What is Painting?
The selection made for the following essay will be on the genre of painting. Painting has become such a large part of history and life. Many times it is through ancient paintings that modern man has been able to understand history. Perfect examples of this are through studying the cave drawings that help historians and archaeologist understand the lifestyle of the people who lived thousands of years before us. It is important to really understand the dynamics and true definition of painting. There are numerous surfaces, materials, and subject matters that involve the art of painting, which will be discussed in the next section.
Painting is an act involving the visual perception of the artists to portray a scene, message, or even a feeling. An artist is very inquisitive of the things he or she she’s in the world around them, which helps them to create beautiful pieces of art. Painting is one of these types of artists most common to artist in telling a story or freezing a moment in time through capturing the image(s) around them. When painting a picture the artist is keen on looking at the lighting, shadows, and angles of the object or scenery that is to be painted. Paintings are many times showing a portrait of a person, a scenic view of nature, a bowl of fruit or flowers in a vase, and many more subject matters that include abstract images that often have to be interpreted.
In order for painting to become a reality there are materials used that creates colors. The three starting colors are red, blue, and yellow otherwise known as primary colors; orange, green, and purple make-up the secondary colors. The combination of these colors with the additional of white and black are what allows for the various colors that one can see in a painting. However, in addition to the actual colors, there are different types of paints that are used by painters, which is important to note.
The different types of materials that paintings are created from are called “media.” The different types of media include tempera, fresco, oil, watercolor, and acrylic paints, which have been used at different periods and often based on the material that is to be painted or the effects the artist wishes to express. Each of these types of media responds differently with distinct affects in the images that are created. For example, tempera and fresco are a type of media that was extremely common in the earliest periods of history and are quite difficult to use. If one were to make a mistake using these media, it is much more difficult to correct than if using another media such as acrylic. Oil paint has been one of the most popular to use by many famed artists because of the variations that it allows the artists to work with. Acrylic paint is a much more modern media, but it works similar to oil paint without the excessive drying time that oil paintings are infamous for. Watercolor is very unique compared to some of these other media due to its transparency and limitations it may have on added details that are not as easy to achieve with watercolor.
Painting in Our World
Painting has and continues to transform the world around us. Whether the painting is done as famous work of art from one of the greats, such as DaVinci or whether it is a finger painting project done by a young child, painting can be seen in nearly every aspect of life. The colors around us on homes, building, cars, and almost any object that involves adding color involves paint. Without paints or paintings the world would be quite dull and depressing. Fortunately nature has vibrancy in the natural colors that are seen in trees, flowers, and living things, but without painting humans’ may not be able to incorporate the beauty of life’s colors.
One could assume that this sentiment is also shared by the billions of other people in the world as well. Even if one is not an artist or painter, the effects that painting has on people can bring forth both positive and negative responses. For example, if a young child were to see a painting by Picasso, he or she might laugh and say that the artists did not do a good job because the child is missing the artistic knowledge that is needed to interpret that type of abstract art. Many brands and logos are heavily connected to a painting or design in particular colors as a representation of their company. So many areas of life include the genre of painting that it is almost impossible to go anywhere without seeing some example of painting.
“Anti-Venereal Disease Poster” by Salvador Dali
The painting I chose to discuss was not necessarily a phenomenal work of art, but instead it was a poster that was used during World War II to warn soldiers against venereal diseases. The image is rather disturbing and modern women may consider it anti-feminist. Dali is one of my favorite artists because of the wide variety of media he has used in creating some of the most bizarre pieces of art. I have always enjoyed the dreamlike quality of his work, which is a common theme for Dali. Rather than choosing one of the more common paintings well known to his work, I came across one that grabbed my attention for its use of illusion and symbolism. The painting is untitled but was used as anti-venereal disease propaganda art during World War II.
("Salvador Dalí Creates a Chilling Anti-Venereal Disease Poster During World War II")
The eerie green hues Dali uses makes the image feel poisonous and hazardous to view. The most creative aspect of this poster is the way the two scantily clad women stand side-by-side creating an image of a skull. The image of the skull created by these risqué images of the women are symbolic of a death sentence to the soldier who looks at the women. Whatever temptation that may have been present for the soldier is meant to be removed by seeing death through interacting or engaging with these women who appear to be prostitutes.
A spotlight is highlighting the area where these faceless women stand with what appears to be black crows flying around above their heads. The heads of the women are also placed in a way to represent the eyes of the skeleton; the black space between the women would be the nose; and the teeth of the skeleton are represented by the legs of the women who have their skirts pulled up revealing garters. On the ground it appears to be a grotesque creature that looks like a snake, but potentially represents the phallic symbol as well.
Dali uses a color that makes one think of a depressing era in history with this green luminescent color that brings forth an anxious feeling for the individual viewing the picture. Only in the far off distance there is another color, a blue that is used to represent clear skies. Perhaps, the culture of life for the soldiers was one that was extremely risky in many ways with their difficulties of fighting a war inside as well as outside themselves.
I chose this work by Dali because it had many of the things typical to Dali’s work such as the illusory aspect and symbolism, yet the image was made specifically for a societal message to soldier during war time. I found that this image was quite bold in the message it was relaying to the soldiers during that period in history. Clearly it was meant to frighten and discourage the soldiers from promiscuous behavior that would result in a disease, and I found that message very effective when looking at the art. I also liked the controversial nature of placing the two half dressed women next to each other that ultimately was a symbol of death that can be seen through the skull that is created by the image.
Works Cited
Halliday, Ayun. "Salvador Dalí Creates a Chilling Anti-Venereal Disease Poster During World
War II." Open Culture. 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.openculture.com/2014/08/salvador-dali-creates-an-anti-venereal-disease-
poster-during-ww-ii.html>.
