The sun

The Sun

Throughout this project, I will be exploring paintings by artists, from the 1600’s all the way to the 1900’s, who’ve created multiple style paintings linking to my chosen theme of ‘The Sun’. Each painting I will be analysing should include various elements of the sun, for example; sunny days, sunrises, perhaps even clouded scenes where the sun bursts through parts, lighting up the whole canvas image.

Many styles, such as classical landscapes, impressionism, romantic landscapes and realism, show through paintings linking to sun, therefore, through the artists I will be selecting they should show a main focus of the sun and it’s light or even an ‘en plein air’ painting scene where there is no sun, however, the whole canvas is lit by daylight.

Over the first section, in my project, I will be showing which artists I’ve chosen, their artworks and why I have selected this work as well as stating how it links to my theme.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775-1851 Joseph Turner was an English Romantic landscape painter, who used watercolour and printmaking to create his work. His style can be said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism.

Turner was considered a controversial painter back in his day and now he is seen as the artist who elevated landscape paintings to an eminence rivalling history artworks.

This artist devoted his entire life to his art. His talent was recognised very early in his life which, unlike many artists of his era, helped with his success throughout his career. Resulting that his work was exhibited when he was only a teenager.

Financial independence allowed Turner to innovate freely. For example; his mature work is characterised by a chromatic palette and broadly applied atmospheric washes of paint.

Joseph Turner painted people in many of his works to indicate the affection he had for humanity. The significance of light was to show the consequence of God's spirit and this was why he refined the subject matter of his later paintings by leaving out solid objects and detail, concentrating on the play of light on water, the radiance of skies and fires. Although these late paintings appear to be 'impressionistic‘, Turner was striving for expression of spirituality in the world, rather than responding primarily to optical occurrence.

The Sun Rising through Vapour, 1809 - Oil on canvas (134 cm x 179.5 cm) The Nation Gallery, London

Fishermen at Sea, 1796 - Oil on canvas (91 cm x 122 cm) Tate Britain, London

Sunrise with Sea Monsters, 1845 - Oil on canvas (91.4 cm Ă— 121.9 cm) Tate Britain, London

Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps, 1812 - Oil on canvas (146 cm x 237.5 cm) Tate Britain, London This painting, by William Turner, depicts the struggle of Hannibal's soldiers to cross the Maritime Alps in 218BC, opposed by the forces of nature and local tribes. A curving black storm cloud dominates the sky, poised to descend on the soldiers in the valley below, with an orange-yellow sun attempting to break through the clouds. A white avalanche cascades down the mountain to the right.

The large animal is dwarfed by the storm and the landscape, with the sunlit plains of Italy opening up beyond. In the foreground, Salassian tribesmen are fighting Hannibal's rear-guard, confrontations that are described in the histories of Polybius and Livy. It contains the first appearance in Turner's work of a swirling oval vortex of wind, rain and cloud, a dynamic composition of contrasting light and dark that will recur in later works, such as his 1842 painting Snow Storm: Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth.

Turner created this painting during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France. This painting was his response to Jacques-Louis David's portrait of Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801-1805). Turners painting above is the first painting where he uses a swirling vortex of wind, rain, snow and clouds that he returned to often in later works, such as Snow Storm: Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth (1842). His ongoing investigations of light and atmosphere greatly influenced future Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, such as Monet and Pissarro.

The irregular composition, without geometric axes or perspective, breaks traditional rules of composition. It is similar to Turner's 1800-2 watercolour, Edward I's Army in Wales, painted to illustrate a passage from the poem The Bard by Thomas Gray, in which an army marches diagonally across the painting through a mountain pass, and is assailed by an archer to the left of the painting.

Indication of Hannibal's identity is almost non-existent as he is not clearly depicted, but possibly riding an elephant just visible in the distance. Nothing draws our attention to these figures in the foreground or background. Instead our attention is focused on the landscape and the scary yet interesting forms Turner creates in the sky.

The artist has put emphasis on the destructive power of nature into this painting by creating these dark wave shaped clouds. By adding a small but bold contrasting sun, where the viewers eyes are drawn, creates lightness, fluency, and ephemeral atmospheric effects. Turner insisted that this painting should be hung low on the wall at the exhibition to ensure it would be viewed from the correct angle.

William Turner was inspired by the French landscape painter Claude Lorrain. The influence was obvious through many of his works, furthermore, Turner was even known as the "British Claude“, in his day.

What Turner took from Claude is all there at a glance: the aerial view, the graceful staging with great trees on either side and the landscape dissolving into the distance in untraceable gradations, the mastery of hazy golden sunrise and the luminous glow of dusk; Claude's magical light.

The artist left two landscape paintings to the National Gallery to be hung next to a pair by Claude so that the affinities would be fully apparent to succeeding generations.

Claude Lorrain

William Turner

Claude Lorrain, 1600-1682 Claude Lorrain was a French painter, draughtsman and engraver of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in Italy, and is one of the earliest important artists, apart from his contemporaries in Dutch Golden Age painting, to concentrate on landscape painting. His landscapes are usually turned into the more prestigious genre of history paintings by the addition of a few small figures, typically representing a scene from the bible or classical mythology.

By the end of the 1630’s he was established as the leading landscapist in Italy, and enjoyed high prices for his work. These gradually became larger, but with fewer figures, more carefully painted, and produced at a lower rate. He was not generally an innovator in landscape painting, except in introducing the sun into many paintings, which had been rare before. He is now thought of as a French painter, but was born in the independent Duchy of Lorraine, and almost all his painting was done in Italy; before the late 19th century he was regarded as a painter of the "Roman School". His patrons were also mostly Italian, but after his death he became very popular with English collectors, and the UK retains a high proportion of his works.

Embarkation of Ulysses, 1646 - Oil on canvas (119 cm x 150 cm) The Louvre, Paris.

The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba, 1648 - Oil on canvas (149 cm Ă— 197 cm) The Nation Portrait Gallery, London

Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula, 1641 - Oil paint on canvas (113 cm x 149 cm) The National Gallery, London This is one of Claude's early successful paintings, which depicts a scene from the legendary life of Saint Ursula as narrated by Jacopo da Varagine's Golden Legend.

The tale is not accepted as official church doctrine, due to the numerous versions of the story that exist, but the version from the Golden Legend goes like this; Saint Ursula was the daughter of the King of Britain, Donaut of Dumnonia. When Ursula was engaged to the pagan governor, Conan Meriadoc of Armorica, she set sail to meet her future husband with some astounding companions: 11,000 virgins.

