What ART Thou Doing?

10/2/2018

Analyze the artwork above (The Mysterious Bird [1917], Charles Burchfield). What do you notice? How do the foreground and the background of the painting juxtapose (contrast) one another? What kind of mood does each create?

73 Comments

Johnny

10/2/2018 01:14:17 pm

This photo looks pretty dismal and dark. It’s not super exciting either. The ground is brighter than the sky but isn’t that bright or exciting except a little further where there’s blue.

Preston

10/2/2018 01:17:12 pm

Completely agree with what you said.

Blazen Burgess

10/2/2018 01:17:42 pm

You are correct.

Emma Dahle

10/2/2018 01:18:40 pm

It’s true that the photo “looks pretty dismal and dark”.

Jordan

10/2/2018 01:19:42 pm

It really does look dreary

Treygan

10/2/2018 01:15:07 pm

The road and background contrast because the road looks green and alive but the background looks dark and stormy. I also noticed there seems to be a opening to the storm in the middle.

Preston

10/2/2018 01:18:39 pm

Always light at the end of the tunnel,or storm.

Aidan Adams

10/2/2018 01:19:42 pm

I agree. +3 respect

Chayla Slavin

10/2/2018 01:20:23 pm

That’s interesting I didn’t notice the storm.

Ariana

10/2/2018 01:15:08 pm

I notice that the painting is kind of gloomy. It creates a stormy or maybe even a spooky feeling. They contrast by working together to make a painting. The mood is sad.

Avery

10/2/2018 01:16:24 pm

I agree it is gloomy

Sam

10/2/2018 01:22:28 pm

Spooky is a good word to discribe this painting.

Jaicei Boynton

10/2/2018 01:23:28 pm

I agree that the mood is sad

Avery

10/2/2018 01:15:14 pm

I notice that the sky is very gloomy looking. The front of the painting is a road and the background is a dark sky. The mood is kind of dark and sad.

Ariana

10/2/2018 01:16:18 pm

I agree. The mode is kind of dark.

Tierryn

10/2/2018 01:17:28 pm

Love your take on this painting👍🏼

Aidan Adams

10/2/2018 01:15:21 pm

The sky is cloudy and the trees are black. In the foreground there is a little bit of green and what appears to be snow whilst in the background there isn’t any green and it’s just grey and yucky. This creates a sad mood because there is no sunshine and sunshine should make you happy.

Johnny

10/2/2018 01:16:51 pm

Sunshine makes me happy

Blazen Burgess

10/2/2018 01:18:45 pm

Yucky.

Preston H.

10/2/2018 01:15:48 pm

I notice that it’s winter but the sun is peeking through the clouds. The trail is almost a spring looking while the background is a dark, winter look. It creates a mood of summer but winter.

Johnny

10/2/2018 01:17:19 pm

Real opposites with a lot of contrast.

Treygan

10/2/2018 01:17:25 pm

I didn’t notice how it looks wintery

Dillon

10/2/2018 01:18:40 pm

I agree. It’s sad and happy at the same time.

Faith

10/2/2018 01:18:46 pm

I agree

Emma Dahle

10/2/2018 01:19:54 pm

It’s true, both look like maybe different seasons.

Sam

10/2/2018 01:16:10 pm

In this painting I notice that it gives off a sad feeling. Although the foreground has more color then the background, it still gives the feeling that the road is going into the storm, or that there may be bad things ahead.

Avery

10/2/2018 01:17:41 pm

The mood is sad. I agree

Ariana

10/2/2018 01:18:24 pm

I agrees, the painting gives off a sad feeling.

Johnny

10/2/2018 01:18:30 pm

Oooh I didn’t even think that there might be dark or gloomy things ahead. Good job

Faith

10/2/2018 01:19:25 pm

I like that a lot

Chayla Slavin

10/2/2018 01:21:31 pm

I agree that the painting gives off a sad feeling

Tierryn

10/2/2018 01:16:23 pm

I noticed that the top and bottom parts of the painting are very different from eachother. The bottom part has colour and looks pretty the top part is all gloomy and sad with dead trees. The bottom half creates an early spring type of feel and the top half is lile the middle of winter, cold and dead.

