Josh Sloan
Josh Sloan
Light, color and form are used in every piece of artwork, although the methods in which they are used vary, providing art with limitless possibilities. The two works that I chose are: Matchpoint by Kristen Bratsch and an untitled artwork by Josh Smith. While both pieces of art are comprised of various geometrical figures that have little to no relation to extant objects, they both still differ tremendously. The piece by Kristen Bratsch uses color to give the painting an additional vibrancy that the painting by Josh Smith lacks – being a black and white painting. Kristen Bratsch adroitly uses light and form together to give her painting a 3-dimensional perspective. Josh Smith uses light and form also, but to give his painting a flat 2-dimensional perspective. The use of color in Matchpoint groups different aspects of the painting together, implying a consistency in direction amongst cylinders of the same color. The use of color is seemingly arbitrary in Josh Smith’s work; the figures of the same color still lack a consistency in shape or direction. Consistency in form – cylinders of varying size- throughout the entire piece by Kristen Bratsch gives her painting a sense of deliberateness, while the inconsistent shapes that are portrayed in Josh Smith’s piece make you question what he actually intended his work to be. I believe that the consistency lends Kristen Bratsch legitimacy to her artwork, and the converse detracts from the potential appreciation one could have for the artwork. Due to the more random forms portrayed in Smith’s work, it leaves the painting open to further interpretation of what is being portrayed, although in Bratsche’s illustration, even though the forms seem to represent an abstract image, the lack of randomness restricts the creative interpretation that is replete in Smith’s work. The influence of these 3 imperative components of art – color, light and form – is evidenced through comparing these two paintings. Although, the substance –the figures- differs only slightly, the two pieces of art significantly differ; something only attributable to color, light and form.
