Kiwi Series
Kiwi Series #1 My choice of artwork for this essay is titled Kiwi Series # 1. This painting is made by Dennis Wojtkiewicz in 2005. The size of this painting is 36 by 66 inches. The medium used in this painting is the oil on canvas. I chose this painting because it appeals to my sense of aesthetics and also it has the most interesting use of texture. This painting is an excellent example of our sight being able to activate other senses. The presentation of the translucent fruit and fuzzy skin is so convincing that we have a visual and a tactile reaction and for some, a sensation of taste.
The painter has used actual texture in this painting. In this essay, I will talk about the subject matter and then the content. I will also be analyzing each element and principle of design in the painting’s composition in an attempt to look at it much more deeply and understand it better. Kiwi Series # 1 is a painting of a kiwi fruit, which is cut into half. It is placed on a table or some hard surface. The painter has drawn every little detail of the fruit in the painting. The seeds, the internal minor lines in the fruit, and the difference in textures are done with great enthusiasm and passion.
This painting makes me calm and relaxed because of the colors used in this painting and also its overall appearance. The Elements: There are different kinds of lines used in this painting. The artist has used some curvy lines near the edge and the center of the fruit. Straight lines are also used in this painting. Some lines are thick and some are thin, separating the seeds and the showing the opaqueness of some parts. The painting itself is a rectangle shape. The shape of the fruit is objective. There are many other smaller shapes in the painting. The shape of the seeds is oval.
The center of the fruit gives kind of semi-circle look. The row of the seeds looks like a thin petal of a flower. The fruit itself is looking like a semi-circle. There is a great amount of contrast. This painting has a photography value in which the artist has used light part against the dark part. Chiaroscuro is also evident due to the illusion of light and shadow as the light source is coming from the top. Casting shadow on the table. There are areas of strong contrast such as the light color of fruit against the dark background. Sfumato is also evident in this painting.
The dark colors of the seeds also create contrast against the light color of the fruit. Also there is contrast of the seeds against the bright area near it. The color is a local color as it replicates the appearance of the real world. The colors are natural. The fruit is green and light green in color. The seeds are black. A slight brown color is also used near the edge of the fruit. The texture is simulated. If someone would touch this painting, they would feel slight bumps of the paint. For the most part, the artist has simulated the texture of the fruit.
The background of the painting appears to be smooth. There is not much space in the painting. The figure is right at the forefront of the painting so the painting has shallow space. The background is dark and we could not see anything except the fruit. Principles: The balance in this painting is symmetrical. The right side is very similar to the left side. If I were to draw a line in the middle of this painting, the visual weight on both sides of the painting would be the same. The painting is populated almost the same on both sides.
The dominant part in this painting is the half-cut kiwi fruit. It occupies almost 85% of the space of the painting. Kiwi fruit is the biggest thing in the painting and it is the most important aspect of the subject matter. The same shape of the seeds in the painting creates harmony. Also the bright row that contains seeds is also of the same shape so they are the unifying factor in this painting. This work is not economical at all. There is a great amount of details and attention given to the figure. In my opinion it is highly realistic and the artist has drawn it with great interest.
