Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Feast Your Eyes on This!


In class on Friday we will discuss how to use small but significant clues to sneak your way into a painting. Please peruse the painting below and respond to the questions that follow it.

Important notes:
  • Please do NOT Google this painting or use any other outside help; I only want to know what this class makes of the painting.  
  • Also, be sure to read others' responses before you post your own and include whether you agree or disagree with some of their interpretations.


1. Which part of the painting is your eye drawn to first?  Why do you think this is?

2. As you let your eyes wander all over the painting (up to down, left to right, corner to corner), which details of the painting do you have questions about?  In other words, if you could ask the artist one question about a specific detail in this painting, what would it be?  Post that question here.

3.  Let your mind attempt to draw together the details and make sense of the painting as a whole.  What do you think this painting is trying to convey to us?  Defend your thinking.

Please remember to proofread your answers carefully before posting.  Your response should reflect your professionalism.

48 comments:

  1. 1.The man plowing, because he is the just standing there and is the part of the picture that stands out the most.
    2.I would ask him why there is a castle in that big rock.
    3.I think the picture is depicting a coastal village during the middle ages.

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  2. 1. My eye is drawn to the man plowing because hes in the middle of the painting and he is wearing bright colors.
    2. I would ask him why there is a man plowing then boats in the background. It seems kind of random to be.
    3. I think this painting is trying to show us how things were back when thee wasn't machinery to do our chores like plowing or getting to and from.

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    1. I now understand that this is a painting that is representing Icarus's fall to his death

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  3. 1) The first thing I notice when looking at the painting is the person pushing the horse and carriage. This person is in the front and wears a distinct color which therefor makes the person pop.

    2) The question I would ask the artist would be, Is this a painting of a real life specific location, or a made up location of the artists imagination? Also, what made the artist choose this real or made up location?

    3) I think the artist of the painting is trying to show us a special location to him. Maybe it's the place he grew up in or the location of where he lived at the time of the painting. It could also be a place of his fantasies, what the artist pictures as his perfect location.

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  4. 1. The first thing my eye drifted to was the ship in the ocean. I'm not quite sure why my eye went that way, but maybe it was because of the weird shape that the shapes make.
    2. The only thing I have question about in the painting is; what the heck is the guy in the bottom right hand corner doing bending down? He looks just so strange it kind of bugs me.
    3. When I looked at the painting it seemed to be very boring. There is a guy plowing the ground there's a man leaning on a stick looking up at the sky, and there's also that strange guy bending down in the bottom of the picture, but the sun is rising just over the ocean. The sun seems to me to be the sign of a new beginning something new and something exciting. Just like the city in the sunlight it seems to be the coolest thing in the picture and I think that's what the picture depicts

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    1. Now that I know that it is called the fall of Icarus the only thing that i now understand is the castle cavern thing in the water is the labyrinth where the King locked up Daedelus and Icarus

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  5. 1. The fist thing my eye drifted to first was the woman with the horse who looked hard looking. I think it set the mood of the painting, because there are several people who seem to be working and being productive. It kind of sets the mood of the pioneer times or something like that.

    2. If I could ask the artist any question, it would be why choose the setting that you did? What is the point of the setting? I'm not really sure what he is trying to convey, because it just doesn't seem like it's very clear right now.

    3. Well first off, I do not think that this is taking place in America, in this time period because of some small details in it, such as the clothes and ships. I do think that the artist is trying to get across how you had to work for things back then like food, and such. maybe he's trying to call today's people lazy? Just a thought...

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    1. I still din't understand it. What does this have to do with the myth?

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  6. 1. The man plowing definitely grabs your attention first. I believe the reasoning behind this is the clarity and detailedness in this section. It is the closest thing from the painter's point of view and it gives a more personal feeling than the distant objects (ships, boulders, and buildings). I agree with everyone who had my same opinion and I can see how Zach may have seen the ship first.