Like most good Christian martyrs, however, Ursula was devoted to her virginity and loath to marry a pagan man, so to stall for time she declared that she would journey around Europe. After stopping in Rome and explaining her problem to the ecclesiastical authorities, Ursula and her troops headed over to Cologne, which was unfortunately under siege by the Huns at that time. The King of the Huns was mesmerized by Ursula's beauty and was determined to take her as a wife; when she refused, he shot her through the heart with an arrow, along with the virgins who she travelled with.

Claude Lorrain's Seaport with the Embarkation of St. Ursula comes after both Carpaccio's painting and Caravaggio's piece, and represents an entirely different mode of representation.

Gone are the grisly scenes of torture and martyrdom; in their place, a serene tranquillity, with hardly a hint of the horror to come.

Claude chooses not to depict the most dramatic moment of St. Ursula's life story, namely, the massacre. Instead, Claude chooses to depict the moment when Ursula and her maidens are about to depart Rome for Cologne.

The scene is one of utter tranquillity and calm; indeed, it is virtually impossible to identify the subject of the painting without the help of its title. Saint Ursula is identifiable by her yellow dress and flag while some of her maidens are equipped with the bows and arrows that are the symbols of their martyrdom.

This is utterly characteristic of Claude's style: his paintings may tend towards the wistful or melancholy in tone, but they never veer into the violent, dramatic or erotic.

The foreground is busy with the various activities of the seamen and maidens as they prepare for departure, while the classical architecture to the left of the picture plane and the foliage to the right help to lead the viewer's eye into the background.

Classical architecture and ruins often appear in Claude's landscapes, as they do in the paintings of fellow French Baroque expatriate Nicolas Poussin.

Both of these artists represent the classicizing strain of Baroque art, and as young men would roam the Roman countryside together, sketching landscapes and ruins alike.

Light is always the most important element in any of Claude's paintings, and Seaport with the Embarkation of St. Ursula is no exception. The painting seems to be illuminated by the misty light of dawn; the artist always depicts either dawn or twilight, which he found to be the most poetic times of day.

Few painters in the history of art have managed to achieve the incredibly subtle, sophisticated effects of light that Claude has. He managed to paint amazingly soft, glowing light thanks to his meticulous, painstaking techniques.

Claude Monet’s Impressionism Sunrise is perhaps been inspired by Claude Lorrain as you can see that Monet’s painting below is a modern interpretation of one of Lorrain’s typical landscape painting. Monet depicts a bright vibrant sun in the centre reflecting in the sea as well as light silhouettes of boats in the distance, similar to Lorrain’s painting The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba which has the sun centrally positioned in the sky, reflecting on the sea leading to the foreground of the painting. Again, in Lorrain’s artwork, boats are clearly shown in the background and left of the painting in comparison to Monet’s.

Therefore, in some way, Monet used Claude Lorrain as inspiration as a subject for many of his artworks, however, he works from the new theory of complementary colours, using violet mainly and yellow (being the complementary of purple), to use for sunlight.

Monet said “Colour owes its brightness to force of contrast rather than to its inherent qualities… primary colours look brightest when they are brought into contrast with their complementaries.” The Impressionists created violet by glazing cobalt blue or ultramarine with red, or by using new cobalt and manganese violet pigments that had become available to artists.

Claude Monet

Claude Lorrain

Claude Monet, 1840-1926 Oscar-Claude Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which was exhibited in 1874 in the first of the independent exhibitions mounted by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon de Paris.

Monet's ambition of documenting the French countryside led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. From 1883 Monet lived in Giverny, where he purchased a house and property and began a vast landscaping project which included lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works. In 1899 he began painting the water lilies, first in vertical views with a Japanese bridge as a central feature, and later in the series of large-scale paintings that was to occupy him continuously for the next 20 years of his life.

Impression, Sunrise, 1872 - Oil on canvas (48 cm x 63 cm) MusĂŠe Marmottan Monet, Paris

Le Parlement, 1904 - Oil on canvas (81 cm x 92 cm) MusĂŠe d'Orsay, Paris

Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875 - Oil paint on canvas (100 cm x 82 cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington DC Claude Monet painted Woman with a Parasol in 1875. The woman standing on a green hill looking over her shoulder at the artist is his wife, Camille. Their son Jean, 8 years old at the time, stands by her side though further in the distance.

Monet does a wonderful job here of creating a sense of a snapshot in time. Though the sitting might have taken a few hours he portrays it in such a way that suggests they were out for a stroll and were briefly interrupted while he captured their image. The brushwork along with the splashes of colour such as the yellow and pink tones on Camille’s dress helps to create the sense of spontaneity. The sway of the wildflowers and the swish of her dress express the motion of the cool wind.

The view from below creates a strong upward perspective while silhouetting the figures against the sky and creating a more dramatic effect of the sun and light. Using shades of light and dark Monet creates shadows as well as sunlit areas, a characteristic technique of his style. His use of colours, shadows and brushstrokes create fluidity making the scene most realistic.

It is believed Monet created this painting as an experiment. Monet had primarily focused on landscape paintings in order to focus on light effects and paint the same subject at different times of the day and thus different lighting. He said, “I’m working like never and at new attempts, figures in the open air as I understand them, made like landscapes. It is an old ream that still worries me and that I want to fulfil once and for all; but it is hard!” Clearly it was a successful experiment as Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and her Son is now one of Monet’s most recognized paintings.

Monet’s masterful depiction of light shows in this painting. There is also a very convincing depiction of movement in the air.

Monet captures the fleeting effects of the sunlight, using shades of dark and light colours to indicate shadows, and sunlit areas, which is characteristic of his style. The grass is created with abbreviated, comma-like strokes, and quick, strong, wispy strokes of varying size and direction create the boundless sky, in an informal but masterful way.

Camille is made to look majestic or statuesque due to perspective, yet the true subjects of Monet’s paintings are colour and movement. The way in which he mixes colours, creating shadows, and the brushstroke creating fluidity, make the scene realistic, with the viewer almost feeling the openness of the outdoors.

Edvard Munch, 1863-1944 Edvard Munch is best known as being a Norwegian born, expressionist painter, and printer. In the late 20th century, he played a great role in German expressionism, and the art form that later followed; namely because of the strong mental anguish that was displayed in many of the pieces that he created. In 1885, Edvard Munch travelled to Paris, and was extremely influenced by impressionism artists Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, and followed by the post-impressionism artists Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, and Gauguin. In fact, the main style of Munch's work is post-impressionism, and focused on this style.

