ART 101 Draft Final Exam - Museum Paper

David Smith and Jacob Lawrence are two American artists who have created wonderful work during their careers that took place during the 20th century. Their work is exceptionally fantastic and I have chosen to compare and contrast one of each of artist. Lawrence created “Daybreak – A Time of Rest” in 1967 and Smith created “Untitled” between 1932 and 1935. The production of Smith’s “Untitled” took place closely before the beginning of World War II, which began in 1939. It was created during the modern period consisting of 150 years, beginning in 1800 and ending in 1950. This period was “driven by technological progress and characterized by rapid change” of society (505). This work was greatly inspired by the Constructivism movement, which was founded in 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. It was a movement where Tatlin believed that “advanced ideas about art should be put to practical use and, and that artists should apply their talents to architecture, graphic design, theatrical productions, textiles, monuments, festivals” and other types of visual arts (531). Though this artwork was created after the movement was condemned in 1922, its ideas and concepts are clearly seen in this photograph. Many of the artworks created as a result of this movement resemble layered architecture and structures. Lawrence’s “Daybreak – A Time to Rest” was created during the Vietnam War and during the Contemporary period beginning after 1950 and continues into the present. The turning point in this period took place right after World War II and was heavily influenced by the many horrors and hardships of the war (536). Unlike Smith’s photograph, this painting was created during the Conceptualism movement that arose during the mid – 1960s. This movement presents the theory that the ideas in which the artwork is about are paramount and the form used to present the ideas is secondary (549). This movement is said to be more of a way of thinking than a style.

The movements that occurred during the production of these artworks play a significant role in the reason why these works were created. Art and Art is a theme that reminds its audience that art is an activity in which people have come to pursue for its own sake. This being so, many times art can be its own theme, having no other purpose than to provide visual pleasure or even an answer to the ongoing question "What is art?" (76). Since Smith’s “Untitled” photograph is partially blurry, it is hard to make out what each detail is. The blurry affect, however, is pleasing to the eye. This work doesn’t seem to have a clear message or intent, therefore its purpose in being made is to just have something to look at or to have hanging on a wall or museum exhibit, allowing others to observe the beauty that has been made. Lawrence’s painting, however, has different theme and purpose than Smith’s. The Human Experience is a theme deals with the different life adventures that a human being would encounter. Some of these adventures may include birth, childhood, young adulthood, love life, maturing into a full grown person and even death. It may also include the different emotions we feel throughout our lives that are caused by certain events; these feelings can include doubt, wonder, happiness, sorrow, fear, loneliness, despair and the sense of being worn out, in dire need of rest (69). With the human beings lying down on the shore of the beach, it looks as if they are worn out from all the work they have done and have decided to take advantage of their "Daybreak" from their jobs. They seem to be resting, wanting to regain the energy they need in order to get back to doing their daily duties. This may be something these people do on a daily basis, something that is apart of their human experience or lifestyle. It reminds the viewer of the importance of taking advantage of the breaks they receive at their jobs each day. The action of lying down may be a little extreme, but the idea is for the viewer to be reminded that they should rest during their daily "daybreaks."
Now knowing their reason for creating the works that they did, these artists had to use specific elements of design to effectively present this purpose. Lawrence uses a number of elements, including line, color and shape throughout the entire painting. There is one horizontal line featured to indicate the horizon, yet the majority of lines used are contours, which are the boundaries perceived of 3 dimensional forms (83). These lines are shown between the different objects painted. Lawrence uses lines, which are paths traced by a moving point (82), in a different way to create the orange bug located on the blade of grass towards the bottom of the painting, creatively composing diagonal lines to show the accuracy of how thin and long this particular bug is. There are also a number of organic shapes, which are irregular shapes evoking the living forms of nature (88), featured in this painting. These shapes include the 3 humans lying on the ground, but what stands out the most are the feet in the middle of the painting, mainly because of its size and color. With few of the shapes being sort of geometric (the toes similar to circles), the majority of the feet and the rest of the organic shapes reveal the nature that’s inherent in the painting. The entire painting consists mostly of tertiary colors, products of a mixture of a primary color and an adjacent secondary color (95). The most dominant tertiary color is the yellow-orange dulled with blue violet used for the sand, which is the ground, or the background to demonstrate the low intensity, or the dullness, of the color as well as the painting. David Smith uses these same elements in his “Untitled” gelatin silver print in contrasting ways to "Daybreak". The majority of all the lines found in this work are both horizontal and vertical lines, which are used create the window frame as well as the wall tiles. Like "Daybreak", contour lines are also seen in this photograph to demonstrate the 3 dimensions of the heater shown towards bottom center of the work as well as the dark, shadowed shape that takes up the entire photo. Smith, unlike Lawrence, includes primarily geometric shapes in this work, including the many squares and rectangles seen in the ground, also known as negative shapes (89), as well as in the window frame. There is also one circle seen towards the right of the photograph which seems to be apart of the figure, which is the shape we focus on and that stands out from the ground, also known as the positive shape of the work (89) . Smith uses different colors to portray the same dullness Lawrence used in the ground of his painting. Primarily in composed of a grayscale, an indication that this work also contains low intensity, Smith uses the dullness and low intensity of color to deliver a somber and peaceful feeling.

