Ricardo Castro

Art and Society

03/28/14

Museum Review #1

         There is a strong relationship between life and death. They both share a bond, because one can't exist without the other. Melchior d’ Hondecoeter painted Peacocks in 1683. Its form is a 3d painting made with oil on canvas. The painting depicts a beautiful peacock that has other animals gathered around it such as a monkey, a squirrel, a turkey, and another type of bird with a long neck. To the right of the peacock, which is in the center of the painting, are fruits. The peacock is in the form of a diagonal line and is a large piece in the painting so it automatically catches the viewers’ attention. There is no negative space, every piece of the canvas contains an object or setting. You can see trees, a flying bird, and a turkey in the distance. The painting has a lot of cool colors, with very little warm such as the fruits and the neck of the bird. Jan Weenix painted Gamepiece With a Dead Heron (“Foloner’s Bag”) in 1695. It’s a 3-D oil on canvas painting. This painting depicts a group of different types of birds all dead close by each other. In the horizon there are trees and water it seems. It also looks as if there are a few people in the background as well. This painting has no negative space as well and contains more warm colors then cool. The warm colors on the flowers make the painting more vibrant near the biggest bird that is dead.

          Peacocks and Gamepiece With a Dead Heron (“Foloner’s Bag”) both hold a strong differentially. Hondecoeter’s Peacocks portrays the beauty of life. How serene nature and life can be. Whereas Weenix’s Gamepiece With a Dead Heron (Foloner’s Bag”) portrays the horrid sight of death. The dark and dreary painting fills the viewer with sadness as they are left to witness a group of birds that have died due to the hands of mankind. Peacocks fills the viewer with bliss and peace as they observe the beauty of the peacock and the other small animals that have gathered together. I strongly believe the purpose of Peacocks was to show the world the beauty of a peacock since its  one of the most colorful and beautiful feathered birds. Perhaps even the beauty of the peacock’s feathers brought the animals together. Whereas Gamepiece With a Dead Heron (“Foloner’s Bag”) purpose is to sadden the viewers and show the world how we kill a lot of animals. These two paintings also hold some similarities, they both contain animals in the paintings. The main theme of both paintings center around birds. They both demonstrate the beauty of birds in their own way. Both these paintings use birds in order to send a greater message to its viewers and society.

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