What do you see? I see three people relaxing on a grassy lawn. The scene is comfortably filled with soft shades of green. The sky is reflecting its warm colors on the tall trees. The composition of three figures sitting together is mirrored with the three bushes in a row behind them except the bushes are almost touching and the figures are not. During Covid-19 the public was asked to stay six feet apart from one another. While the painting was created in 1966 when the artist wasn’t thinking about social distancing, she does remind us that friends and family can enjoy a quiet late afternoon together.
The sketch prompt is to draw a landscape that reminds you of a place that is calm and comfortable. Think about your composition, does it mirror the figures in your sketch?
Time to TALK. When an artwork is created, it reflects its environment. So when a viewer looks at the same work years later the meaning shifts because of its new time and place. History continues and those experiences and events stay with the viewer. How do you observe an artwork, can you leave your own experiences behind or do you bring them with you while looking at works of art?