Both paintings use the same to elements in similar and contrasting ways, yet they are used in effective and powerful ways to deliver the same soft and peaceful feeling of the work. Though both works have different meanings and purposes and have used the design elements in different ways, these works present a soft and calm mood. The artists use different mediums and techniques to deliver this same serene mood. Lawrence uses tempera, paint in which the vehicle is an emulsion, which is a stable an aqueous liquid containing an oil, wax or resin (171) in his work “Daybreak.” Tempera is an aqueous medium, one where the paint is diluted with water (168). While tempera is similar to oil paint, in that it dries to a tough, insoluble film, it differs because tempera colors retain their brilliance and clarity much longer than oil paint (171). The brilliance of these colors still remains after almost 40 years of being painted, not fading or becoming darker over time like oil paint. Because the paint dries so quickly, its colors cannot be blended easily once they are set down. You can clearly see that the colors used in this painting are clearly defined and do not blend with one another. It looks as if Lawrence used crayons instead of paints because of how closely the colors touch yet they do not blend together. Knowing that this painting is tempera, I find that it is much brighter and more clearly defined than how I first saw it. It’s caused me to notice the clear definition of all the colors used and their outlines. After studying and observing Smith’s “Untitled” photograph for a period of time, I came to the conclusion of what his method of putting this photograph together could be. It seems that he used a number of photographs and/or negatives of photos and merged them together in order to make one complete photograph. In doing this, Smith gives this photo three – dimensional depth. This layering method that he has used makes the photo much more life – like and attainable than any normal photograph. The images almost jump off the paper, giving them much depth as well as texture. Knowing that this was Smith’s method helps me to understand the complexity of the photograph, seeing the multiple images layered one on top of the other.

Though their techniques of creating their work differed, they were both used in the same abstract style. Abstract can be described as an art where forms of the visual world are purposefully distorted, fragmented or simplified. In Smith’s work, there isn’t a clear or concrete view of the industrial worksite; however, the viewer can clearly see that it is present in the art work. Smith uses his layering technique to distort the view of the industrial workplace. The bodies of the human beings in Lawrence’s painting are much more simplified and slightly fragmented than a body of a real human being. The size of the blades of grass is greatly magnified as well.

Both Smith and Lawrence, two magnificent American artists, created these abstract and peaceful artworks for two different purposes during two different movements in art and using two different mediums during two different periods of time. I initially chose these works because I thought that they had no relationship to one another. I thought that because they were made with different mediums, I thought their meanings would be different as well. However, as I closely examined these works, I found that they both ironically are connected to the two events in life that many people across the nation can relate to: work and rest. In Smith’s photograph, we see the structure of work and how we are to remain focused on our vocations. In Lawrence’s painting, we see the need for escaping the structure of work and the importance of running away to relax and to regain the strength we need for our jobs. I leave looking at these artworks being reminded that I am to be focused on whatever task is at hand and yet I am to, at some point, take some time off to rest my body and mind so that I can effectively and successfully accomplish whatever job I am working on.