Contrast, Balance, Harmony

The image I have chosen to look at and talk about is the one shown below.


I think this picture shows great contrast and balance in the way the highlights of the whites are the exact opposite of the darks.  The highlight in the middle is the lightest in the picture with the child's head being the darkest part of the picture.  The picture is not balanced rather asymmetrically balanced.  The balance comes from the swing set  on the right and the kid swinging on the left.  I think this picture is actually somewhat balanced because how much space each of the objects is taking up. You can make the argument for it being balanced either way.  There is not much texture in this photo because of the shadows and how the light is assumed to be behind the child swinging.  The only texture that can be argued is the texture of the chains. The chains have that feel of normal chains that everyone can imagine in their head.
To me, this picture sends out an emotion of pain and suffering.  Even though you can see the joy and laughter in the little boys face and his sense of naiveness, I think of, honestly, the world ending when I look at this picture. I say this because of all the dramatic contrasts in this photo.  The blacks in the foreground, to me, portray a sense of pain that is only amplified by the dramatic whiteness and the greys of the background.

Visceral Response

For my visceral response, I knew exactly what I was going to do the moment it was assigned.  I think sunsets over oceans touch some deep down emotion that I have that no other picture or piece or art can touch.  The emotion I feel when I look at this is unreal.  I like looking at this picture because of the feeling of perfection and the feeling of being perfectly balanced in life.  As of right now, I like looking at this picture because it gives me a sense of belonging which I am lacking right now haha.

Anyways, this picture, to me, is perfectly balanced with the colours and the way the horizon perfectly cuts across the picture.  The balance comes from colours being complimentary to each other with the orange and the purple and the different hues and shades of the two colours.

The texture also creates a sense of perfection in my eyes and creates beauty within because of the feeling of balance you get from the waves and the rippling you can see.  It creates an emotion of balance when looking at the entire piece of art because it balances the waves and the clouds within the entire piece.

I also think the clouds overlaying the sun creates a peacefulness inside of yourself and also a sense of mystery.  The clouds portray something that is covering an object that is usually not supposed to be covered so it throws out a "mysterious" vibe, in my eyes.

I love this picture.