Module 2 Artwork Analysis
James Wooldridge, Indians of Virginia, c. 1675, oil on linen, 75.6 x 108.6 cm (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art)
https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/america-in-world/
This is an oil on linen art piece done by James Wooldridge originally in 1675. The photo starts with the primary subject being Indians in the front doing daily activities. They are half clothed and arranged around different tasks. A majority gathered around a vibrant fire with illuminating flames that tie in to a dark cloud of smoke going into the sky.These people appear to be socializing and playing music. The others are spaced out cleaning fish, standing around with a bow, and cooking in a wood cut out with a smaller fire. Moving from the front of the painting from the primary subject in the background is a village closed off with sharp wood carvings circled around. The village has houses following the same circular pattern of the wood carvings and then continues this pattern with people circling around a fire of their own. Moving further into the background is mountains and trees. At the base of the mountain is a body of water.
Some key characteristics of this painting are how in the front the colors are brighter and as you move towards the background the colors start to dimmer and become almost colorless. The colors in the front you see are the green and tan of the Earth, the bright red, orange and yellow of the fires. The painting seems to follow layers working from the bottom of the bage and on upward. The plants on the ground seem to follow a pattern . The texture of the knots in the wood. Moving on to the lighting of the piece the artist has made the setting seemed like the time of day is dusk. The sun is almost covered by the mountains but still in the skyline are hints of orange and yellow. People and objects still have shadows. The contours of the people in front of the painting are sharp, allowing for you to see the mussels and outlines of their body structures.
For the interpretation of this painting it seems the people are happy to live off of the land but distraught with the village behind them surrounded by wood spikes. A sense of division is made from this painting.
Wooldridge, James. Indians of Virginia. Smarthistory. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, n.d. https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/america-in-world/.
Noah,
ReplyDeleteYou have given quite a substantive description of the painting with great detail from the foreground to the background. Besides the images of people, what catches my eye at a glance is the use of color. The hues of earth colors used give the whole picture a sense of warmth. There is a variety of objects scattered within the painting which allow proper utilization of space and also makes the picture interesting to look at. The two groups of people in the foreground balance the front part of the painting. The group around the fire balances the fenced-in village in the middle ground, whereas the fire itself balances the mountain and the clouds on the right of the picture. This is necessary so that the picture does not appear heavy on one side.
I like how you brought up the color and how it changes depending on what you are looking at. I think its important that they made the things closer to the front have more color, this draws the viewers eyes. Something to question is what other kinds of paintings has the artist made before? I wonder if they make more paintings of natives and of their history.
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