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Of-The-Sand [2015-02-13 23:58:55 +0000 UTC]

Overall

Vision

Originality

Technique

Impact

I'd like to begin this critique with my overall opinion on it, instead of reaching that at the end, and that will make sense as you read.

This piece has a feel to it like some kind of not-quite-disaster has befallen either this city or the world, and that even though there are people, they are few and far between. With a verdant sanctuary, one might typically expect to see things like the ruins of some ancient civilization or some kind of lost technology. The fact that there is a street sign nonchalantly planted in that spot, without nearly as much plant matter as all of the rest of the city, really puts a stark contrast on those typical ideals and leaves the piece with not a feeling of desolation or deserted-ness, but one of confusion and uncertainty. That is not to say that the piece is confusing or that it isn't prepared well or with deliberation, that is to say that it gives the feeling that while this city is more full of life than it has ever been before, it's not quite right.

Now, to begin how I came to that conclusion: with the vision of the piece.

I may be wrong, but I suppose that with all art, it is up to the viewer to attempt to decipher the vision behind and meaning behind any piece of art. In this particular case, I can say very confidently that the vision behind this piece was the idea that calling a city "full of life" can be interpreted in many different ways: and in some cases, it is only after a disastrous event that a city can truly shine as a place full of aforementioned life. With the solitary person walking through, it leads me to believe that the vision of the piece was not to capture what life would be like without humans, but how a drastic change in population (in the negative trend) could influence the course of events or the appearance of a once-heavily-populated environment. For this complicated and well-thought-out (and striking, as well) vision, I'm not being liberal with my rating when I say that it deserves the 4.5/5 that I gave it.

In terms of originality, I can say happily that I've yet to see another piece that captures so many different aspects all at the same time. The tree on the far left blocking view of some of the building on the same side gives some perspective, as do the curving tracks toward the center of the piece. With a single person, I can say that that aspect itself I have seen quite often, but keeping everything about the person shrouded isn't commonly done. It isn't obvious what type of person that is, nor is it obvious which way they are walking. Overall, I'd say that some of the more intricate and specific details are what really give this piece its originality and creativity.

In terms of technique, all I can say is: flawless. The execution of perspective, the shading, and even something so minor as the "rule of thirds", everything about this piece screams "I was made with pride and technique". (I'd also like to point out that the reflection of light in all of the appropriate places warms my heart. It's a very difficult feat to manage.)

I must say that the impact of the piece did not really strike me until I had been looking at it for a few minutes. Obviously there are first impressions (mine was "wow... this is beautiful"), but impact goes far beyond first impressions: it relates to how the piece brings forth emotion in you, what those emotions are, how complicated they are, and how strong they are. This piece certainly brings forth my curiosity: I want to know how this transpired, how it came about, how long it's been for this change to occur, who this person is and why they're out in the open, and all manner of other questions. The next emotion it brought to the forefront of my mind was trepidation: not because the piece is particularly scary, but because even though it seems tranquil and peaceful, there's just something off; it isn't something that can be explained, and it isn't anything wrong with the piece, it's something within the emotions that the piece gives me that just makes me anxious - as if something is about to happen that I'd rather not know about. Those aren't the only things it brought to my mind (included were - intrigue, awe, excitement, calm, and a mixture of appreciation for beauty and appreciation of power), but even with all of the different emotions it brought forth, they were not quite as strong as I might have expected. That being said, if impact were separated into two parts, you would earn a 5/5 on complexity of emotion and a 3.5/5 on strength of emotion, so I gave you a happy medium of 4/5.

Wonderful job.

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JeanneDeaux [2014-04-13 16:25:03 +0000 UTC]

Very well done. Makes me want to take a walk there...

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Tytonidae [2011-04-14 23:06:34 +0000 UTC]

Thought this was a photo for a second. Wonderful work

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rossrosenbaum [2010-03-05 03:50:14 +0000 UTC]

awesome

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onceuponatime08 [2010-03-03 22:50:44 +0000 UTC]

Very beautiful and mysterious, it makes me want everything to grow!

Samantha Lefey

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