From about 1892, to 1908, Munch split most of his time between Paris and Berlin; it was in 1909 that he decided to return to his hometown, and go back to Norway. During this period, much of the work that was created by Edvard Munch depicted his interest in nature, and it was also noted that the tones and colours that he used in these pieces, did add more colour, and seemed a bit more cheerful, than most of the previous works he had created in years past. The pessimistic under toning which was quite prominent in much of his earlier works, had faded quite a bit, and it seems he took more of a colourful, playful, and fun tone with the pieces that he was creating, as opposed to the dark and sombre style which he tended to work with earlier on during the course of his career.

Anxiety, 1894 - Oil paint on canvas (94 cm x 73 cm) The Munch Museum, Oslo

Spring Day on Karl Johan, 1890 - Oil on canvas (100 cm x 80 cm) Bergen Billedgalleri, Bergen

Melancholy, 1891 Oil on canvas (72 cm Ă— 98 cm) Private Collection

The Scream, 1910 - Tempera on board (66 cm x 83 cm) The Munch Museum, Oslo

Second only to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Edvard Munch’s The Scream may be the most iconic human figure in the history of Western art. Its androgynous, skull-shaped head, elongated hands, wide eyes, flaring nostrils and ovoid mouth have been engrained in our collective cultural consciousness; the swirling blue landscape and especially the fiery orange and yellow sky have engendered numerous theories regarding the scene that is depicted.

For all its notoriety, The Scream is in fact a surprisingly simple work, in which the artist utilized a minimum of forms to achieve maximum expressiveness. It consists of three main areas: the bridge, which extends at a steep angle from the middle distance at the left to fill the foreground; a landscape of shoreline, lake or fjord, and hills; and the sky, which is activated with curving lines in tones of orange, yellow, red, and blue-green. Foreground and background blend into one another, and the lyrical lines of the hills ripple through the sky as well. The human figures are starkly separated from this landscape by the bridge. Its strict linearity provides a contrast with the shapes of the landscape and the sky. The two faceless upright figures in the background belong to the geometric precision of the bridge, while the lines of the foreground figure’s body, hands, and head take up the same curving shapes that dominate the background landscape.

Since The Scream’s first appearance, many critics and scholars have attempted to determine the exact scene depicted, as well as inspirations for the screaming figure. For example, it has been asserted that the unnaturally harsh colours of the sky may have been due to volcanic dust from the eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia, which produced spectacular sunsets around the world for months afterwards. This event occurred in 1883, ten years before Munch painted the first version of The Scream. However, as Munch’s journal entry—written in the south of France but recalling an evening by Norway’s fjords also demonstrates—The Scream is a work of remembered sensation rather than perceived reality. Art historians have also noted the figure’s resemblance to a Peruvian mummy that had been exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889 or to another mummy displayed in Florence. While such events and objects are visually plausible, the work’s effect on the viewer does not depend on one’s familiarity with a precise list of historical, naturalistic, or formal sources. Rather, Munch sought to express internal emotions through external forms and thereby provide a visual image for a universal human experience.

The Scream is very unique. Several aspects of this painting really stick out, the dark colour scheme would typically be used for a night setting but here with the scream, Edvard Munch used the dark colours like orange to help paint a beautiful sunset in the sky. The light orange that is sitting in the water is used to create the image of the sky being reflected in the water and it works to great effect. The man standing in the foreground is wearing a dark robe.

The bizarre shape of the person in the foreground makes it seem less than inhuman. According to Edvard’s own diary he created the scream as a way of recreating an event in his life. While walking on a bridge Munch, along with his group of friends, began to notice the sky was changing to a blood red colour. He said he felt as though nature had an infinite scream, this no doubt referring to the figure in the painting that is making the expression of screaming. To me the best part of the scream is the unique colour scheme, as mentioned previously almost all of these colours are used in creative ways.

Another outstanding feature of the scream is how you can see some of Munch’s brushstrokes in the painting such as in the sky. Overall the scream is an amazing work of art and there is no wonder why this painting is so iconic and coveted.

Albert Bierstadt, 1830-1902 Albert Bierstadt was an American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West. To paint the scenes, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion.

Though not the first artist to record these sites, Bierstadt was the foremost painter of these scenes for the remainder of the 19th century.

Albert Bierstadt, was born in Solingen, Germany.

He was only about two years old when his family moved from Germany to New Bedford in Massachusetts. In 1853 he returned to Germany to study in Dusseldorf, where he refined his technical abilities by painting Alpine landscapes. After he returned to America in 1857, he joined an overland survey expedition which allowed him to travel westward across the country.

Along the route, he took countless photographs and made sketches of the majestic mountain ranges and dramatic rock formations which became the studies for his massive canvasses painted in his New York studio.

Valley of the Yosemite, 1864 - Oil on paperboard (30.2 cm x 48.9 cm) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, 1868 - Oil on canvas (183 cm x 305 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC

The Last of the Buffalo, 1888 - Oil on canvas (180.3 cm Ă— 301.6 cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast, 1870 - Oil paint on canvas (338.8 cm × 529.1 cm) Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast actually pictures parts of the Columbia River, although it remains unclear whether Bierstadt purposely omitted that information in his title or if he simply allowed others to call the canvas by an inaccurate name. Albert Bierstadt’s Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast is a skilful shaping and manipulation of landscape and the history of the western coastal scenery of Puget Sound. Although the artist had never really visited the Pacific Coast himself, his painting lavishly illustrates much factual data and high-quality sense of details of the new part of America. Both the technique and the talent he used seem to convey the powerful visual impact of western space and capture the scale of America’s landscape. The visual elements such as the lights transcending down from the sky seems to illuminate the land making the painting look harmonious, just like how Bierstadt envisioned the American west.

This is a huge painting which is the artist’s fictional construct of the Pacific Coast instead of the true topographical report of the place, the canvas can be divided into two faces that evoke the two most contradicting characters of nature. In the left middle ground, the painting seems to evoke the feelings of calmness because of the illuminated beach.

