The two pieces of artwork that I chose from the Museum of Modern Art were Dorothea by Collier Schorr and How We See/Look 1/Daria by Laurie Simmons. Both of them are pictures of people but they differ vastly.

Starting off with color, it can be clearly seen that while Dorothea is in black in white, Daria has a bright red background and the subject, presumably Daria, is blond with dark makeup and bright red lipstick. In my opinion, black and white of Dorothea is a very good choice. The lack of colors allows the viewer to really focus on the natural and pure form of Dorothea. The fact that she is nude and has no makeup on also really emphasizes her wholesome image. Whereas in Daria, Daria has heavy makeup focusing on her eyes and lips, which really draw attention. Her hair is also perfectly curled and she is dressed in white clothing. Even the backgrounds of the separate works differ greatly. As mentioned previously, in Daria, there is a bright red background. In Dorothea, the background almost matches with her skin tone.

In terms of light, in Dorothea, it does not seem as if the light focus on anything in particular. It makes her seem very clean, almost holy. In Daria, the light is on her face and upper portion of her body. Anything below the neck, does not receive as much light. However, the light that is focused on her face really makes her seem oddly and almost scarily perfect.

When looking at the individual form of each person, there is a clear contrast. Both seem to be slightly smiling but Daria’s smile seems almost sinister. In Dorothea, Dorothea has her arm across her shoulder. This motion almost seems to be her protecting herself in a sense. But it also does not seem as though she is stressed by anything, as her face is very calm and solemn. Daria, on the other hand, is sitting up straight, smiling. The dark makeup around her eyes actually makes her seem a little creepy, the more I look at it. It looks as though she knows something the viewer does not.

It is really quite amazing how these two works are so contrasting. Literally other than the light on their faces and their odd perfection, they do not seem to have much in common.