of the painter that is on the left of the young princess girl, he seems to be looking out at the viewer. The mirror that is on the wall

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