Lexi Bates

PHO 236

Museum Visit

Dec. 6. 2016

            Last week I had the opportunity to go to Calvin College to their art gallery. There were any amazing pictures display that were very unique. There were painting, picture, and even some sculptures. All the pieces were very different giving them there own unique personality. One piece that I was particularly drawn to was a painting called, “Autumn Pond” by Mathias Alten. What drew me to it at first was that it featured my favorite season autumn.

            Autumn is full of warm colors and this sense of peacefulness. The painting did a great job of capturing both of those aspects. When I first looked at the painting my eyes went directly to the sky then led me all around the painting. The sky is a nice white with hints of pastel blue that gives the picture a warm kind of a warm feeling to the rest of the picture. Then my eyes went to the beautiful green trees with hints of orange from the dim sunlight hitting them. The pond in the middle of the painting was a leading line to the eye. The pond is what made painting come to life.  The trees being in the third of the picture allowed my eyes to travel around the picture instead of directly at the trees. The reflection of the trees in the pond made it feel like I was actually there.

            The way that I interpreted this painting was being in a nice autumn afternoon. I imagine myself sitting at the edge of the pond enjoying the scenery thinking about the future. I got this interpretation from the way the artist painted the pond. The pond reminds of endless possibilities. The future is full of different possibilities. Overall I really like this painting because there is so much to pull from it. The artist did a great job of making the painting feel warm and inviting. It makes me wish that autumn could happen all the time.

            For my photo I decided to take a picture of trees and a river. The river in my photograph acts as leading lines. The river is almost taking you on journey, but you don’t know where it’s taking you because it’s life and we don’t know where life is always going to take us. The trees are in the third of the picture, which gives it a cool feel and accents the river in the middle. The sunshine beaming down on the river and trees gives it a warmer feeling. What makes my picture different is the fact that the trees don’t have leaves. Mine is also a picture and not a painting. Although they are different in many ways they are similar as well. They both capture the essence of fall and warmth.

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