    2. If I could ask the artist anything I would have four questions for him. I would want to know if it symbolizes something, where is the setting, At what time of day does the sky look like this (sunset or sunrise), and why he chose this setting. I also like Joey's question about whether this is a real life setting.

    3. I interpreted this painting as a way a symbolical image of the business in our world. For example, it seems at sunrise that everybody is up and ready to work. Ships are sailing, a man is plowing, and a shepherd is herding sheep. The artist either wanted the world to slow down, or to encourage people to work diligently. I understand Zach's interpretation as well as Joey's interpretation. Kailyn has a similar response to my own.

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  7. 1.The first thing that grabs my attention would be the man plowing. Mostly because he is in the middle, one of the biggest things there in that picture with a lot of detail.

    2.I would ask the artist where he thought up this idea and if it symbolizes anything for him.

    3. I think the picture is conveying like a special place for him or he is showing like how people worked when America was first formed/ his interpretation of how America first looked.

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  8. 1. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the city looking area in the top left corner of the painting because you can see pillars.

    2. I would ask the painter what is the significance of the person plowing because it is the biggest portion of the painting.

    3. I think the painting is of an old time place and it is showing how it looked and the peoples activities back in that day the painting was referenced to.

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  9. 1.The first thing that grabs my attention is definitely the ship off to the right. It grabbed my attention because its the only ship in the cove. The ship also has big sails and is surrounded by brighter colors.

    2. I would ask the author of this painting if this is a special place to him and if not why did he paint it.

    3.I believe that the painting conveys us of the dark ages. There looks to be an old kingdom in the background and the ship that caught my attention is very old.

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  10. 1. The part of the painting that my eyes are drawn to first is the ocean because it is the most centered item in the painting and it has many dramatic colors that grab my eye.

    2. If I could ask the artist of this painting a question I would ask the specific location if there was one and what he is trying to express in his painting. Painting is similar to music because they are both ways to express your feelings and I thought it would be interesting to know what the artists thoughts were while painting the picture.

    3. I think the painting is conveying how life looked many years ago and how different society looked even in a painting.

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    1. How could this painting be related to Icarus?
      How is anything in the painting similar to Icarus?

      Delete
  11. 1. The first thing that grabs my attention would have to be the man plowing because he's right in the middle picture and he's wearing bright colors.
    2. I would ask the artist if there are 2 different towns/ villages in the back round and what all of the ships are for.
    3. I think the picture is showing some where that's close to him. Maybe his family lived there or he grew up there.

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    1. At the bottom left corner there is Icarus drowning and you can see the feathers everywhere. He fell from the sky.

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  12. My eyes where drawn to the lady in the orange shit. This is because the shit is a bright color and that is the largest object in the entire painting. I would want to ask the artist about the random leg in the water. I think this picture is showing how The city in the back is different than the farms in the country side.

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    1. I have now found out that the random leg is icarus drowning

      Delete
  13. 1. What drew me in from the painting was the ocean and the massive ship on the ocean.

    2. Why is there somebody's legs in the ocean and what was his idea of coming up with this painting?

    3. I think the painting is conveying how the world is expanding their horizons in the new world back then.

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  14. 1. The first thing that grabs my attention is the man plowing. I think this is because he is wearing bright and contrasting colors (orange and light green) and is the closest object in the "reader's" perspective.

    2. The question I have for the artist is, is this a real-life depiction or is it strictly the artist's imagination? There is also a lot of mountains and a large city in the background. What period of time is this? Middle ages?

    3. I think that the artist is just depicting what life was like at this period of time. People would fend for themselves and work diligently. The city and the bright sun in the background also represents new beginnings and changes.

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  15. 1. The guy with the sword plowing draws my attention first. I think this because he is in the middle of the painting wearing a bright red shirt.

    2. The question I have for the artist is why are there somebody's legs coming out of the water?

    3. I think this painting is trying to show us what is was like on an island in the middle ages and how its different than today.

