Essay with Tutor's comments. I will compare two artists plates, outlining the key differences between them Plate 1.3.24 Cezannes Jug and Fruit (1885-87) and Plate 1.3.30 Zubarans Still Life with Lemons, Orange and a Rose (1663).

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CLAIRE DALTON  PI- X4463186

Assignment 2 – Learning from Feedback

Original assignment – TMA01 part b with tutor comments

 CEZANNE

Within this Essay, I will compare two artist’s plates, outlining the key differences between them – Plate 1.3.24 Cezannes Jug and Fruit (1885-87) and Plate 1.3.30 Zubarans Still Life with Lemons, Orange and a Rose (1663).

Although both pictures are of still life objects, they way in which they have been painted are quite different and therefore give the viewer quite different experiences.

Composition

The composition of both plates are Cézanne’s Jug and  Fruit (Plate 1.3.24), and Zurbarán’s Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose (Plate 1.3.30) is important in establishing a sense of perspective in each painting  key in giving a different perspectives of the plate. Cezanne has achieved a sense of depth by the use of scaling the fruit – the pieces of fruit are different sizes giving a 3 dimensional perspective to the picture. It almost looks like the pears to the front of the picture are rolling off the table and that one could grab one. Cezanne has also achieved a real sense of depth in this picture by his use of atmospheric perspective in the use of the blue colouring at the rear of the picture against the darker table.

This contrasts with the composition of Zurbarans plate painting. He  as he has used a different type of composition in that all the items within the picture are lined up in a row horizontally, and all scaled in the same way. The way that Zurburan has grouped and aligned the objects in the picture gives a more organised feel to the picture, compared to the more rustic and relaxed look of Cezanne’s picture which he has created by not grouping in the same way. ✓The Zurbaran picture almost seems more of a photo compared to the Cezanne picture which pulls you into the picture space and almost makes you feel that the picture plane is not actually there. ✓

Tone, Colouring and Lighting.

Both of these artists have used tone, colour and lighting in very different ways and produces a different type of feeling about the picture.

Cezanne has used quite a narrow tonal range ✓with the use of the warmer colours of the colour spectrum, oranges✓ and browns and greens. This gives the picture a subdued and measured feel and is quite calming to look at. ✓This compares quite strongly to the Zurburan picture in which he has used a wide tonal range with the brightness of the Oranges and Lemons juxtaposed against the very black and dark background of the picture. This creates a very dramatic effect and intensifies the orange and yellowness of the fruit. The 3d effect is produced well here with the lighting coming from the top left and creating shadows against the fruit,. This enhances the “realness” of the picture and draws in the viewer in.✓

Technique

 Typical of Cezanne’s work and the impressionist era, it is clear to see the brushwork in this picture. ✓The thickly painted and directional brushwork that is obvious within the picture adds to the rustic feel of the picture.✓  It continues to present the more natural and relaxed atmosphere that Cezanne’s work usually portrays.  ✓This compares to the much more traditional technique used within the Zurburan picture where although Oil was used again, the brushwork is much smoother and hardly noticeable giving a photo type effect and adding to the dramatic feel of the picture. ✓The technique and medium that Zurburan has used by very delicate brushwork used by Zurbarán shows a finer detail✓within the picture of the elements like the fruit, which compares against the much rougher and unblended brushstrokes of the Cezanne picture✓ although both techniques give a “reality” to the picture but in very different ways.

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Bibliography

Moohan,Elaine (2008) The Arts Past and Present, Reputations, Milton Keynes, The Open University

Fear, T. (2008) ‘Cleopatra’ in Moohan, E. (ed.) Reputations (AA100 Book 1), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1 – 28.

Plutarch, Life of Antony, 29-30; reprinted in AA100 Assignment Booklet (October 2011), Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 17.

Scott-Kilvert, I. (trans) (1965) Plutarch: makers of Rome, Harmondsworth, Penguin.

Inside Art, Online, Open University

Ilustration Illustration Book, Milton Keynes, The Open University

Bibliography

Cézanne, P. Jug and Fruit (Plate 1.3.24), in The Open University (2008), AA100 Illustration ...

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