Art Evaluation, Assessment Example

The painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci was constructed in the 16^th century.  The artwork features the image of model Lisa del Giocondo who is placed in a pristine position with her right hand over her left, which insinuates that Lisa is an honorable and faithful wife.  The was made on a poplar panel using oils and finite brush techniques, particularly for the detailed background which is an imaginary location that da Vinci created to add to the allure of the work.  The use of dark colors insinuates a potentially unhappy environment in which the subject lives and Lisa is painted with a very unclear facial expression almost as if she is struggling to smile for the artist, which gives an even deeper appreciation for the thought behind the environment, subject and overall composition of the artwork.

The work Woman Holding a Balance by Johannes Vermeer was created in 1664.  The artist used a series of impastos as well as thin glazes to compose the artwork.  Perhaps the best example of his painting techniques can be found on the woman’s clothing.  In order to create the allusion that the woman was wearing wool, Vermeer used a combination of finely ground paint paired with coarse, rough paint overtop to achieve the rough look of wool on the woman’s clothing.  It was also interesting that preservationists discovered Vermeer almost doubled the size of the woman’s hand and the balance she is holding in the piece to place greater emphasis on the importance of balance in her life, which can be interpreted to mean that there is an overall importance of balance in everyone’s life.  This is further heightened by the accompaniment of light brush strokes and colors with the overall darkness of the woman and the room she stands in.

Finally, Andy Warhol is famous for his work Marilyn Monroe which is a technique called silkscreen printing.  This technique is used because it can take the same molded image and apply coloring through screen printing techniques to mass produce the same image with any combination of colors.  This was famous during the 1950s because of Warhol’s ability to add bright, fluorescent colors to an already famous image in pop culture.  The technique and ability to mass produce original images at-will is precisely why Warhol is famous for this work.

References

Andy warhol’s marilyn prints. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/marilyns.html

Johannes vermeer in-depth feature. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nga.gov/feature/vermeer/index.shtm

Mona lisa by leonardo da vinci. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://gardenofpraise.com/art17.htm