Musuem Essay #1

 

The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne

 

                                                           Houses on the Achterzaan

   The first painting I chose was The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne which is an oil painted canvas done by Alfred Sisley in 1872. The bright colors used in this painting first caught my attention. The way each color complimented one another. This painting reminds me of a warm summer day. The painting consist of organic shapes, such as the beautiful clouds in the sky and the trees. The flow of the water looks as if there is a summer breeze blowing through. The light in the painting feels implied as if it were painted when the sun was shining its brightest. The lines on the bridge lead my eyes straight up to the bright blue sky.

   The second painting I chose was Houses on the Achterzaan which is also an oil painted canvas created by Claude Monet in 1871. The colors used in this painting is not bright and as welcoming as the first painting. The colors used here are more mellow, as if it was painted in a totally different context as the first painting. Looks as if it is portraying a calm and relaxing evening. The sky in the painting is very different than the clouds in the first one. The sky is a darker blue and the clouds are barley there. The reflection of the houses and trees in the water were the first thing that caught my eye. This painting feels so realistic to me, its as if it were a photograph rather than a painting.

   I chose these two paintings because they both portrayed the same concept just in different painting styles. Though the titles are different, they both consisted of houses by the beautiful water. The water in the first one has a certain feel to it as it is being blown along with the wind, and the water in the second one looks more still yet just as appealing as the first with the colorful houses reflecting in it. The feeling these paintings give are both different. In the Sisley painting I felt more cheerful and energetic as in the Monet painting I feel more kicked back and relaxed. These two paintings were both oil painted. Both of these paintings are representational. Even though different, they both have implied texture and both use organic shapes (e.g the houses, trees, boat and the clouds).