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  16. 1. The person plowing draws my attention first. I think it's because he is in bright colors and in the middle of the painting.
    2. I would ask the artist if their was any significance of all the boats sailing out to sea.
    3. I think this painting is trying to portray a small costal town and their ways of life.

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  17. 1. The part in the picture my eye was drawn to first were the boats, especially the large, detailed boat in the front. They seemed kind of random, almost like they didn't belong in the picture.

    2. If I could ask the artist one question about their painting, it would be why is their a person in the water with their legs sticking up?

    3. I think the artist of the painting is trying to show a place that they liked or that was special to them. They showed the mountains, farmland, the sea, and boats, as a peaceful place to be.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I now understand why there is a pair of legs randomly sticking out of the water. These legs were placed in the painting to show Icarus falling to his death and drowning.

      Delete
  18. 1. My eye went straight to the man and his horse. I think my eye went straight to the man because he is right in the middle and he is pretty big.
    2. I would ask why he chose this setting for his painting and how this painting effected him personally.
    3. I think this painting represents a small village near the sea, but I think it has a deeper meaning. I think it is suppose to show the differences between the land and sea. At this time I think men liked to go out to the sea and travel. So I think he chose the colors specifically for land and sea. the land is more warm and darker colors, while the water is all cool light colors. To me the sea looked more interesting compared to the land because of the colors. I think maybe the artist wanted to go out to sea and not to stay on land.

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    1. In the corner near the big ship, there are two legs flying around and it looks like someone has just feel down from the sky. It was hard to find because it was so small.

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  19. 1)The part of the painting that my eye was drawn to at first was the sun. This is what set the mood of the painting. It stuck out because it was the light in the darkness. I can also see how most people, such as Jack H, thought that the man plowing stuck out the most. I can agree because the man and his horse are very large and in the front of the painting.
    2)If I could ask the artist of this painting one question about a small detail, I would ask why the skin of the man plowing is light up top and dark on bottom.
    3)I think that this painting is trying to convey the theory of "Social Darwinism", also known as the survival of the fittest. The man in the painting is working from the start of sunrise or till sun down, while the other people are playing. The man working is at the top while the others playing are at the bottom. I also agree with Zach's opinion on the painting. The sunrise could very well mean the start of a new beginning.

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    1. Now that I know the story is called the fall of Icarus I know why the person is drowning with feathers around himself. That is Icarus who just fell from the sky while escaping from the labyrinth that is in the ocean.

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  20. The first thing my eyes are drawn to is the bright line of horizon in the painting. I believe this is so because it is quite large and brighter than most of the painting.
    The first question I would ask would be why there seems to be a person drowning in the lower right hand side of the painting.
    I think the painting is portraying the idea of the grass is always greener. The horizon is beautiful and bright while closer to the shore, the painting becomes darker and the labor becomes harder. The man on land plowing is exerting himself to do so, while the people in the water seem to be playing and carefree. The rocks and distant cities resemble those of myth with the bright colors and castle like construction, implying that the top and top left of the painting are more pleasant than the bottom of the work.

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    1. With my new understanding of the painting, the man drowning in the water makes much more sense! I still feel like without the knowledge of the title, I would have said it resembles the "grass is always greener," because even with the knowledge, sometimes its tough to not fly to close, or the water looks nicer than the sun or the air.

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  21. 1) The first thing that catches my eye is the man standing right in front of the painting because he is wearing bright colors and takes up a decent amount of the picture. He seems to be plowing a field for farming, and I wonder why the artist showed this next to such a beautiful ocean landscape.

    2) The question I have for the author is what time period this is? What message is he trying to send through the setting of the photo? Why is a farmer right next to the ocean?

    3) I think the setting of the photo is somewhere special to the author or a place that reminds him of something special. I also think the artist might have a special place in his heart for farming or people who work hard.

