Feedback on first paper assignment.

1. Paper 1
Feedback

2. 1. It's 100% better to put
your observations in your
own words—even if not
perfectly written—than to
try to write slick sentences
with no meaning.

3. 2. On the other hand, you
do not necessarily have to
refer to yourself in order to
make an observation.

5. This is a oil painting on canvas, called Lady in a Green
Jacket, by August Macke from 1913. In the painting, there is
a lady in a conspicuous green jacket at the center and two
nicely-dressed couples steps away from her. Grass are
brown, red and yellow on the ground and leaves of trees turn
yellow. In the distant view, a village lies in the background
with a wide blue river lead to the mountains afar. The bold
color, distinct shapes and dramatic lighting Macke presented
captured my attention at once.

6. Macke utilizes a wide range of colors in Lady in a Green
Jacket, creating contrast and emphasis throughout the
composition. Bright, warm colors are incorporated into
several background elements of the piece, including reds,
oranges, and browns in the foreground, yellow in the middle-
ground ledge, and a combination of these colors in the
distant buildings. The cool blue of the sky and water, located
in the upper third of the composition, complements these
warm elements and draws attention to this area. The heads
and hats of the figures, generally warm in color, are
strategically placed against the blue to receive emphasis.
Green ultimately unites the composition. As suggested by the
name, the main character is wearing a deep green jacket in
contrast to her bright surroundings. A similar green is
repeated in the foliage that outlines the upper portion of the
piece, balancing the entire composition.
COLOR

7. Shape is also an important element in this painting. We can see
Macke reduces all objects and figures into very abstract organic or
geometric shapes. In the distance, the walls and the roofs of the
houses are reduced to rectangles and quadrangles, thus the village
on both sides of the river became an arrangement of different
geometric shapes. The figures in the front, on the other hand, are
reduced to simple organic shapes to indicate human bodies and
people’s outfits. Most interestingly, all of the ladies’ dresses
become a sort of round rectangles. Other parts of their bodies are
reduced to different kinds of organic shapes that wouldn’t struck
one as being a part of human body if they are to be seen by
themselves. Other objects of the painting, the trees and river etc.,
take different simplified organic shapes clear enough to let people
know what they intend to represent. The overall arrangement of the
painting is also interesting in that it is almost perfectly balanced.
With the lady in green in the middle, the two couples and the two
trees are evenly distributed on the left and right. The lady also
seems to divide the river in to two parts with houses by both sides
of the river, achieving balance in the background.
SHAPE

8. The second major component in this painting is the shape. The
symmetry of this painting is very odd, yet it does possess a
satisfying sense of symmetry. The first thing you see when looking
at the picture in terms of shape is the symmetry on either side of
the central women: a man and a women on either side of her, a
tree along each lateral edge with branches come over the couples
on the upper edge of the painting like a tent. The mysterious
woman seem like the center divider for the picture. The landscape
in the background of this piece seems like it could be symmetrical:
there is a lake with mountains in the distance and houses on either
bank of the closest corner of the lake, though the water does trail
off to the right as it comes closer to the perspective of the painting.
Possibly, the symmetry makes the viewer feel like the central figure
feels a sort of loneliness because everything else in the photo
seems to have a partner: two people in a couple, two trees have
each other, one bank is identical to the other, and even the body of
water has the sky. Although this symmetry is completely open to
interpretation, I feel it is definitely an important part of this piece.
SHAPE

9. Additionally, pattern is one of the other key elements in this
work as the viewer can notice mostly everything in this image
comes in pairs. There are a pair of trees, a pair of couples
(themselves each being a pair) and pairs of houses in the
background. However the pattern does not pertain to the
woman in green, she is alone, and Macke could’ve done this
on purpose. In order to really emphasize that the woman in
green is in a state of reflection as well as setting the tone of
the image. Having the patterns in the image that shows off all
these pairs really lets the viewer sink their thoughts into what
the woman may be contemplating about, and how alone she
may be feeling. Overall, pattern assist Macke in creating an
emotion out of the image, where the view can notice the
couples chatting and looking at the river, it contrasts sharply
with the loneliness of the woman in the green, truly evoking
an emotion from the audience.
PATTERN

10. Secondly, texture, although not very apparent upon first
glance, is a crucial element that tells a lot about the content
in the painting to viewers. Macke used different orientations
and patterns of strokes, and did so in a subtle and interesting
way, to create textures for objects in the painting. An
example of detailed texture in this artwork is the leaves of the
trees. Even though Macke did not paint out the veins of each
leaf, I am just able to tell that there are big volumes of leaves
in the trees through the subtle lines of different colors created
by strokes going in different directions. Macke seems to have
depicted textures of most objects in this painting in the same
way, as the textures of the soil, the tree trunks, and the
clothes are also created using patterns of strokes. Despite
that textures of these objects in the real world might look and
feel different from in the painting, the way that Macke created
texture produces unity in the painting and allows viewers to
see things in detail.
TEXTURE

11. Lastly, I believe lighting plays a significant role in Mackes painting.
After looking at the painting for a while, I noticed that towards the
front of the picture, where the human figures are standing, the
lighting is dark. The grass is dark yellow and brown, which looks
like shade from the trees. As the painting expands beyond the
humans and past the trees, the grass turns bright yellow and the
houses are brightly illuminated along with the bright blue water. By
using this form of lighting, Macke gives the painting perspective,
allowing the viewer to understand that there is sun beyond the
trees. I also think it is interesting that the humans are pictured in
the darker shade and the light is beyond them. I think this could
symbolize hope for happier life for the lady wearing the green
jacket. My reasoning behind this is that she might be sad now, as
depicted through the lining and coloring mentioned above, but that
does not mean there is not a chance to connect with nature and
new people. The light in the distance, which highlights the town and
nature, stands as a glimmer of hope for the lone woman. Lighting is
subtle, but definitely an insightful quality used by Macke.
LIGHTING

12. The color and orientation of the painting helps us realize how
the lady is the focal point of painting, but the size showcases
the paintings entire story. This oil painting measures 17x17
inches; while it is not small, it is not large by any means. This
is impressive because it shows Macke’s ability to bring
dramatic content in a visually engaging manner. This painting
has the ability to draw you into the depicted scene. The
canopies of trees surrounding the painting are cropped.
Viewers can interpret that they would continue on to be lush
and majestic as they tower over the small village. In addition,
while the size is small, Macke is able to create an
appearance of great height among the five characters,
including the woman in the green jacket.
SIZE

14. Rosa BONHEUR, Plowing in the Nivernais, 1849