Painting Analysis

    In the last class, we learned about how an artist uses painting techniques to make a painting become more “realistic”. The painting that I pick is “Rua Direita no Rio de Janeiro” (1822 - 1825). It is an ink drawing on the paper.

    By viewing the painting, I see this painting was divided in three parts. The first part is Foreground where have dozens of people in front of the painting. I think this part is also where the author wants viewer focus on because this part is darker and has more detail than others. Second part is Middleground which is people in the middle of the street and buildings on the side of the street. This part is lighter than the Foreground, and less detail on the objects. The last part is Background where at the end of the street. In this part, I see an indistinct hill with a building on the top.

    Painting techniques are observed in this painting, Author overlaps people or objects together to create the illusion of depth, and also shaded people and objects in the foreground to create value. Overview the painting, I see that value of the painting shift from the bottom to the top, from the dark to the light.

    In the middle ground, people and buildings do not have much detail, and they are Contour Line. The author used painting techniques of Hatch and Cross Hatching to create shadows on the wall and inside of windows. The buildings also notice me that the author was standing at the left-bottom corner because Linear Perspective of the buildings show me that the author was standing there and look all the way down to the bridge.