Art Analysis: Saints, Sinners & Song

Saginaw Valley State University has a spectacular art program, with a sculpture museum by Marshall M. Frederick, and an art gallery with frequent changing exhibits that display a wide variety of contemporary artistic styles and media (Saginaw Valley State University 2001). For the beginning of the fall semester the exhibition is called Saints, Sinners & Song. We’ve been assigned to analyze both a two-dimensional and three-dimensional work of art out of this exhibit by using the basic elements of art like line, shape, form, space and texture. I’ve never been completely engrossed by art because I am not very artistic, but my favorite aspect of art is that it is up to interpretation. While most artists have a meaning behind their art work, people

Spring Marsh has straight controlled lines and irregular lines reflecting the wildness of nature, while one the other hand, the curved line of the creek implies calmness and has a softness to it despite the rough texture (DeWitte, Larmann and Shields 2012). Also the lines in the creek move upward to not imply the movement of the water, but the reflection from the sun. Contrary Kruzell’s Square is almost entirely composed of straight and regular lines. The stem of the statue is a thick line with horizontal cuts through it, thus in this piece there are even lines within the lines. While shape is mostly defined by lines, shapes can be suggested by change in color or value (DeWitte, Larmann and Shields 2012). This is shown in Spring Marsh where the edge of the creek meets the flower beds around it. Because Square is three-dimensional, it is a solid, organic shape constructed by smaller geometric shapes. The base and top of Square are almost completed formed by squares which portray strength and stability (DeWitte, Larmann and Shields 2012). Contrast is when an artist uses two noticeably different states of an element (DeWitte, Larmann and Shields 2012). In Spring Marsh contrast is shown in the color of the river, implying depth and a source of light. Also contrast is shown at the top of the painting where the sun breaks through the tree branches, compared to the dark middle ground where the forest thickens. On the contrary, Square does not possess much contrast because the sculpture is made of one color and mostly all geometric shapes except for the protrusion out of the top of the sculpture. In Spring Marsh, there is no empty space since the entire painting is filled. In this two-dimensional piece, the trees in the background are smaller implying they are further away. Square is a very spacious piece because it is composed of long, thin lines and there are no solid masses incorporated into the sculpture. Two-dimensional