CGE 12402 Appreciation of Western Art (TB7)

Student Name: Tsui Wing Kwan, Ava

Student ID: 53606122

CGE 12402
APPRECIATION OF WESTERN ART
FORMAL ANALYSIS 2

TUTOR NAME: MICHAL ALLISON

LEGER
TUTORIAL GROUP: TB7
STUDENT NAME: TSUI WING
KWAN, AVA
STUDENT ID: 53606122

CGE 12402 Appreciation of Western Art (TB7)

Student Name: Tsui Wing Kwan, Ava
Student ID: 53606122

DATE: 2ND DECEMBER, 2013

PAINTING NO.: 5

This painting is neither about historical moments nor featuring

important subject matters. The work simply depicts the reality and
social life of people back in the days. The background is a corner in
a club, people are there for entertainment, the men are enjoying
themselves chatting and drinking. Whereas, women in the painting
are likely to be prostitutes or lady of escort services, judging by their
pompous outfit and accessories. Some of them sit in front of the
table companying men while others are wandering around, looking
in the mirror
fixing their
headpiece.
Throughout the
painting, the
artist dominantly
used dull neutral
colors like black,
grey, brown with
hint of teal hear

Teal

Dark
Brown
Brown

Black

CGE 12402 Appreciation of Western Art (TB7)

Student Name: Tsui Wing Kwan, Ava
Student ID: 53606122
and there. The artist restricted him/herself from using wide range of
bold colors in order to avoid having color itself as the main focus of
the painting, but the message behind. You will noticed that
the artist painted the face of the woman in the right bottom
corner with teal and pale white contrasting with her black
dress, the purpose is to create deliberate emphasis which
grasp the attention of the audience to the facial expression
of her. Although the use of teal color suggests peacefulness
and calm, looking into her eyes, you will sense that she is
actually trying to tell people something as if she is very tired
and helpless.
Summary: Color has taken up a crucial position in this
painting that affect audiences feeling towards it.

Light Source

Rather than using intense solid colors, the artist incorporated

moderate
lightness and
Darker
darkness in the
painting so as
to create
value
preventing it to
be flat looking.
By comparing
the color of the
Lighter
faces, it could
be determined
that the light
source comes
from the right.
You can see
that the face of
the woman on the right bottom corner, the man and woman around
the table in diagonal, their face are also hit by the light source.
Therefore their faces are painted in lighter color than the other
people around the table. You are able to see that the man circled in
black is painted in the direct opposite way, the color used is more of
a dull yellowish brown.

CGE 12402 Appreciation of Western Art (TB7)

Student Name: Tsui Wing Kwan, Ava
Student ID: 53606122
Summary: The generous amount of light makes the painting looks
more realistic.
Moreover, the
artist used visible
lines in the whole
artwork. Long
straight diagonal
lines are used for
the wooden floor
to show give a
solid, serious and
orderly feel. The
short thin precise
stokes are used on
the details of the
womens dresses
to provide us an
illusion of implied
texture that we
really feels the cloth. Also, wavy lines are used on the bottom of the
dress to show the flowing movements of the dresses.
Other than that, there
are implied lines in the
painting which shows
us where to
look and to look next.
These lines stop our
eyes from wandering
too far, as you can see
in the right, we start
from 1 and stop at 3.
Summary: Visible lines
in here differentiate
dynamic and solid,
whereas implied lines
help highlight areas
that are important.

With the use of contrast in colors, it helps create emphasis to the

woman as the focus given to the artwork as a whole, serving as a
magnetic relationship between the audience and the painting,
stimulating people to think about the message behind. While the
un-emphasized parts of the painting are less important, the artist
used them as a methodical tactic instead, they serve as a

CGE 12402 Appreciation of Western Art (TB7)

Student Name: Tsui Wing Kwan, Ava
Student ID: 53606122
background in order to bring out the main subject with greater
brilliance.
Also, with the emphasis on woman in the right side of the painting,
the left side balanced the whole picture symmetrically with a group
of people not as important, giving an amiable presentation for the
whole painting.
Summary: Emphasis in this painting is created by the exaggerate
color contrast which direct us viewing towards a particular part
where the woman situated.
The consistent use of elements of value, allow us to guess the time
and motion of when the painting is drawn and the movements of
the subjects. Value of light and darkness helps to estimate that the
painting is being done in a constrained period of time, either the
evening or night, but not the daytime because light source would be
very efficient if it is drawn during the morning.
Summary: This shows that the artist is quite sensitive to the display
of time and motion, which it might be decisive for us to comprehend
the painting.
As for the principle of movement, the visible lines on the detail of
the womens dress guided our eyes to the movement of the women
standing in front of the mirror, which makes the painting more
attractive, polished and put together.
Besides, the implied lines directed our eyes to move through the
composition to the area emphasis, it is like creating a path for us to
appreciate the artwork.
Summary: Lines are the dependable element to show the movement
of a painting that also assists our eyes draw to the focal point.
Having to see the warm dull color tone that the artist adopted in this
painting, it gives people a sense that the club is very crowded and
noisy but at the same time a place that is filled with depresses. As
mentioned, the emphasis on the face of the woman on the right, the
cool colors of white and teal, created a coldness and sense of
hopelessness as if the woman is yearning for help.