For this discussion, you will be asked to “”judge”” an artwork. The artwork you will be judging is entitled “Busy Mama” by Julia Cairns. It is a watercolor on paper. Julia Cairns is a living artist. Check out the following website to learn more about Julia before proceeding with this discussion. (http://juliacairns.net/about) (Links to an external site.)
Consider the following questions when “judging” the artwork “Busy Mama.” You do NOT need to answer all of these questions in your discussion post…just consider these questions before making your discussion postings.
Would you recognize this person in real life?
Is the landscape recognizable as a specific place?
For what purpose was the artwork made?
Is the artwork more realistic or more abstract?
Is the artwork mostly concerned with dreams and imagination?
Was the artist primarily interested in expressing a strong emotion?
Was the artist mostly concerned with formal aspects of arranging lines, shapes, and colors? Does this arrangement posses unity?
In which style of art would you categorize the artwork? What is the artwork’s artistic merit within this style of art?
How did this artwork influence other artists?
How did the artist’s environment and events of the time affect the work?
What aspects of the artist’s life and personality may have had an impact on the work?
How do the medium and technique contribute to, or distract from, the overall effect?
If this artist had lived another 100 years, how do you think his or her style might have changed? Do you think the artist will be remembered and highly regarded a century from now? Why or why not?
How do you think the painting would make you feel if the artist had used all warm colors instead of cool colors? Or vise versa?
What does the artist’s degree of skill in handling the medium contribute to the artistic merit of the work?
Does the artwork seem to have an idea, feeling, or concept within it that is indicative of the artist or culture that produced it?
Link to the webpage with the artwork http://juliacairns.net/workszoom/257839 (Links to an external site.)
