Modern Art Analysis

Fish Island by William Barhart 

1. The first thing I see is a mans face.  I then start to see evidence of an ocean with the fish swimming along and with the seaweed crawling up the side.  And lastly, I see the surface where the sky communicates an eerie feel as a sailboats sails away during a magnificent sunset.

2. The painting is put together through the precious colors illustrating the mood.  The colors are their to bring out the emphasis or importance of similar or repeated shapes.  For example the face made with random colors bringing out the life in every feature and also the powerful setting surrounding the face.

Lines: In the painting, jagged lines make up most of the painting through all the periodic lines filling up the space and creating more to the overall picture.  But curved lines also appear a lot as well in more of the significant shapes or features in the painting.

Color: The color blue is a big contributor to this painting through this color used on the face.  Some red and yellow is also used variously throughout the painting.  So, primary colors make up most of them.  And secondary colors "finished up." Essentially they are the add-ins to the piece.  The colors used clashed quite a bit.  The strange color choice brought out the importance and uniqueness in each of them.  The mans face really comes alive through this technique of clashing colors.

Shape: Barhart uses a lot of shapes but not the familiar ones we all know.  He used irregular shapes not so familiar to people.  His uses of diversity really brought out the passion in this painting displayed.

Space: This painting is not flat yet it isn't very dimentional.  The painting has depth but I think that is different than becoming 3-D.  It came alive, so I guess it was dimentional.  But only through the important shapes and colors.

Lighting: Yes, there is a lightsource in this painting.  Coming from the top right hand corner of the painting is the sun  fading down over the mans face, specifically his nose and lips.

Composition: The jagged lines throughout the painting and the clashing colors were the soul to this beautiful piece.  It really brought it to the next level of emotion and beauty.  The mood of this painting can be said as easily as the word sad.  The mood comes to me through the mans face.  The struggle he seems to express through his eyes contribute to the overall feel of sadness.  The dark sky above also contributes.  It is as if he is drowning in another world or he is looking out for that other world.  His confused thoughts show a cry for help to someone or something.  The dramatic colors are the source as to why this modern painting  expresses sadness.