An Art Criticism

An Art Criticism of the Painting "Flora"

In the oil painting, Flora (Carrie Mainsfield Weir), by Julian Weir, a well-dressed Victorian woman is depicted, portrait style, sitting next to a small black table. The woman, Carrie, is also holding an array of flowers in her hand and several more stems of flowers are strewn across her lap. A silvery-gray vase sits on the table next to a large bowl filled with flower buds. Behind Carrie is a plain, flat wall decorated only by a narrow garland of roses which hangs above and behind her.

The painting appears washed-out emphasized by the use of many shades of soft white. Carrie's dress is a mixed gray shade of white and the lace trim on her dress is an antique yellow-white. The flowers everywhere (on the table, in the bowl, in Carrie's hands, on her lap, intertwined in the garland) are all various shades of white with a few streaks of pink and red mixed in. Even the wall behind her is a dull brownish-white color. The cool splash of green in the garland and the strong black of the round table add interest and balance to the picture. The lines in this painting are for the most part thick, graceful, and often curve each of which emphasize the gently rounded flowers, the crescent shaped leaves, and the loose folds of her dress as is bunches up around her knees and feet. The black table and bowl next to Carrie appear even darker due to the lightness of her dress and the pale scattered flowers. The soft, smooth wall behind Carrie, silky petals in her lap and gauzy, almost transparent, sleeves of her dress all add texture. The rounded curves of her womanly figure bring Carrie forward to the viewer's perspective as the garland seems to hang above and behind her somewhat in the distance. As the topic (and even the title) of this painting, Carrie fills the majority of the canvas.

The smooth texture and rounded, soft-edged shapes in the center of the painting