Intro to Visual Final

Medium: Charcoal/ Pastel/ Watercolor

Paper: Arches

Size: 22 x 30

I used a consistent even-weight line throughout the cell and the perspective of the room pushed the wall back. The texture of the painted area on the left is much smoother than the rough streaks on the right. The lines used to create the prison cell all have a hard edge and push the depth. The lines used to create the text at the top of the page are also similar in weight but their movement pushes them downwards. The shapes of objects in the scene are generally contained but the scenes on the left and right push towards the center. The negative space around the objects is rigid and pushes the boundaries of the objects. The range of value in the sky on the left pushes the atmosphere of the mini scene and isolates it. The splatter on the right created by the rough paint strokes and rigid ink placement gives it a a lot of emotion. There is a strong use of linear perspective in the prison cell which pushes the wall back. None of the objects in the scene are overlapping which isolates them and creates an empty atmosphere. I pushed the scene from cool colors to warm left to right. The prison cell is kept entirely black and white to push it into the background as an afterthought.

The principles of design in the piece gives it the empty isolated feel I was looking for. There is some emotional persuasion in the way the lines and contrast on the right pushes the painting. The composition is very dynamic, the different elements in the isolated areas of the painting push forward different aspects of mood and feelings. The scale of the prisoner in the cell compared to that of his hand reaching forward is much smaller. The elements of surrealism are most evident in the gavel and the paint streaks on the right side. There is a strong emphasis of isolation in the piece, the different elements are distinctly separated, as is the prisoner in the cell. There is a unity in the isolation which pulls the piece together. The perspective changes from the prison cell to the scene on the left.