Nature and Human Perception

Landscapes have been a popular subject matter for artists for centuries.  There is a great deal of interpretation involved when painting these scenes.  Images can either create a warm, inviting atmosphere or a dark, forbidding demeanor.  Artists have the freedom to explore what they see in nature and illustrate it in the form of painting.  

The centerpiece of this exhibition, Vincent van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses, depicts a bright summer day in a painterly fashion.  This style combines a naturalistic approach with a hazy, swirling affect.  Through the combination of different pieces, this exhibition aims to portray how the use of color, line, and brush strokes can change what a piece can cause the viewer to feel.

           

 There is more to these techniques than simply bright and dark meaning happy or sad.  Lines, shading, and brush strokes contribute to the overall feeling the piece exudes.  Different combinations of these skills add to the complexity of these pieces.  A painting might have soft lines and brush strokes, which at first might seem comforting.  However, in relation with deep, dark colors the piece might become more intimidating.  It’s up to the artist regarding how they perceive nature and what methods they choose to portray it. 

William Stanley Harrison, Study from Nature, Oil on paper, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1980.350

Dark colors and twisting branches make up the majority of William Stanley Harrison’s Study from Nature.  This piece is an example of how murky hues and soft lines can cause a painting to look gloomy and uninviting.  The choices suggest that Harrison sees nature as dark and menacing not happy and exciting.  Overall this painting does not use sharp lines or brush strokes but has a misty, smooth look.  This shows how a work does not need harsh, severe lines to be threatening.

Edward Hopper, The Lighthouse at Two Lights, 1929, Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 62.95

In contrast to the smooth aesthetic of Study from Nature, Edward Hopper’s The Lighthouse at Two Lights used sharp lines to draw the eye in and create a structured presentation.  The majority of the colors used in this piece are neutral excluding the blue in the sky and the occasional red and orange.  Although the overall affect is not dreary or dark it is also not necessarily bright and cheery either.  It lies somewhere in between very subdued and simple. 

Vincent van Gogh, Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889, Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993.132

The centerpiece of this exhibition, Vincent van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses depicts a bright summer day.  Saturated colors along with long swirling brush strokes create a warm, pleasant atmosphere.  The painterly fashion in which this piece was created adds to the light and free feeling.  Van Gogh’s deep love for nature can be seen throughout his works.  This piece in particular shows how he wanted to perfectly depict its beauty in that he painted the same seen three times in different light. 

Paul Cézanne, Mon Sante-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley, 1882-85, Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 29.100.64

Paul Cézanne’s Mon Sante-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley creates a scene with warm yet subtle colors.  Though similar in color to Vincent van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses, these shades are much less saturated.  Even without the vibrancy there is still a pleasant, inviting mood.  The use of lines and painterly technique creates a structured yet soft look.  There is a much more understated attitude expressed through this piece allowing for more personal interpretation on part of the viewer. 

Asher Brown Durand, The Beeches, 1845, Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.30.59

The Beeches by Asher Brown Durand is by far the most naturalistic of these pieces.  There is an evolution in this piece from the dark of the forest to the break of sunlight at the tree line.  Through this Durand shows both the dreary side of nature and the bright, hopeful side. Detailed brushwork as well as strategic color choices contribute to how real this painting looks.  The burst of light creates a peaceful atmosphere.  

Marsden Hartley, Mt. Katahdin (Maine), Autumn #2, 1939-40, Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992.24.3

In contrast to the previous piece as well as the others in this exhibition, Marsden Hartley’s Mt. Katahdin (Maine), Autumn #2 exemplifies an imaginative take on nature.  Bright colors, geometric shapes, and unnatural proportions add to this much more modern interpretation.  The dark, ominous mountain breaks up the happy look of the sky and water.  Painterly technique is once again used adding to the flat depiction of the scene.  Just as in Mon Sante-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley the intention is less obvious, thus is left up to the viewer to decide.