In the left middle ground, the straight growing green population of trees also illustrates a heavenly and harmonious nature of a place. As a whole, the left half of the painting seems to be welcoming and suggests how peace stretches across the land. All of this is represented through the bright colours used such as radiant yellow sunrays and dense green woods that seem to represent the peaceful nature of the place. However, the right side is a total contrast to the left side of the painting. The right half of the painting looks violent because of stormy weather that looks as if the storm is approaching towards the beach. In comparison to the left side of the painting, the right side is grey in colour and as such give an unwelcoming feeling to the viewer. The dark colours used in the painting clearly capture the anger and frustrations of the place, especially with the depiction of alluring waves beneath it.

There is also a sense of harmony in the painting represented by its outline, line, texture and arrangement of objects that make the painting look balanced despite the contradicting weather of the sky. The outlines and lines are thin, the texture of the painting is smooth, the brushstrokes are almost invisible, and the colours are broken down smoothly, giving off a sense of ‘naturalism’ as if the viewer is looking at a photograph. The artist also plays with the arrangement of objects in the painting that drives the viewer’s eye to focus on specific part of the painting. The figures, the waves, and the clouds on the right side of the painting, for instances, seem to invite the viewer’s eye to the centre of the painting as it gets brighter in the centre. In terms of size, the figures are small in comparison to the whole painting, as if the artist wants to emphasize the beauty or the grandeur of the landscape. However, even though the figures are small, the placement of the figures in the middle ground of the painting makes it is impossible for the viewer not to look at them. Altogether, the objects, colours, and the overall arrangement of the painting seems to give clue to the viewer about the beauty of the place that is endowed with vast array of trees, rocky mountains, bright sun, and rough waves.

Frederic Edwin Church, 1826-1900 Frederic Edwin Church was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, perhaps best known for painting large panoramic landscapes, often depicting mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets, but also sometimes depicting dramatic natural phenomena that he saw during his travels to the Arctic and Central and South America. Church's paintings put an emphasis on light and a romantic respect for natural detail.

In his later years, Church painted classical Mediterranean and Middle Eastern scenes and cityscapes. While committed to the natural sciences, he was always concerned with including a spiritual dimension in his work.

Church used extraordinary detail, romanticism, and luminism in his paintings. Romanticism was prominent in Britain and France in the early 1800s as a counter-movement to the Enlightenment virtues of order and logic. Artists of the Romantic period often depicted nature in idealized scenes that depicted the richness and beauty of nature, sometimes also with emphasis on the grand scale of nature.

El Rio de Luz, 1877 - Oil on canvas (138 cm x 214 cm) Nation Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Niagara Falls, from the American Side, 1867 - Oil on canvas (257 cm Ă— 227 cm) Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh

Rainy Season in the Tropics, 1866 - Oil on canvas (213.8 cm x 142.9 cm) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco

The Andes of Ecuador, 1855 - Oil paint on canvas (151.4 cm x 222.3 cm) Reynolda House Museum of American Art, North Carolina Painted after Frederic Edwin Church’s first trip to Ecuador, The Andes of Ecuador combines the scientific and religious concerns of Church’s time in one grand panorama. The infinite botanical detail, the terrifying depths of the abyss, and the overwhelming sense of unlimited space combine to communicate a powerful sense of the sublime. The painting encourages both distanced and close viewing through a dramatic sweeping vista that contains several small vignettes and seemingly endless details. Two figures in the left foreground pray in front of an archaic stone cross, colourful birds flocking in a palm tree above them. This scene is balanced on the right by cascades of water and a small lake. Snow-capped peaks in the background—Tungurahua on the left and the cone of Cotopaxi on the right—frame the distant view. The white-hot light of a centrally placed sun permeates a warm palette of sienna browns and lush greens.

Church depicted various plant and animal species with exactness while imbuing the painting with an explicit Christian iconography, mirroring contemporary thinking about science and religion. Through his overt allusions to Christianity within the Ecuadorian landscape, “Church was intimating that Americans inhabited a new Eden, a new promised land, and in standing before this sublime grandeur one enjoyed the metaphoric presence of Genesis.”

From the llamas grazing in the centre foreground to the distant snowy peaks, the multiple ecosystems correspond to Alexander Von Humboldt’s belief in the harmony of nature in which biology, botany, and geology coalesce to determine vegetation. His theories were popular with artists of the nineteenth century, who saw in them a way to reconcile God’s divinity with scientific advancements. In the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador both Humboldt and Church found in one locale perennial summers—the tropics—juxtaposed with ice-covered volcanic mountains.

The bright, glowing sun is painted centrally drawing the viewers eye straight into the middle of this artwork. The sun’s glow makes the background hazy leading the eye into the foreground where the rocky hillside and trees are clear and crisp. When looking into the painting, the artist has created the effect of the sun reflecting onto the paintings, making the entire art realistic as if you where actually there.

Thomas Cole, 1801-1848 Thomas Cole was born in 1801 at Bolton, Lancashire in North-western England and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1818. During the early years Cole lived for short periods in Philadelphia, Ohio, and Pittsburgh where he worked as an itinerant portrait artist. Although primarily self-taught, Cole worked with members of the Philadelphia Academy, and his canvases were included in the Academy’s exhibitions.

In 1825, Cole discovered the haunting beauty of the Catskill wilderness. His exhibition of small paintings of Catskill landscapes came to the attention of prominent figures on the New York City art scene including Asher B. Durand, who became a life-long friend, and his fame spread. While he was still in his twenties, Cole was made a fellow of the National Academy.

He is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement that flourished in the mid-19th century.

The Oxbow, 1836 - Oil on canvas (130.8 cm × 193 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Architect's Dream, 1840 - Oil on canvas (136 cm × 214 cm) Columbus Museum of Art, Toledo

The Voyage of Life, 1842 Oil on canvas (133 cm × 198 cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Voyage of Life: Youth, 1842 - Oil paint on canvas (134.3 cm x 194.9 cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington DC Cole's renowned four-part series traces the journey of an archetypal hero along the “Voyage of Life." Confidently assuming control of his destiny and oblivious to the dangers that await him, the voyager boldly strives to reach an aerial castle, emblematic of the daydreams of "Youth" and its aspirations for glory and fame. As the traveller approaches his goal, the ever-more-turbulent stream deviates from its course and relentlessly carries him toward the next picture in the series, where nature's fury, evil demons, and self-doubt will threaten his very existence. Only prayer, Cole suggests, can save the voyager from a dark and tragic fate.

