Activity #5

Martin Johnson Heade
Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth, c. 1890
Gift of The Circle of the National Gallery of Art in Commemoration of its 10th Anniversary
1996.14.1




Martin Johnson Heade
Rio de Janeiro Bay, 1864
Gift of the Avalon Foundation
1965.2.1







In two of Martin Heade Johnson's paintings, Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth, c. 1890 and Rio de Janeiro Bay, 1864, he used the two different themes to create these works of art.

In Giant Magnolias, M.H. Johnson used the art and art theme in this paintings(76). He painted this to be visually appealing to the eye/mind. He uses white to emphasize(134) the magnolias in the picture, thereby making them the focal point, or the figure in the painting . Color plays a significant role in this painting by using chiaroscuro (92), or the technique of using values to record light and shadow creating a 3d effect. Emphasis also plays a significant role in this painting because the hues used in this picture only allow the magnolias to be the main point of the painting. Thus in effect, you only notice the magnolias at first and if not for the light cast on to the velvet, you might have missed it.

In Rio de Janiero bay , the theme that is used is art and nature(74), where art is used to portray nature or the environment of the natural world. This painting gives uses contour(83) lines on the clouds which are heading west . Following the invisible line you can see the warmth of the sun, but not the sun itself. Heade uses white again in this painting to emphasize(134) the waves on the beach and the cloud in the sky which gives you the feeling of looking at a photograph that you might have taken yourself. The painting makes the viewer feel as though they are at the beach taking in this sunset/sunrise. In this painting though Heade doesn't, in my opinion have a focal point, the focal point , it seems is the painting it self because your eyes aren't drawn to one thing in the painting. As you look at one thing in the painting, your eyes notice another. I think that both of these paintings do incorporate nature in there paintings, but Heade used different themes to portray them.