Influential Art – Painters (Annotations), Still Life

Influential Art – Painters (Annotations): Still Life

Flowers in a Vase with Shells and Insects

Flowers in a Vase with Shells and Insects (Ast, 1630)

What is denoted?

In the painting, I can see a verity of flowers that are placed in the vase with colours with the shells shown next to the vase.

What is Connoted?

The connotations are of positively with the flowers to highlight life and light with the insects showing what the life cycle that it is going on. The black highlights death with the way it is dark and it is hard for people to understand what is going on in the area.

What are your interpretations of the image?

The interpretation of this image shows his problems with health with the darkness but with the rest showing that life must go on. The images communicate darkness with things of insect and the blackness and the flowers show how people get on with life after everything might have gone wrong.

How are you affected as a viewer?

The 1st thing that the viewer sees 1st is the flowers of brightness and happiness while the insects show with dread with it connoting that he feels small inside. After reading about the artist it makes me feel sad as it highlights the health struggle that he went through in his life.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

The work is important to my project as it highlights issues with mental health and this forms the project by showing what you want to show people of being happy. With the negative space being shown about depression and suicide. The colour works and stands out on this style.

Strengths & Weaknesses

The strengths of this painting are that the viewer can see light and dark and makes it easier for them to understand what is going with the user and highlight and death. I think that it could do with more denoted signs about his struggle to make it easier for the reader to understand.

What ideas (or visual styles) will you take forward to think about in your work?

My work will be done with using the theme of light and dark to highlight depression being hidden from everyone in order for them to think that it is correct for them to fit in and socialise with everyone and who try to fit in.

Who is the intended audience?

The indented audience is everyday people as he spends time with normal people understanding what is going on in life. He painted some of these during ill health and he wanted to make his work connect with the working class in France. (Wiki, 2019) The audience now has changed with it being people seeing it in galleries.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have only seen this work online at the national gallery’s website it would look stronger if I was to see this artwork in the flesh.

Is the work part of a bigger series?

He is doing similar paintings with flowers as this was his area he has also produced work relating to food as well for romance purposes I believe.

Still Life with Book, Papers and Inkwell

 Still Life with Book, Papers and Inkwell (Bonvin, 1876)

What is denoted?

The painting denotes a close up of a worker’s desk where they are working with glasses and books.

What is Connoted?

The connotations from this image show that this was painted in a study showing someone doing work on what life is an all about to make sure that it all stands out to the average viewer. The book style has been painted in a way that shows that the guy is going to be a catholic scholar with the bible shown in there with the ink showing what he is studying and to make notes for a sermon.

How are you affected as a viewer?

The 1st thing that sees it the book and as I study the painting it makes you wonder with the glasses placed to show the religion. It makes me happy as it is being shown for the correct reasons to understand what the painting is all about.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

What is important to me is looking at the bible and the glasses and making the connotations that he is a religious scholar the use of negative space makes me think that he is looking at the bible somewhere quiet to connect with God. This work signifies religion in this period where it was important to loads of people compared today.

Strengths and Weakness

I think the strengths is having everything in the middle of the painting to show concentration and it also highlights what needs to be done when it comes to his work. I think a weakness is that on the screen that the painting comes up dark and that is the only thing that I would change going forward.

What ideas (or visual styles) will you take forward to think about in your work?

What I might take from this image is where the objects are placed and with working with mental health it could be shown with stuff that people drive themselves to the edge to change the feel and make it a sad and depressing image. My work would follow some of the placings to make it easy on the eye.

Who is the intended audience?

The indented audience will be people looking in the galleries at the painting to understand what it is. I also think it works with people thinking the connotations with it being for people of a religious context for it all to come to understand what a priest has to do.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have only seen this work online at the national gallery’s website it would look stronger if I was to see this artwork in the flesh.

Is the work part of a bigger series?

The artist has done similar artworks of still life which show off what his style is all about. I like the way he has made sure that it looks all simple with no major negative conations. The work connects the viewer to make sure that it all stands out.