From the innocence of childhood, to the flush of youthful overconfidence, through the trials and tribulations of middle age, to the hero's triumphant salvation, The Voyage of Life seems intrinsically linked to the Christian doctrine of death and resurrection. Cole's intrepid voyager also may be read as a personification of America, itself at an adolescent stage of development. The artist may have been issuing a dire warning to those caught up in the feverish quest for Manifest Destiny that unbridled westward expansion and industrialization would have tragic consequences for both man and nature.

The second painting, Youth, shows the same rich, green landscape, but here the view widens as does the voyager's experience. Now the youth grabs the tiller firmly as the angel watches and waves from the shore, allowing him to take control. The boy's enthusiasm and energy is evident in his forward-thrusting pose and billowing clothes. In the distance, a ghostly castle hovers in the sky, a white and shimmering beacon that represents the ambitus and dreams of man.

Childhood The Voyage of Life: Youth (right) shows the second part to the series of four paintings Thomas Cole also created (left). As you can see the Youth painting is the brightest and most colourful, including rich yellows and reds as well as pure Manhood white on the angels dress and highlights on the temples mirage.

Old Age

The sun isn’t clearly depicted in this painting, yet, I chose this because the temple in the background is an effect of the sun. This mirage is created by the hot sun making an illusion in your mind, the temple in the background is shown to be almost transparent with a visible spherical shield around the top. Furthermore, the building in the background is depicted as the sun itself, due to the bright colours used to paint it, yet, the viewers are drawn to it just like when a bright sun is painted in any other artwork.

Edward Hopper, 1882-1967 Edward Hopper is widely acknowledged as the most important realist painter of twentieth-century America.

But his vision of reality was a selective one, reflecting his own temperament in the empty cityscapes, landscapes, and isolated figures he chose to paint. Hopper’s work demonstrates that realism is not merely a literal or photographic copying of what we see, but an interpretive rendering.

Hopper’s enduring popularity stems from his ability to stage scenes from everyday life in a way which also addresses universal concerns. His contemplative studies of modern life, captured within the stark interiors of automats, motel rooms, diners and movie theatres have a timeless quality, transcending the hour and the place to become profound statements about the human condition.

Hopper believed that the artist's goal was to reveal the truth about the everyday and the interior life of ordinary people. His paintings are flooded with penetrating beams of sun or moonlight which expose isolated figures in sparsely furnished rooms, portraits of aloneness, absorbed in themselves and detached from their world.

Rooms by the sea, 1951 - Oil on canvas (73 cm x 102 cm) Private Collection

Chop Suey, 1929 - Oil on canvas (81 cm x 96.5 cm) Private Collection

Ground Swell, 1939 - Oil on canvas (92 cm Ă— 127 cm) Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio In Ground Swell, Hopper depicts a catboat occupied by four young men and a woman facing a growing swell. The artist made numerous studies of boats as a child growing up in Nyack, and his passion for seascapes and nautical subjects is noted throughout his oeuvre. Nevertheless, as with many of his works, this painting goes well beyond its role as seascape. Despite what looks to be a clear day, the dark shape of the bell buoy symbolizes impending doom as does the boat's dramatic dip to a nearly 45-degree angle. This painting was produced in Hopper's Cape Cod studio between August and September of 1939, as war was breaking out in Europe. There is some suggestion that it symbolically represents the loss of innocence in the face of an uncertain, ominous future.

Edward Hopper’s lifelong enthusiasm for the sea developed when he was a boy in Nyack, New York, then a prosperous Hudson River port with an active shipyard. Years later, in 1934, he and his wife built a house and studio in South Truro, Massachusetts, where he produced a number of oil paintings and watercolours manifesting his avid interest in nautical subjects.

Despite its bright palette and seemingly serene subject, Ground Swell echoes the themes of loneliness and escape typical of Hopper's oeuvre. The blue sky, sun-kissed figures, and vast rolling water strike a calm note in the picture; however, the visible disengagement of the figures from each other and their noticeable preoccupation with the bell buoy placed at the centre of the canvas call into question this initial sense of serenity.

The lone dark element in a sea of blues and whites, the buoy confronts the small catboat in the middle of an otherwise empty seascape. Its purpose, to emit a warning sound in advance of unseen or imminent danger, renders its presence in the picture ominous. The cirrus clouds in the blue sky—often harbingers of approaching storms—reinforce this sense of disturbance in the otherwise peaceful setting. Although Hopper resisted offering explanations of his paintings, the signs of impending danger here may also reference a more severe disturbance.

A ground swell is often caused by a far-off storm felt even under clear skies - causing a buoy to ring even when there's no danger. The idea of threat in an idyllic setting has crucial precedents. In a work painted around 1639 by French classicist Nicolas Poussin, shepherds come across a tomb whose inscription -- "I too once lived in Arcadia" -- brings death into their idyll. Hopper's woman and his three halfnaked men echo Poussin's rapt figures.

The bright blues and pale whites unifies to create a typical sunny day scene. Although the sun is not visible in the painting, the vibrant sky is filled with the natural light of the sun leaving no shadows of the boat or figures in the artwork. The use of light shades of colour opens the painting out to the viewers can see across the canvas clearly, as the only dark colours in this painting are the buoy, one of the figures garments and the distant sea line.

Intension Finally after exploring various paintings that link with my theme of The Sun, my intensions are to create a design of an exhibition where these artworks will be displayed. For this visual exhibition, I will create my own leaflet, ticket stub and digital poster.

Throughout this process I will be showing the step by step procedure of how I’ve come up with ideas and how I have further developed them onto my final piece. With the theme of The Sun carried throughout my process I will try and incorporate elements of the sun including; sunsets, sunrises, natural lighting and objects linking the sun. Overall, I would like to achieve a unique, realistic exhibition design, poster, leaflet and ticket stub which will look professional and links perfectly with my theme of The Sun.

Font Styles

Exploring different title names which link to the sun as well as inspiration of fonts from posters and book covers. I’ve come across many French exhibitions and thought to use a word reflecting to the sun in French as my title, which Is where I came across ‘Boule de feu’ (fireball). Using this title, I have collected many styles that aren’t just plain black writing but styles I’ve manipulated in photoshop to create unique fonts interpreting elements of various paintings I will use in my exhibition, masked within the font itself. As you can see below are my demonstration of findings and ideas gathered to create an unusual, yet unique, font design.

