Describing and Analyzing "the Moncton Tijuana Bible"

Description

The art piece I chose is from a Toronto based artist named Eliza Griffiths. The oil painting was created in 1999 and is called Moncton Tijuana Bible. I chose this painting because it sparked my curiosity. The size of the painting is approximately three feet by three feet. The foreground of the painting is filled with a man and woman nude from the waist up. The man and woman are sitting on a couch trailing off of the canvas. The near background features a yellow wall with an open window located in the top left corner of the painting. A coral lamp stands behind the couch to the right side of the painting.

Analysis

The figures are the main focus of the art piece as they are placed in the entire foreground of the painting. The window sheds light into the small room where the man and woman hold each other on the couch. The colours used are warm and soft. There is a soft brown line that traces the figures acting as a path to guide your eye all over the art piece. The male balances the painting because his biceps are positioned horizontally. The female sits behind the male squeezing his left bicep with her left hand. Her right elbow frames her breast leading her hand to play with the mans chest hair. The woman’s head is resting on the mans right hand and is located to the upper left corner of the painting. The woman’s gaze is looking to the upper right corner of the canvas. The man is relaxed in front of the woman with his left elbow bent over the arm of the couch. His forearm leads your eye down his flat torso. The mans right arm frames the woman's shoulders and head. The man sets his gaze toward the woman. The woman wears a blue circular ring and her orange hair is frazzled into a bun. She has a lipstick smear above her mouth leading you to believe her and the man were kissing. Her eyes are dark and glazed over. The man stands out because he is wearing aqua eyeshadow and pink nail polish. His neck is marked with a hickey making you think of the two as sexual partners. There is also lipstick smears around his mouth. He has a cut on his forehead underneath his brown hair line.