Art VIsual Analysis Paper
Nick Mamedes
Art History, ART 1112
Visual Analysis Paper
February 16, 2015
Dr. Bock
Analysis, Praise and Critique
Henry Flagler, Self Portrait
I work at The Breakers hotel in West Palm, and have had the pleasure of seeing various works of art on the daily basis. I chose to analyze a self-portrait of a man named Henry Flagler. This painting is located on the south side of the hotel, and has a great amount of historical significance. Henry Flagler founded The Breakers and is very well known in West Palm, not only for his advancements in the oil industry and railroad lines, but for his famous hotel by the ocean-side.
The painting incorporates many of the elements of art and design. For example, there is some contrast between the black suit Mr. Flagler is wearing and the plain light brown background behind him. Though I believe a greater contrast would’ve worked to the artist’s benefit. The focal point of this painting is clearly Mr. Flagler. I know this because there are no visually distracting objects behind him. The artist also used scale and proximity to make Henry Flagler the focal point. Henry is the biggest form on the canvas. By making him bigger, the artist causes the observer to focus on his very presence, and for the most part, that alone. There is a look of intensity and seriousness that is being projected off of Mr. Flagler. If he were not the main focus of this work of art, this intense look in his face would not be as effective to the observer. The artist used asymmetrical balance, which worked well in unifying the painting as a whole. Because this was a painting of a person, asymmetrical balance helped bring a real life human-like quality to the self-portrait. In addition to this, it is clear that Henry Flagler was painted using organic shapes versus geometric shapes. This worked in the artist’s favor. For example, Henry’s suit looks natural and free flowing. There are no hard edges or sharp corners as one would see in a painting
Art History, ART 1112
Visual Analysis Paper
February 16, 2015
Dr. Bock
Analysis, Praise and Critique
Henry Flagler, Self Portrait
I work at The Breakers hotel in West Palm, and have had the pleasure of seeing various works of art on the daily basis. I chose to analyze a self-portrait of a man named Henry Flagler. This painting is located on the south side of the hotel, and has a great amount of historical significance. Henry Flagler founded The Breakers and is very well known in West Palm, not only for his advancements in the oil industry and railroad lines, but for his famous hotel by the ocean-side.
The painting incorporates many of the elements of art and design. For example, there is some contrast between the black suit Mr. Flagler is wearing and the plain light brown background behind him. Though I believe a greater contrast would’ve worked to the artist’s benefit. The focal point of this painting is clearly Mr. Flagler. I know this because there are no visually distracting objects behind him. The artist also used scale and proximity to make Henry Flagler the focal point. Henry is the biggest form on the canvas. By making him bigger, the artist causes the observer to focus on his very presence, and for the most part, that alone. There is a look of intensity and seriousness that is being projected off of Mr. Flagler. If he were not the main focus of this work of art, this intense look in his face would not be as effective to the observer. The artist used asymmetrical balance, which worked well in unifying the painting as a whole. Because this was a painting of a person, asymmetrical balance helped bring a real life human-like quality to the self-portrait. In addition to this, it is clear that Henry Flagler was painted using organic shapes versus geometric shapes. This worked in the artist’s favor. For example, Henry’s suit looks natural and free flowing. There are no hard edges or sharp corners as one would see in a painting