Friday, December 21, 2012

Today's Youth


  I choose five paintings of flowers which symbolize youth. I will put those pictures in the hallway because I want those to be seen by everyone.  As flowers get attention with their beauty, the youth of today emerges and attracts attention from people with their desire and encouragement. The paintings are best suit for this college where most immigrants come and study because each picture is a painting of different flowers from different climates which refers the mixture of tradition and culture of students/flowers. The flowers do not think highly of themselves because they know that they will grow, bloom, fade and wither, but they appear to be very cheerful and encouraging like the youth. This show is important because the paintings give the messages to the students that "they are the youth of today and the future of tomorrow," so they should not give up their hope easily. The paintings demonstrate the brightness, hopefulness, strength, encouragement and cheerfulness of the youth.

The first piece I choose is Blue Water Lilies (1916-1919) by Musee d'Orsay. I choose this 2D work because of its realistic style and the cool colors which make my mind fresh. The large white flowers, with their broad, waxy surfaces, tend to hold and reflect the changing light of the day. Here, it feels like late afternoon and the field of vision appears limitless and blue. The painting affects dissolves between surface and depth, between near and far, between the water and the lilies. As the water lilies the lotus flowers grow up from the mud into an object of great beauty, the youths also grow and change into something more beautiful. So this painting proclaims that the youth can achieve their hope by overcoming the obstacles.

The second piece I choose is Oriental Poppies (1928) by Georgia O'Keeffe. It is 2D painting. I chose this piece because of its bright color. We can see the glossy red and orange flowers exploding on a canvas almost four feet wide. There is no background to distract from their sheer force of personality. The painting is a vast close-up, pulling the eye into the dark heart of these flowers through the power of scale and color. The color of the flowers represents the enthusiasm and desire. The painting encourages the youth's brightness.
The third word I choose is "Gladiolus" by Dalia Gatautiene. The painting is acrylic on canvas. I choose this 2D work because of its complementary colors. Dalia used rule of odds by just using three branches of red gladiolus, five roots-strings and the other only one flower beside the red gladiolus. The vertical lines in the painting seem growth and strength. She used implied light to show the shade of the bowl. The gladiolus has blade-shaped leaves; the name comes from the Latin word gladius which means sword. Also the red color shows the braveness. The red gladiolus in the bowl can give the strength to the youth.


The fourth piece I choose is "Vase with Pink Roses (1890) "by Vincent Van Gogh. The 2D work is  a painting oil on canvas. It is a realistic style. Here, instead, is a flower that lacks the brilliant color he relished and which has such symbolic meaning (its pinks have faded to white) but which is just as stupendous: pale roses, incandescent against a light green wall. The flowers are in glorious, exuberant bloom, their furled forms animated by the ribbons of paint behind them. The surface feels still live with the artist's touch. All the roses background by green color in the paintings can make people happy and cheerful. 


The last work I choose is "Sunflowers (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh. It is a painting oil on canvas. Upon looking at these paintings one begins to notice aspects that seem to flow from one piece to another. The colors are vibrant and express emotions typically associated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfillment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.

1 comment:

  1. Really nice work Naw Su. (One important note: the paintings of the waterlillies is by Monet- the Musee d'Orsay is the museum in Paris where the painting is located) I think your idea of the flowers as a metaphor for youth is very good and the range of dominant colors in the work also could support the idea of a progression into older age.
    Good job!

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