The Elements of Art in Georgy Kurasov's Stargazer
Image courtesy of Tutt'Art.
Georgy Kurasov's Stargazer (2016) liberally employs the whole gamut of visual elements, making it the perfect subject for this analysis.
Kurasov, born in 1959, is a contemporary Russian painter who lives in St. Petersburg, where this painting was most likely made. Supplemental information about the artist is sparsely available, but his own website provides a short biography offering some insight into his work. Growing up in Leningrad in the USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia), the clashing architectural styles within the city struck Kurasov as irrational. This backdrop likely served to inspire his unique style of cubism. He began to pursue art at a young age, but because he had little understanding of color he became a sculptor instead. Kurasov didn't begin his career as a painter until the late 1980s.
Let's examine how Kurasov blends the different elements of art to provoke the wildly contrasting sensations in Stargazer.
Line
Straight and curved lines intersect this piece with almost grid-like regularity. Linework is used to establish form and delineate areas of interest. Precise mechanical lines carry seamlessly from one object to another, bringing cohesion to a composition that might otherwise appear disjointed.
Shape
Rigid geometric shapes are everything in this cubist painting. The variety of shapes here work to create a dizzying sense of movement: an overlapping patchwork of rectangles, circles, and triangles provide endless ways to navigate the composition. I find my eyes drawn all over the painting almost at random.
Tone
Looking at the composition as primarily consisting of concentrically-arranged shapes, alternating light and dark tones. While the image overall conforms to a two-dimensional perspective, tone is used to add a flare of three-dimensionality to some objects such as the astronomer's sleeves and the curled parchment.
Color
The colors in this painting are bold and vibrant. Alternating cool and warm colors create sharp contrast between adjacent shapes. A wide spectrum of color is used in a pattern to help organize and balance the overall image, patches of similar colors being oppositely arranged about the circle so that no one area of the painting calls too much attention to itself.
Pattern
Note the decorative pattern adorning the astronomer's cap. The triangular creases in his clothing occur with patterned regularity, echoing the larger triangular shapes patterned across the entire composition. The constellations on his celestial globe are
Texture
Optical texture here is used to exaggerated effect in order to create the sensation of a painting that you can almost feel. Much in line with the way the other elements are used in this painting, the eclectic variation of textures in Stargazer add to its striking vivacity. The natural texture of woodgrain, the subtle textures of fabrics, and the smoothness of metal each have their own unique allure.
While there's little about Kurasov's life in the USSR that I can personally relate to, Stargazer delights me to no end. No matter how long I spend examining this painting, new curiosities continue to arise. Look how the large circle continues through the creases in his sleeve and hat! Look how the blue orb is poised to roll down his shoulder and across his shoulder to the spiraled parchment! Look how the telescope casts a beam of light in suggestion of the sights perceived within! Kurasov reminds me of M.C. Escher for his ability to provoke imaginative wonder. If I thought I could afford it, I'd love to own the original painting, which is still available for purchase on his website.
Works Cited
Alex,
ReplyDeleteThis image is fascinating. The bright colors instantly catch my you and draw you in. I think my favorite aspect of this image is the small constellation map at the bottom right. Im also envious of the way you set up this blog! Its clean are really differentiates the different aspects of an analysis in an easy to follow way.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteThis piece of work is very cool! As soon as I opened your blog, it caught my eye. I think you nailed about every aspect of this painting. From the line work to the texture, this piece really has it all.
Color and shape is definitely a big part of what makes this piece so stimulating to the eye. I would love to try to do something like this in one of my art pieces!
Alex,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of describing in detail the aspects of this art. The thing that immediately stands out to me in this work is the use of cubism. The way that the shapes are hard and geometric, while still looking like a final work of art is fascinating to me.
I like how you describe texture as a way of creating the sensation of a painting that you can touch and feel. I often find the use of optical texture in paintings to be my favorite part of an art peice. I feel that it adds an extra step of realism that pulls you in.
I like the colors used in the painting and also how precise and clean it is. I'm having trouble interpreting what to feel from the piece but I find myself drawn to Astronomer's right eye. It makes him seem tired yet complacent. From reading the short background you provided, I feel that this rigid style is influenced by Kurasov's experience in sculpting. Good choice, it's a hard piece not to like.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this. The "disjointed" quality and the colors are wonderful. I like the way you pointed out the relationship between pattern and texture here. I'm really disappointed that he doesn't seem to sell prints! The aura of fun in this painting really contrasts with the expression on the subject's face which says a lot about the duality of passion and discovery.
ReplyDelete