This is one of Celia Paul's recent paintings called ‘Katy by the Window’ made in 2013. This painting is a part of a series she made focusing on her sisters. The medium used appears to be oil paint on a large canvas. In the painting one can see a sombre female figure sat by herself at a window in a dark dismal room. When I look closely into the artwork the thing that grabs my attention is the darkness of the space around the woman, it is very empty and unnaturally dark which makes it look very deep. This use of light and dark could indicate a message, that the woman is having sad or dark thoughts. This also shown by the lost expression in her face; revealing a lot of emotional energy.The use of line in the artwork is very blurred and lost, especially around the woman. This could signify the feelings that her sister had at this point in her life. However the window edges are more straight and clear. The composition of the painting is very bare and the only objects that are visible are the figure and the window. Therefore the layout is very minimal and spacious. The painting is quite still and not energetic. However, the texture of the paint does add a sense of movement to the painting as the strokes are very horizontal. The colours used in the painting are very dull and greyed, for example the woman has no colour in her skin and looks ill. The artwork is part of the late work of the artist being made in 2013.It is very similar to the other paintings she created at that time as they all have a very melancholy atmosphere and feature her sisters. The artwork is also similar to other artists painting working at that time, for example it has a similar style to Lucian Freud’s way of painting, which includes heavy strokes and distorted proportion and lines. After researching Celia, she mentioned that she and her older sisters felt a lot of neglect as children from their parents and she felt as if she got replaced by the youngest daughter. "When that happened, I felt I was nothing,". Therefore I feel as if this artwork is representing those memories and emotions of that time. The fact that she in the painting is an older woman shows that the effects from their childhood still affect them to present day. To add to this idea, the woman could be gazing out the window reflecting on her tough life and therefore is feeling sad or nostalgic. To me, the most powerful aspect of the work is the use of space and the expression on the woman’s face. When I look at the artwork I feel very cold and mournful. It is very clear that the woman is not in a happy place but this leaves me wanting to ask questions as to why she is so sad. There is nothing in the artwork which I find disappointing. I think every aspect and quality works together to create a strong message and moving atmosphere. Usually, the fact that the details in the painting are almost blurred and distorted would be disappointing but I believe it is very effective and links with the feelings of being lost and upset. I think this artwork is very important to Celia and her family as it is a very personal image and tells a story about their life. I think the artwork would be best displayed alongside the series of painting Celia made of her sisters. This is because they all have a similar style and atmosphere that would compliment each other either in a grid or arranged as a timeline.
This work is an illustration by Kouzou Sakai called Night of Iceberg. It is a scene showing the two ends of an iceberg at night; above sea level and below. At the bottom of the iceberg there are lots of mechanical cogs inside which look like they are helping it to stay afloat or function. On the top of the iceberg is a human fishing for stars with many penguins drinking out of bottles and cooking on a fire. The fact that such a natural environment is being controlled or supported by mankind could suggest multiple messages for the artwork. For example, the message could be that without the help of humans, the number of extreme environments like this will eventually decrease. On the other hand, it could suggest that humans are actually destroying the environment. For example the fact that the man in the illustration is influencing the penguins to cook like humans, their habitat is being destroyed. Therefore the main theme in the illustration is the environment. The artist has used the rule of thirds in his artwork. For example, the work is split into three sections: the top of the iceberg, the bottom of the iceberg and the large whale which is underneath. This is successful as the piece doesn’t look too busy or uneven. A lot of curved shapes are used in the illustration, for example the melted edges of the iceberg, the hot air balloon and the bubbles in the water. Although the piece has a lot of different scenes and objects, I think the composition of the artwork looks still and peaceful. However I believe the soothing colours influence the calm feeling. The use of colour is symbolic because the colour blue represents the sky and the ocean which to some people are very calming things. The only other colours that are used in the piece are a pastel green and pink. These are used to represent the northern lights and the sunset. The artwork has been made using Illustrator. In my opinion i think that the artwork is very calming and pleasant to look at. The colour scheme is very successful and I think the messages of the work are very interesting.
