Fine Arts Center analysis

Gramoll 1

Brian Gramoll

HUM Media

11 July 2013

To See Art

As human beings we struggle to find ways to express ourselves, and seems that the methods are all together different for each person. Some of us have the blessed gift being an outstanding athlete, for example a football players who express themselves in a violent manner, or artists that express themselves to the world through painting, singing, writing, or sculpting. Their form of express is an emotional and spiritual feeling that can convey different feelings for each individual that witness their art form. As a painter their feelings are conveyed on a canvas without the use of words, which leaves their work open to interpretation by the viewer. The best way to enjoy an artist work in a museum. For example, The Fine Arts Center in downtown Colorado Springs which is were the class had the opportunity to observe some amazing art work. One piece seemed to shine above the rest in the eyes of this student it was an untitled work by Bunnell. In this work of art the theories of John Berger are justified. The discussion of the representation of women in paintings, by the use of color and shade to confine women in a small space with a hide of a woman's innocents being observed by a man. As we look at the painting we can see the use of light to dark shading that seems to show a hall wall. In the background the colors are bright like the that a women is born into this world, which co-insides with too Berger quotes. “To be born a  woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.” The birth is in the shape of a dancing woman with innocents flowing from her hands surrounded by a dark frame or her confined space. The flowing energy from her hands is “the consecutive stages up to and away from the moment of total disclosure have been transcended.” The woman’s dancing motion shows her sexuality. To the right of the horizontal arm we see the observer in the back ground monitoring her movements or perhaps taking her innocents. As we imagine the woman moving closer to us we notice that the depicted space is becoming darker and grim. In the top right portion of the work 

Gramoll 2

we see two vertical lines of energy that represents her innocents moving upward in to darkness. The use shading from light to dark give us the feeling that this woman is forever changed. Her transformation is depicted complete on the left side of the painting in the form of a translucent body. This translucent body is the woman’s last moments of life all the while the observer monitored her entire existence. This work by Bunnell proves Berger’s claim that gender representation is ever present in the art world. It is amazing how each of us can look at a piece of work with a given set of guide lines, and see a story unfolding before our very eye which is the beauty of art.  

Bunnell, Untitled, 1936