Silver Mine, Cobalt

2 Pages 614 Words

Silver Mine, Cobalt

Well-chosen colors, definitive style, the theme represented in this painting is both the glorification of the “machine age”, yet also represents the infringement of industry upon humans and the natural world; the painting has two completely different sides, depending on how you look at the piece. In an analysis of a painting, the viewer must consider several features: style, color, composition and content. This piece displays very powerful ideas, and is an excellent representation of the author’s opinions and views.
The style of the painting is incredibly important when contemplating the meaning of the piece. In this case, the style reflects the conflict between the angularity of machines and the flow of the natural world, because McKague Housser has juxtaposed the soft sky and rocks with smooth lines to the stark severity of the manmade parts of the painting. The artist has used the contrast to convey both themes: the theme of industrial praise and the theme of violation. The harsh lines of the synthetic materials give the viewer the impression of more importance, or more significance, and also create separation between each unnatural element. This produces the appearance of each unnatural element being unique and important, separating each one, including the logs, buildings, and poles. On the other hand, the gentle and organic elements, such as the stone and clouds, create the perspective of blending and intermingling, fading into the background and becoming seemingly unimportant in comparison to the industrial parts.
In addition to the style, the color also plays a role in the overall effect of the piece. The colors of the natural components are mostly pastels: dove-grey, mauve, rose and cream. This creates the softer, more delicate feel to these elements. However, in the unnatural factors of the painting, colors such as bronze, navy, iron grey and steel blue are strong and...