Euthanasia 12 Essay, Research Paper

Response

The quotation Every image embodies a way of seeing The photographer s way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject. The painter s way of seeing is reconstituted by the marks he makes on the canvas or the paper, said by John Berger, 20th century British artist and critic, is clearly demonstrated in the 2 landscapes, Sunny September by Helen McNicoll and Western Forest by Emily Carr. In Sunny September by Helen McNicoll, the artist has chosen to paint in such a way that when you see the picture up close, every section viewed separately doesn t seem properly placed in respect to other sections. Yet, the picture seemed complete and perfect when viewed at a certain distance. This effect is achieved by using several odd coloured strokes that must be seen at a distance of a few metres so that they blend together. She paints in the impressionistic style. The bland brush strokes gave the landscape an odd texture and effect. The artist did show the beauty of nature through this landscape, but from a general perspective. The landscape was very simple, just showing all of nature at its prettiest. All the elements of nature were painted with the intention to view them as a whole, therefore making the whole landscape retain a sense of beauty. The whole landscape had to be seen in order to appreciate all the little characteristics of it. Many unusual colours were used, ones that one would believe had no place on the objects they were placed on. Lighting set the mood in this landscape. I could easily sense the way the artist conveyed a mood of happiness and peacefulness. The light colours and simple strokes throughout the entire landscape enhance this effect.

In work B, Western Forest by Emily Carr, on the other hand, the artist has decided to show the beauty of nature from the inside out. Much more description was required because of the perspective. She placed herself within the depths of the forest and painted with full solid strokes and colours. Unlike in Sunny September, where the whole landscape is beautiful and every element relies on its neighbour to enhance its effect, Western Forest has been painted in such a way that each element is beautiful by itself. Each one is independent. It is for this reason why the artist could be a lot more detailed and close up. The style wasn t impressionistic at all. All of Carr s stokes were solid and colourful. All the colours were easily understood. I felt that in Sunny September, the artist felt that all of nature, as a whole is beautiful. In Western Forest, the artist felt that every little section of nature embodied its own personal beauty.

This concept of painting nature is evident in many other works of both artists. Village Street by Helen McNicoll is also painted with an impressionistic style. Lighting and colours are used in much the same way to achieve the same effect as in Sunny September. Study in Movement, by Emily Carr, is also painted from the inside out and obtains the same degree of beauty in each element as Western Forest. I believe that nature must be perceived in different ways in order to see a different type of beauty. Emily Carr insisted that the tree or the bush by itself contained its own beauty. It didn t need to be surrounded with other parts of nature to be what it is. For this reason, she immersed herself in the forest. Helen McNicoll needed the whole forest to help itself, in making several parts of it beautiful. She felt the tree had to be surround with other beauties for it to enhance its own beauty.