Overview
please respond to Angela with. 150. words
The work of art I am choosing to evaluate is Elisabeth Vigee-LeBrun's Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat. One of the first principals of design that caught my attention was the contrast. The contrast that fascinated me the most was with the texture throughout the painting. We can see a lot of soft textures in her clothing and the feather on the hat, but also a lot of hard textures like the items she is holding and the straw that makes up the hat. More specifically, we see a lot of contrast in the texture of her hair. The top of her hair seems more messy and dry while the bottom of her hair seems more soft and silky. The tones and temperature throughout the painting shows contrast as well with how there are many warm tones closer to the top and cooler tones towards the bottom.
Also, the shadows throughout the painting bring not only contrast but emphasis to the woman. The pattern of the background also brings more emphasis to the woman because it is simple and consistent, making us observe more of what the woman is wearing, how she is positioned, and what she is holding.
Since this painting is really realistic, the proportion/scale is going to be perfect when looking at the women's facial features, structure of her body, clothing items, and even the size of the paint brushes she is holding. When considering the size of the feather on the straw hat, I believe it brings emphasis to the straw hat itself. The big feather brings you to look a the straw hat, its texture, the colorful flowers on it, and even the shape of the hat.