Boule de feu

Boule de feu

Boule de feu

Final Font Styles

On the previous page, I have shown the title of my exhibition, ‘Boule De Feu’, in various style fonts which I’ve created a few on photoshop to help me understand which fonts work well, in the theme of the sun, for my exhibition poster, leaflet guide and ticket stubs. From all these styles, below, I’ve brought forward four of my favourite which I will narrow down to my final chosen font.

This font style can be seen as traditional from the joint up writing.

Here is a font which is simple yet bold and would work effectively over This is very unusual and unique for a title of an exhibition because an image, as the ‘de’ part is translucent making the outline only visible some of the font is faded, which I thought linked to my theme as the and the other words will stay black. This style is unique and would only sun/light can fade colour over time. work well on an image small enough for the ‘de’ to fit into.

Above is a photoshop designed font which I’ve created by using clipping masks. This font shows the image underneath the writing. However the image isn’t very clear to see behind the text. Although, the font stands out more than the rest on this page as the letters are spread apart and clearly writing, which will help attract people to look at the poster advertisement as its clear for the viewers to quickly read if they are driving or on the bus.

Chosen Font Style

This fourth style of font is another photoshop design which I tried whilst testing different techniques for poster ideas. I changed the opacity of the text to 75% as it shows an image of the background painting behind the title, however, you can still see the title. This effect reminds me when you put sunglasses on as the vision is slightly darker the without the sunglasses on. Therefore, linking to my theme.

I’ve chosen, from these four font styles above, the first design which I was able to create in photoshop. When finishing my final poster design I came back to this page to try out each font to see which would work best. From this, this chosen font worked perfectly as the ‘de’ fitted just right over a figure in the poster. The way one word is different to the others makes viewers see this poster because they know it’s different to others.

Poster Research

On this page is a variety of posters I’ve gathered from various exhibitions and film poster which I will use for inspiration on my own poster. I’ve looked into a few film posters as they show better skill in which they use to create the final outcome unlike exhibition posters, which are simple and sometimes a little boring.

Existing Poster Analysis Here is a film poster I’ve come across from out side the cinema, on advertisement. The two main figures are back to back with the city below in the background. Both figures disperse below the chest into the city below which fades off on either side of the poster. There is a spotlight behind the figures which make the main focus of the poster pop out.

The title, ‘Looper’, is bigger than all the other information on the page which is clear to the audience what the film is called. The way the bottom of the poster is a block colour helps the information about the film not get lost. The use of creating a light behind the title links the title to the image above which unifies the whole poster.

At the top of the film poster is a quote that links to the film and sums it up in a few words so the audience can have a brief understanding of what the film could be about. The font is the same constant font as the rest on the page. This helps the readers to see all the information easily without getting confused.

Here is where the important information would be for an exhibition poster, with the date, time, address, contact details and prices. The films details are smaller than the other text on the poster so the audience won’t get lost in finding the title and release date, which are the most important information on this poster advertismnet.

Existing Poster Analysis Another example I’ve come across is also a film poster with a similar dispersion effect. There are three figures that are located centre of the poster with the main figure slightly bigger than the rest who disperses into crows behind them which carries off into the distance.

This is a unique dispersion effect with multiple size crows which makes the effect look realistic. I will defiantly be carrying over this idea onto my own poster designs.

The title is white unlike the dark busy background which helps make the title stand out. The words ‘Snow White’ are much big than The ‘Huntsman’ which suggests that Snow White is the main focus in this film. The placement of the title is also perfect, as the image isn’t blocked completely, you audience can still see the figures and what the film might be about.

In the background, there is a battle commencing between two armies the viewers don’t know, which creates an effect of the audience wanting to know more.

A bright yellow light reaches through the middle of the figures perhaps depicting a happy ending to the battle which is happening in the background. This is because yellow light links to the sun and I believe sunlight is a happy element in life.

The information, just like the poster on the previous page, is shown smaller than the title which helps make the audience read the title easier. The font, however, is a little too small, therefore, will make sure that I will make the text on my poster readable, even if the viewers are moving in a transport.

Poster Design On Photoshop, I started to explore and test multiple ideas to create something linking to my theme, the sun. From experimenting various techniques on Photoshop, I came up with a sun shaped image that I developed further with colour and sizes until I came up with final shape on the right. I dispersed out the ends all the way along to show the light forming off the sun and multiplied the outcome a few times on one page. I left this poster design as it was, on the right, because I knew I could go further with exploration and create another design, perhaps more effective to my theme of the sun.

Step 1

By creating this sun pattern, in photoshop, I started off with a black background on a square shaped canvas. Using the ruler lines, I worked out the centre of the page therefore my sun pattern would be an equal circle.

Then to make the base shape for the sun, with the eclipse tool, I clicked and dragged the eclipse tool to the right size I wanted for the base shape.

Step 2

Once I was satisfied with the size of the circle made from the eclipse tool, I went on to chose the correct gradient and colour needed to create a similar design to the suns. I started off with a very pale yellow for the centre and into a vibrant red by flowing into an orange in-between.

Step 3

Then I dragged the chosen gradient style and colour across the horizontal ruler line from the centre to the circles circumference line, which is how far I wanted it to go. You can drag the line further or make it shorter depending on the size of the circles gradient shape.

Step 4 includes the finished shape of the gradient from the above steps. Now, I wanted to go further to produce something unique by playing around with different effects. For example, here I chose filter, stylize then extrude which caused the circle to form multiple spikes in a 3d design (see next step).

Step 4

Step 5 From creating this funky sun pattern, I still wanted to mess around with other styles and filters I could use to explore and develop this pattern. I clicked again on filter, however, this time I chose distort then onto wave. This gave the spikes on the sun to turn wavy as you can see below.

Step 6

After exploring different effects and filters on photoshop, this was the finished design.

Moreover, I looked back to my existing poster analysis to see what I could use on this poster as inspiration. Consequently, I began to use the dispersion effect along the outside rim around the pattern which made the designs look like the sun was producing sunrays.

Finally, all that was left was to put this photoshop outcome into a poster background.

Poster Development Before creating another poster, I wanted to develop some ideas from book covers which I’ve come across in bookshops and online. Many of these covers below incorporate bright colours, unique font styles linking to the books theme as well as image element also linking to what the book is about. This is a great idea of showing the viewer what the book is about before they pick it up and then will have to read the blurb. I am wanting to create the same effect with my poster so viewers can see the theme rather then searching up what the exhibition is about. more

Looking through covers from ‘The Shining’ by Stephen King to ‘Twenty Thousands Leagues Under The Sea’ by Jules Verne I’ve gathered inspiration to create my final poster design. From ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ I’ve decided to take images of items linking to my theme of the sun. These book covers above show both bright colours, which catches the viewers eyes, and realist imagery which brings the book to life.

