Church at Gelmeroda XII(18.85"x23.57", 1929) is a 2-dimentional oil painting on canvas and one of the Gelmeroda series by Lyonel Feininger(American, 1871-1956). Like in other his works, this shows his own style with geometric shapes, so this is also composed of basic figures like square, triangle made by just lines. For that reason, it seems like an abstract work at first sight. However, he simplified his themes as some planes and also he has a serious view of the light and color so that they reveal their own construction. In this painting, we can picture the church with about 3-4 buildings, roofs, window etc. Therefore, Lyonel Feininger is the artist who create something between abstraction and representation.Overall, it is a static painting that the church occpies the lower part from the middle, which gives us gravity. It is divided into two parts by the value contrast because he used tint red color in the sky and dark colors in the buildings, but they harmonize generally because of the use of desaturated colors and the delicated brush touches.
In detail, the sunlight falls from the top and a litte to the right side directly, so it makes some sunlit surfaces, highlight and hard edges. Feininger used warm pastel colors in the sky so that they open our veiw through the sky and gives us calmness. On the other hand, he painted a quite various dark colors by mixing some primary cololrs like red, yellow and blue.
We can see more complicated cubes representing the buildings. He made gradations in one plane by using value differences of 1-2 colors, but he got value contrast between planes by shading. This makes us feel the volumes of the church and the atmosphere around the building.
Some vertical lines for roofs gives a little rhythm and vertical balance by placing them each end of the frame.
Lyonel Feininger made space(3D) with different directions of lines on the flat composition. That is the attraction of his work.
2 comments:
First of all, about the color I agree with her thoughts. I thought the primary colors were yellow and blue. One thing I was interested is that there are different primary colors in the picture, the can be harmonized. The different primary colors are mixed in the left side of building. When I look at the painting from afar, they look like just squares on top of each other. However, when I look at it again closer, I can see more details. Such as, the picture can be a three-dimensional picture because of the color. Also I have the same opinion the shape of the work is geometric shape. Besides I want to add about the work is a linear shape. It is divided by a lot if lines. And then, the buildings exost in the space divided by lines. The lines are only straight lines. So, there are many squares of geometric shape in there.
However, I don’t think that this piece is static. When I saw this picture for the first time, I thought the composition of this work is static, but my thought about the composition is changed. The reason why I think so is that I can see the eye-level line in it because of the many lines. Sometimes it made me confused about the lines and spaces.
When I glance at this picture, I agree with you about geometric shapes, colors and details. I felt the painting is abstract but a part of painting is representational. Actually, it makes up geometrical shapes. Colors mainly divide the upper and lower. That is high contrast.
However, I do not think the painting is static. Rather, it is a little dynamic. This painting has many vertical lines. These lines are color boundary and tilt different angles one by one. That is a rhythm. When I make my eyes narrow and concentrate in the aspect of contrast, it is static. The reason is why there is no line in the background. By drawing a lot of lines in the background and left edge, the painting gets rhythm and movement. They are not static. Moreover, this painting consits of a lot of geometrical shapes.They are different sizes. hues and values. They scatter in all areas of the paiting. Therefore, the painting is not monotonous. That is why I think it is not static.
Post a Comment