Museum Visit Paper

Introduction

Visual awareness is important in being able to reveal critical ideas that an artist sought to convey in a work of art. Furthermore, it enables one to determine whether the artist succeeded in conveying those that they had in mind when preparing their works of art. This paper seeks to study a work of art in a museum with an aim to enhance visual awareness skills. As a work of art is likely to be perceived differently by individuals, there are bound to be new insights that each individual is likely to make in a given work of art.

Museum Analysis

Identification

Museum: Telfair Museum of Art, 121 Barnard Street, Savannah, GA

Artwork Title: Ship of the Desert

Artist/ Painter: Edwin Lord Weeks

Medium: Oil on panel

Year: 1874

Size: 14 7/8 by 18 1/16

Image: Ship of the Desert

Initial Response

The initial emotional response that the painting invokes relate to traditional travels across deserts. While demonstrating the past means of travelling, this image evokes the feelings of the manner travelling across deserts was comfortable. Even though the temperature may be high, the ride provided by the camel makes it a comfortable experience. Linking the ride with the surrounding, the paint evokes the emotional response that only traders who could be easily found crossing the desert. Considering the profits that they would make in enabling exchanges between two regions separated by a huge desert, the merchants were in a position to buy the camels that would ensure a comfortable travel across the desert. This brings the feeling of a distinct operation of merchants spanning generations presented in an environment that fits it. Notably, one can directly deduce from the painting that this is in a desert and the artist sought to appreciate the experience that those in far-off lands go through. Notably, by factually presenting the individual in the painting, the artist avoids crediting or criticizing the experiences depicted even though it is in a desert area.

Description

The main feature in the painting includes a man riding on a camel in a desert. The lack of vegetation portrays that they are moving in a desert. Notably, the artist puts effort to have the shadow as an indication of the sunny and hot weather that is in the desert. In the desert, no other activities or vegetation are seen in the painting, which reflect the extent to which the desert is dry. The clothing the camel rider adorns significantly differs from what people expect in such a sunny and dry place. He is completely covered, leaving only the face. However, he seems at ease, as the camel is moving. Notably, the title of the painting, “ship of the desert’ is well reflected by the manner the rider is directing the camel with ease to the direction that he wants. Hereby, the camel movements are determined with ease as the rider determines the direction that the camel takes. This is particularly considering the technique that the rider uses in regulating how the camel moves. There is a low likelihood of it raining in the desert considering that the clear nature of the sky. On the horizon, where the land meets with the sky, there is a mirage, which also reflects the extent to which the desert is dry with no nearby source of water. Closely looking at the picture, it becomes apparent that the rider is carrying valuables, which facilitates the suggestion that he is a merchant moving valuables from one area to another.

Analysis

In the painting, an evident design principle addressed relates to the unity of the entire composition. The various parts of the painting, that is, the camel, the person and the sand all work together harmoniously to create a common visual theme. The merging of the different components plays a critical role in the creation of meaning and a sense of completeness (Messerly, 2006). For instance, riding a camel in a desert makes sense. It would have been different if the same were to be in a tropical forest. The unity that is between the rider, his clothing, camel and the terrain plays a role in making meaning of the entire visual image.

Considering the manner the visual weight of the camel, the person and the surrounding environment in terms of space and texture, they achieve a balance in achieving the feeling of stability to the painting. In achieving an asymmetrical balance, the components of the painting differ, but they end up looking balanced. As Messerly (2006) argued, the resulting informal balance is particularly the one that keeps the viewer’s attention focused on the painting due to the psychological sense of equilibrium that is evoked. The arrangement of the aforementioned parts of the painting has been put in a manner that makes it aesthetically pleasing.

In addition to balance, the various parts of the painting have been visually designed in a manner that facilitates harmony in the entire painting. Hereby, they complement each other. For instance, having a camel in a desert where the sun forces there to be a shadow are some of the pieces that demonstrate harmony pulling the parts of the painting together as they complement and relate to each other.

Critically, the painting observes the design principle of proportion when one considers the relative sizes of the various components making up the design. With the sizes of the various components relating effectively with each other, a feeling of unity is established (Dews, 2003). For instance, in the painting of the man riding the camel, the relative size of a person fits in relation to the size of the camel. The sizes look balanced and working with one another and it is easy to observe the manner the camel, the camel rider, and the surroundings relate. As well, it becomes possible to establish the boundaries of the provided space when one considers the manner the artist utilized lighting through the shadow. Lighting assists the viewer to understand the physical form of a given space while maintaining a sense of