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  22. 1. My attention when first looking at the painting is directly drawn to the farmer in the center of the painting. The reason that is is because he is wearing a bright pastel color when the rest of the colors in the painting are more neutral.
    2. What was the author’s motivation to paint the person with their legs splashing above the water? Is it supposed to mean they are drowning, if so, why?
    3. I believe that this painting is simply capturing a scene from the middle ages, I think that because there is a man plowing with only the help of a horse and there seems to be old ships sailing to a nearby city.

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  23. 1)The thing that my eyes were drawn to first was the rock/castle type thing in the water with the cave. It just looks like its not supposed to be there.
    2)If I could ask the artist one question, I'd ask him why there are so many ships and boats.
    3)I think the artist is trying to put into perspective how small the world is. In one corner you can see a city, next to it you can see some mountains. In the other corner you see some ice mountains or icebergs. Under that a little beach with a cabin type thing. And on the bottom a man plowing with an old plow.

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    1. Now I get why there is a man that fell into the water and is upside down.

      Delete
  24. 1. The person plowing, and I think that reason is because of the bright color he is wearing. Everything else is a shade of blue or brown, so the orange sticks out.

    2. A bit to the right of the plowing man, there is a Shepard looking up toward the sky. Why/what is he looking at?

    3. I believe he's showing different parts of the world. In the left there is a city, but on the right it looks like an Ice land. And there is a building on a small island on the water, it looks like it's a prison perhaps.

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    1. Know that I know what it's called, I just NOW saw the drowning person. I hadn't noticed it before. There's a set of legs and feathers around it.
      That makes sense now.

      Delete
  25. The First thing that grabs my eye would be the bright sun in the back because of its bright vibrant colors and how big it is. it has a special glow that makes it stand out.

    What I would ask the artist is why he would choose a horse an a wagon on the back with a person fallowing what does that mean is it a symbol of something?

    What I think the painting means is how life was when they had to fend for themselves and struggle at an everyday life because of how they had to get things done.

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    Replies
    1. the man in the water that is drowning is ikaros and the other man is his dad and hes reaching for him

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  26. 1. The man because he has a bright red shirt and all the other colors kind of blend together.
    2. Why is there a city in background?
    3. I think the painting is showing how many different aspects of life there are. Warm, cold, crowded, solitary, and many more.

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  27. 1. My eyes were drawn to the Shepard with his dog first because the light is focused on him.
    2. I would ask the painter what the Shepard is looking at and if it is is important to the painting.
    3. I think the painting is trying to show daily life in the medieval ages.

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    1. There are a pair of legs sticking out of the ocean, like someone just fell in. Everyone just goes about their day even though they saw him fall.

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  28. 1. The first thing that catches my eye in this painting is the mans red shirt. I think it stands out the most people it is the brightest color in the painting.

    2. If I could ask the artist one thing about the painting, I would ask why the man by the sheep is looking up and what is he looking at.

    3. I think the artist is trying to reveal a peaceful small town along the ocean.

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    1. The person falling in the background in the water is Igurus. He was up to high in the sky and it melted his wings cause him to fall to the ocean and drown.

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  29. 1. The first thing that my eye catches the man with the mule. The reason I think that he is the first thing I see is because the man is the main focus of the piece.

    2.The one question that I would ask the artist is why did he paint the legs coming out of the sea. What could be the point of drawing the person drowning.

    3.The story that I have come up with is that the story takes place in the country side. The lone farmer is plowing his field when all of a sudden a man falls out of his ship. The man fishing is trying to save the man that has fallen out of his boat while his dog watches.

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  30. 1. The thing that catches my eye would be the lake because it takes up most of the picture.

    2. Where is this taking place at?

    3. I think that the artist is trying to show a town from a long time ago. I believe this because you can see a town and a harbor in the background and the people seem like members of the town in the front working.

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    Replies
    1. There's a person drowning in the bottom left corner

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