Poster Development

Moving on from collecting inspiration off of book covers, I’ve taken photos of umbrellas and parasols to create a mood board of images I could use and experiment with as a background for my poster.

These four images below show a few variations of table parasols which I’ve managed to capture and experiment for backgrounds for my final poster design.

These aren’t bright or colourful enough to be used as my background, therefore, I have taken more images of other kinds of parasols and umbrella’s.

Below is a white parasol I found in a charity shop which perfectly reflects a sunny day to me. I’ve shown three different angles of this parasol which will help me identify which angle would be best as a background. I do like the white, pure background of the parasol, however, it might look a bit lost as my final poster background.

Finally, these two flower themed umbrella’s caught my eye immediately which inspired me to test as a poster background by sorting out the contrast of the overall image, as well as cropping it in different areas. I have finally come to a conclusion with these background ideas, therefore, I will be using the top right image as my poster background, however, I will be changing the opacity of the whole image to the writing and overlapping image can be clear to see.

Final Poster Design Here is my final poster design which I have put together using a mixture of photoshop for the dispersion and my own imagery for the background.

This entire poster design has worked better than expected and I’m truly happy with the outcome. The bright pink colours and vibrant flowers in the background link to my theme of the sun, due to the fact that they link in with summer and summer is when the sun is out. Using a painting by Monet, Woman with a Parasol, I took the main figure of that painting and created a dispersion effect just link the two existing posters I analysed.

I have carried through the font from the first stages of development which I explored various font styles and experimented with different ways of using that font (as you can see on the next few pages) to create a perfect outcome of a poster design.

Painting a few strokes with watercolours in various pink tones, which I manipulated into a final logo deign by scanning in the painted design, then creating a white border around the galleries name in the centre. This logo is also bright and links to the sun as it’s a summer colour you see in flowers and summer styled clothing.

Firstly, to make my final poster design, I inserted the image into photoshop, then cut out the woman figure using the magic wand tool. Once I was happy with the selection, I copied via cut onto a new layer.

Above is my final dispersion figure which I will then go on to add a background, a title and information about the exhibition event.

Secondly, I duplicated the cut out layer and warped the image to fill the spaces where I was planning to disperse. After I was okay with the size, I created a clipping mask on both the warped image and the original cut out image. Filling the warped layer in black, which makes the image disappear, I selected a round paintbrush tool and start to mess around with the effects of the brush. Spacing out the brush and multiplying how many there are creates a splatter effect which I then used to add and reduce on each layer to create the overall dispersion effect.

Poster Development

From finishing the dispersion effect on the figure from Monet’s painting, I went onto developing various background designs as you can see below.

On either side here, is a spherical gradient using blue and yellow, representing the sun, which I then added the title from my chosen font styles at the beginning of my development. Changing the font colour of ‘Boule’ and ‘feu’ to black, then I altered the opacity to about 75%. Moving on, I experimented with both colours of the font for ‘de’ which you can see on the left, I chose yellow (like the background) and on the right, I chose white. Both of these font colours look appealing to the eye, however, the yellow one looks as if the font is transparent show the yellow, sun coloured background to come through the figure. I will experiment further with different backgrounds, but, I will be carrying forwards the transparent ‘de’ style font.

On the bottom left, I have taken an image I located from the internet and placed it behind the dispersion image. Then by changing the opacity I made the background look faded, this allows the main focus, of the dispersion figure, to be clear and not get mixed up with the background.

Lastly, I inserted my own image from the previous page, of an umbrella. After changing the opacity and positioning the image in the right place I found the perfect background and final design for my poster. All I needed to do was add the information and title with the transparent ‘de’ lettering.

Existing Leaflet Analysis On the next couple of pages, are a variety of existing leaflets I’ve collected from various events/exhibitions that I will use for ideas in creating my leaflet. Both designs have their own unique theme and layout, including floor plans, artworks on display, with information, and general details about the exhibition/gallery.

To the left are the front and back pages which are very simple with not a lot of detail around, which is something I don’t want in my leaflet because this will make the audience not want to pick it up and read it. However, the exhibition map is on the back page which helps the visitor easily find it and look for where they are/where they want to go. This leaflet has used the poster as its front page which is an idea I will like to take forward as it unifies all the elements including the poster, leaflet and ticket stubs.

These two pages, on the left, show a brief description of what is in each room, including facts about the artist and the painting. This is a good idea to give the visitors a brief description of what they are looking at so they can see the artwork clearer and understand why the artist has created these wonderful paintings.

Above, on the right, shows the back two pages in this leaflet for the Tate Britain, which consists of an upcoming event poster. On the left page depicts the supporters that the gallery is thanking as well as more information about the gallery, membership for the Tate Britain and contact details. I will be adding an upcoming poster which is a good idea to persuade the visitors to come again.

Existing Leaflet Analysis Here is another leaflet design, which also uses the poster as the front cover. This design is unusual how it opens yet simple and clear. Each page is unified and corresponding to the other pages around, as they all share the same size font, font style and a similar layout. On the back page shows the supporters at the bottom and gallery information that is necessary for the visitors.

The use of including images of what the viewers can expect in the exhibition is a good idea as it gives them a taster of the full artwork.

On the left is the inside pages, when the leaflet is fully open. A few artworks are displayed bigger than some, perhaps to show importance, and lots of description information about the paintings and their artists.

This is a well put together leaflet, however, there is not map of the exhibition gallery or direction information for the visitors to get there. Therefore, I will be adding these missing elements to my design which will help visitors both around the exhibition and to the location of the exhibition.

Final Leaflet Design These next two pages show a few pages from my final leaflet design. From looking over several existing leaflets, I’ve

gathered idea’s including; using my final poster as the front cover, unifying each page so they flow easily and include an exhibition map within the leaflet.

These pages below show the first five pages depicting the front cover, contents page, about the gallery and two pages showing the paintings and then the next one displaying the information about the paintings on the previous page. I used the background image, from my poster, throughout the entire leaflet to keep it flowing. Adding a content page was important to me so when a visitor opens up the leaflet they know what is on each page and where the exhibition map is.

