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Gerardo Lemus Human/Nature Dr. Becky Boesch February 22, 2014 Art Museum Project 1. Mt. Hood by Bierstadt

Description-In this painting of Mt. Hood you can see a blue sky, small clouds, a white triangular shape mountain with all sorts of grooves in it which change colors into more yellowish golden colors as well as dark grays. Then you see some hills which are made up of dark and lighter greens they too resemble a triangular shape. As we progress through the painting we see a lake which is blue with a darker blue towards the middle of the lake which could be the shadow

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of the land. The painting also has a waterfall, some deer, and rectangular cluster of trees and grassland. Analysis- This painting contains a wide variety of colors and shapes just like nature would have. The white triangular mountain is the biggest object in the painting the mountain varies in colors from gray, white and a reddish colors. Because of this the mountain is the first thing you see. This mountain touches the great blue sky above which has some small clouds. In front of the white mountain there are green hills which also resemble a triangle and like the mountain has dark colors and light colors. A waterfall pierces through these hills and feeds into the lake which is relatively small in size compared to the mountain, hills, sky and grasslands. As we proceed closer to the frame we see the lake touching the grasslands, which are green and have some browns to resemble earthly colors. Within these grasslands we see a cluster of trees which resemble a rectangle. Also in the grasslands we see some deer which are the smallest object in the painting. Interpretation- This landscape of Mt. Hood is unreal. It was put together in order to portray an aesthetic view of nature/landscape. The largest piece of land in the painting is the mountain and this is covered with white untouched snow. Its surroundings are also painted to be untouched by humans, it is pristine. The colors are clean and shine out. The viewer is meant to see this and value the pristine aspect of nature. To add to the pristine feeling he puts some animals which are natural to the area but even then the deer are made to be the smallest thing in the painting. But this landscape is portrayed as pristine because thats what the viewer wants to see in this frame; the reality is that the painting shows what we want to see. Judgment- The power that this painting has on the viewer is a tremendous one. Even though it is not an accurate view of the true landscape, this sense of pristineness makes the viewer value

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nature and want to go explore for themselves. The painting communicates that nature is a beautiful safe place to go to, because the painter could have easily drawn some bears instead of deer and an avalanche crashing down Mt. Hood. But he didnt instead he painted a beautiful and peaceful landscape. 2. Cheyenne Encampment Blakelock

Description- In this painting you can see a grass field for half of the frame. Then a river divides this frame and in the background, once you cross the river, you can see some hills that get smaller when you move from right to left. There are four clearly visible trees, the first three trees are closer to the frame and together they form a circular shape. The second tree is farther back and it has less leaves compared to the other trees. Within the first group of trees we see a group of Native Americans camping, some are just resting while one is cooking, and there are three

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tipis. Throughout the painting we have earthly colors, a wide range of greens and browns. The only place where this changes is the sky where it has a light tone of blue and white. Analysis- In the painting the main focus point is the Native American encampment. They are the closest and most visible out of all the other things. They and their tipis are directly on the grasslands. From there we see the trees which are directly behind the tipis. As the grass lands move further back we see them transition into the river and once we get past the river we see another patch of land which have blurred trees. The second piece of land connects to some hills way back in the background. But everything in this landscape is surrounding and interacting with the settlement of humans. Interpretation- What this painting is trying to communicate is the relationship between humans and nature. After all the main focus is the settlement with the rest of the landscape surrounding them as the background, and the relationship is good. Nature doesnt seem at first glance affected too drastically. But as I further saw the painting I couldnt help but to notice that where the Native Americans had settled, grass seemed to stop growing there. Also, the humans in this painting had decided to settle where the trees seemed to be healthier and they would have benefited the most, implying that we humans use nature for our convenience. In contrast to the Mt. Hood painting this is not pristine; humans have touched it and affected the natural flow. Judgment- The thing that this painting conveys out is that the relationship between nature and humans can be a good one. Even though we may take advantage, if we limit our impact on the landscape and natural habitats we can both live at peace. We can see this painting through several lenses but the ones that are obvious are landscape as habitat and landscape as history. Landscape as habitat because it provides a place for the Native Americans. But we can also see it as a point in history where nature and the landscape where not pristine but not civilized either.

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3. Shipwreck by Charles Lacroix

Description- in this painting you can see the vast ocean with colors ranging from a dark blue, greenish, and white. In the far background we can see a big ship that is tilted leftwards because of the intensity of the ocean. Further in the background we see what might be something on fire because of the reddish colors that are seen reflected in the sky. Closer to the bottom left corner of the frame we see a shipwreck with the survivors in a rocky piece of land, we see the mast with the sail pointing up at an angle. All the people from the shipwreck are all in different conditions. One is upside down with his feet up while another two seem to be carrying a dead body. There are two hills in the left side of the painting. One has what seems to be a castle on top of it, but the castle seems to be in ruins. This hill has darker shades of greens than the second hill because the second hill is being hit more directly by the sun rays. Then there is the sky, which is divided into two segments. The one that is to the left and on top of the hills is the sky with light white clouds

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and some birds while the other half on the right has dark rain clouds that range from light gray to black, but there is a spot in the middle where we can see clear sky. Analysis- The main focus of the painting as the title implies is the shipwreck. This is the first thing we see is the people on the rocky shore with the remains of the ship. Then our eyes drift to the waves of the ocean crashing into where the humans are. The ocean is made up several color shades but the main two are a light green and as you move more into the right it turns dark. This change in color of the ocean is also reflected on the sky which is covered with white clouds in the left and turn into dark rain clouds in the right. And in between the sky and the ocean we another ship struggling to stay afloat, tilting to that left at the moment. This ship that is struggling to stay afloat seems to be moving towards what might be another, or the rest of the shipwreck which might be on fire because of the reddish color scheme of the area. The painting also includes two hills, one that has some ruins of a castle while the other seems more pristine, and we have two birds flying towards this more pristine hill. Interpretation- The thing that this painting is showing is landscape as problem as Meining describes. It was due to the storm that the ship crashed and that the humans where affected in a negative way. The humans that are on the rocky shore are the main focus and they are portrayed as the victim. We see two of them carrying a wounded or possibly dead body and a baby crying/yelling. We see some dragging themselves through the shore and one completely upside down. The dark colors on the left that are shown in the sky and ocean convey the feeling that nature is this uncontrollable and savage being that caused harm to the humans and possibly was the responsible one for the castle to be in ruins. But in contrast we also see some brighter colors being shown in the painting that could convey the feeling of a nurturing mother. And it is this nurturing mother that is currently covering the humans and the castle. So what this painting

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could possibly read as is that nature is this powerful being that even though has the ability to nurture to create life it is also capable of ending it, so we as humans should appreciate and fear it. Judgment- This painting has a lot of value in it, because it shows us humans the truth about nature. Nature isnt always this nurturing mother who will always treat us in a good manner it can also be the opposite and be unpredictable. The castle on top of the hill could also represent the humanity and their powerful impact theyve had on nature and the landscape. But the fact that the castle is in ruins conveys that humans will always be limited to how nature behaves. You could also say that humans power is temporary while natures power will last forever. Whether you read it one way or the other it tells the same story, that when we are outside in nature we should appreciate its beauty and all it provides for us. But at the same time we should be cautious and fear natures power which can be unpredictable and harm us.