Oil Painting example essay topic

African-American Art The exhibit of African-American art, entitled Interludes was a very diverse display of styles and emotions. Many different mediums were used: quilting, water colors, collages, marker, and oil were among the more popular ones seen. Some ofthe works were complete opposites; from the dark and dismal collages done by Benny Andrews to the colorful and vibrant watercolor paintings created by Richard Mayhew, this exhibit showed a wide range of feelings and ideas. When viewing the exhibit there seemed to be a continued sense of sorrow and despair throughout many of the paintings.

The Faith Ringgold paintings in the Slave Rape Series depicted African women in an extreme state of fear. Anger towards the white, Europeans who captured and raped them was easily felt. One artist who continually put forth these dark emotions was Benny Andrews. In his paintings, Sorrow and Shadows, you could not help but feel sorry for the people depicted in the works. The gestures of the starving and wounded people in Shadows showed how hungry and desperate they were. It was actually very depressing to look at.

Richard Mayhew's use of oranges and yellows and reds in his water color paintings was an exception in the exhibit. His works seemed to put forth an entirely different emotion. Personally, I thought they were almost out of place; they stood alone when it came to emotions and attitude. One particular work of art which caught my eye several times was Benny Andrew's New Day. This oil painting showed aman rising out of bed in the morning. After discussing the painting with classmates, I realized my interpretation was very different than everybody else's.

This picture made me feel sorry for the man depicted here. From his gesture and the composition of the work I received a sense of loneliness, and I felt pity for the man. His dreary little room and the barren landscape gave me the feeling that this man was totally alone. Another painting whic I found very interesting was Blood, by Barkley Hendricks. His paintings were very real looking, and for this his works stood out. This is merely a portrait of a tall, skinny African-American man.

He stands in the familiar pose, leaning more on one leg than the other. This man, framed by a brilliant red background, stares directly into the eyes ofthe person viewing the picture. The artist shows how talented he is, painting the man's glasses with immense skill. A glare of light is reflected off the glass, and it looks almost like a photograph. The shadows were drawn with great care, especially the one of the bracelet he wears on his right wrist. Being the first art exhibit I have ever seen, I did not know what to expect when I first arrived at Interludes.

It was very interesting to see many artists with different styles and methods all grouped together in one show. My personal favorite artist was Benny Andrews; I liked the way he depicted the people in his works.