Page 4 and 5 show an example of what all the pages until page 19 include. Each of these pages are similar yet they show each paintings and a brief description of these artworks.

Final Leaflet Design Below are the last four pages, showing; the exhibition map, plan your visit page, other information page and finally a upcoming event poster. I wanted to incorporate an exhibition map so visitors know where to go to find each painting, and the same with the plan your visit page, to help the visitors know where to go and how much it will cost them.

Including a supporter page brings the overall effect of the leaflet very high, as the poster and membership guide helps to build this realistic effect.

Existing Ticket Analysis

Here are a couple of existing posters I’ve collected over the years from festivals and museums. I will be analysing each one to help identify key elements and design features I can take forward onto my own ticket design.

To begin with, is a Leeds Festival ticket from 2009 which shows the event title in bold for the viewers to see easily as well as the date which this ticket is valid for. All information that is important for the event is stated on the ticket, including; date, time, where, price of ticket, and a barcode for scanning. For my ticket design, I will carry forward the layout and detailing of information, however, I don’t want my ticket to be busy with writing like this ticket below.

My next ticket design is from the Van Gogh Museum which shows a related image (of Van Gogh’s self-portrait) which isn’t too big that it distracts the viewer from the main information down below. The logo is clearly shown in the top right hand corner with the barcode at the very bottom of the ticket, leaving all the information unified in the centre, clear for the viewers to read. I will be linking my poster and leaflet design to my ticket by including a related image like Van Gogh’s as well as all the necessary information.

Final Ticket Design From looking at existing ticket stubs on the previous page, I have been able to come up with a final design for my own ticket that I will use for my exhibition event. Taking my final poster design and sectioning off the bottom to be a plain version of the posters background keeps the ticket flowing down, unlike the Van Gogh Museum ticket where it has the image then it’s suddenly plain white with the writing on top.

I enlarged my logo onto the top of the ticket, so it is clear to the visitor which gallery this is. Including a barcode adds to the realistic effect and makes the overall ticket look like an actual ticket stub.

I wanted to add as much information on this ticket, but not too much that it would look busy. For instance, I included the date, time, ticket price as well as the website address on the left edge which is clear and include all the necessary information needed on a ticket.

Entrance Ticket Date: 22/04/17 – 28/04/17 Time: 10am – 5pm Ticket Price: £15 Fine Art Members: Free Single entry, valid for 1 person

Art Exhibition Analysis

On the next two pages are two exhibition galleries I’ve been to and taken photo’s of their interior. These galleries include; the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I will be analysing both gallery layouts and colour schemes to help with ideas for my very design and colour of my own exhibition which I will create.

In the top right corner is one view from the Nation Gallery of Art, in Washington DC, which has a big open space for visitors to walk around and see all the artworks on display. The contrast of the dark floors and the white ceiling help to make the paintings and artworks to standout from the pastel green background. Each work of art is hung at average human height for the visitors to clearly to the painting without climbing higher or kneeling down.

There are seats dotted around the room for the visitors to sit and look into the paintings more deeply and thoughtfully. Adding seats/benches into a big open space also helps take up some room so it doesn’t seem so big.

National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Another view of the galleries interior shows a smaller room which again shows the contrast of dark flooring to the lighter grey walls. The space is smaller yet still open for people to wonder abound freely. Although this room doesn’t have any seats, there is a sculpture centrally position so the visitors can walk around and see this artwork in the round.

Art Exhibition Analysis Here is the Van Gogh Museum which I’ve shown in two different rooms of the Gallery. The top right image shows three artworks spaced equally on a dark grey wall. Because the paintings are bright and painted with light colours, they stand out from the wall. I won’t be using dark wall in my 3D design for my exhibition, due to the fact I don’t want the paintings to be lost in the background.

The lighting isn’t all natural as you can see the spotlight glow around these paintings, which isn’t something I would like either in my exhibition be the lighting give off false colours and light on the paintings. Therefore, I will be adding as many windows as I can to help the natural light to get through into the rooms.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Going through into another room of the Van Gogh Museum is this open spaced room, with the small dark walls as the room above. The back, main wall is filled with a part of Van Gogh’s self-portrait which brightens the dark room up as well as the spotlights that are reflected off the back wall. Unusual seats/benches are layed out evenly in the room for people to sit and reflect the works of art around them.

Final Exhibition Design

After looking at existing art galleries, I’ve create my very own exhibition using my computer to create this 3D design.

On the left is the front view of my gallery, which shows two posts, on either side of the door, that displays my final poster design.

The façade of this entire building ahs been inspired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The sandy toned bricks remind me of the beach which links to my theme of the sun.

To the right is the first view of the interior of my gallery design which is an open space, which contains a centrally position fountain, similar to the one in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. The lighting from either side of the hallways to the rooms show a beautiful natural light which attracts the visitors to walk towards these hallways.

Above, is another outside view of my exhibition, which is further away then the first image. This shows the view leading up to the front doors of the exhibition that attracts people inside.

The entire façade of this building is appealing to the eye which brings people walking past the erg to walking inside.

Final Exhibition Design On the left is a view from behind the information desk, where you can see the entrance and the hallways where the natural light shines through.

On the right is room 2, which depicts both Claude Monet's and Claude Lorrain's artwork which is similar to room 1. Each room includes the same seating throughout to keep the entire gallery unified.

The light flooring and the pale walls help make the paintings stand out from the wall they are mounted upon.

Above, shows the first room of the gallery. In this room hangs William Turner’s and Edvard Munch’s paintings, which are equally positioned on the wall, as well as hung at the perfect height for all sized humans to see the artworks easily without climbing high or going lower. The pale blue and white seats keeps the room neutral, leading the visitors eyes to the paintings on the way and not any of the furniture in the room.

Final Exhibition Design Moving onto room 3, which is where Albert Bierstadt’s and Frederic Edwin Church’s paintings are shown.

Again, this room is similar to that of room 1, 2 and 4 which unifies the entire building and puts the emphasis on the paintings instead of any furniture or decoration.

To the right is a view of both room 3 and 4 which includes the natural lit hallway from the skyline on the ceiling.

All rooms include two archways into each room to keep a natural flow of visitors to walk around without getting stuck with the flow of people.

Finally, above depicts Edward Hopper’s and Thomas Cole’s artworks in room 4. This last room is exactly the same as all the other rooms in the building, which again puts emphasis on the paintings and not the interior decoration.

These seats are for visitors to sit and relax while they can look deeper into the paintings.