Jaicei Boynton

10/2/2018 01:25:50 pm

I agree about the sky

Sammy H.

10/2/2018 01:16:29 pm

The contrast in colors from what’s on the path to what lies aside it. The different moods it brings are gloomy and dark compared to the path where it’s light and smooth.

Jordan

10/2/2018 01:20:33 pm

The darkness just makes it look pretty sad.

Blazen Burgess

10/2/2018 01:16:38 pm

It looks dark and scary. The ground is colorful and happier and the sky is darker and gloomy. The ground creates a more joyful mood and the sky creates more of a depressing mood.

Aidan Adams

10/2/2018 01:17:41 pm

Spooky

Caden Caywood

10/2/2018 01:20:48 pm

Great comment!

Will

10/2/2018 01:23:05 pm

Nice thinking blazen Burgess

Dillon Pilkerton

10/2/2018 01:16:38 pm

This painting is sad and gloomy at the end of the road but sunny at the beginning of the road. The foreground is sunny and the background is dark. The sunny side creates a happy and joyful feeling and the dark side creates a sad and depressing feeling.

Eli

10/2/2018 01:19:08 pm

I agree that it give a happy but sad feeling.

Caden Caywood

10/2/2018 01:22:36 pm

I agree on that

Faith

10/2/2018 01:17:24 pm

I notice that the background has two different moods. They contract each other by creating A painting with many mixed emotions. The foreground is a happy simple mood while the background is unhappy and gloomy.

Treygan

10/2/2018 01:18:56 pm

I agree very mixed feelings here

Emma Dahle

10/2/2018 01:17:35 pm

That’s the road ahead looks happy and joyful. While the background looks scary and creepy. The foreground and background contrast from how you feel or see, like when you look up in the background it’s creepy but the foreground looks like at old dirt road that makes you feel comfort. I already kind of covered what mood both set.

Sammy H.

10/2/2018 01:19:36 pm

I like how you used comfortable rather than happy in your description.

Eli

10/2/2018 01:17:50 pm

I notice the clouds are covering most of the sky except this one section. The clouds and the sun almost make a eye. The background is dark and and everything is dead like fall or winter. While the foreground is bright like spring or summer. It gives off a happy feeling.

Dillon

10/2/2018 01:19:31 pm

I saw the eye too.

Jamie

10/2/2018 01:20:08 pm

Nice, i enjoyed reading this comment :)

Caden Caywood

10/2/2018 01:17:59 pm

The painting seems very depressing and gloomy. The road ahead looks brighter and more full of life. This creates the mood that the future will always be better than what it seems now.

Will

10/2/2018 01:20:15 pm

I like your thought about the better future Cayden Caywood

Jamie

10/2/2018 01:18:11 pm

In the piece, everything but the sky is colored. Coincidentally it’s called “The Bird” and the bird is in the only part of the picture that is gloomy and mysterious. The foreground represents lightness and security, while the background blankets in a feeling of edge and darknes.

Tierryn

10/2/2018 01:21:28 pm

Very insightful response👍🏼

Will

10/2/2018 01:18:46 pm

The painting is dismal and shows sadness. The foreground is colorful and happy and the background is dark and gloomy. This creates mixed emotions of hope and sorrow.

Cayden Caywood

10/2/2018 01:23:24 pm

I agree with that Will Garet

Jordan

10/2/2018 01:19:02 pm

It seems very dismal and dreary. The ground is brighter than the sky, but still isn’t very exciting. The buggiest contrast is the color of the road and grass compared to the dark sky

Sammy H.

10/2/2018 01:21:23 pm

I agree with how the color is eerie.

Miriam

10/2/2018 01:19:02 pm

The the foregrounds mood is happy and joyful while the background is sad and shows darkness.

Eli

10/2/2018 01:20:42 pm

Way to go in depth.

Brooke

10/2/2018 01:24:53 pm

I agree with you it shows darkness

Taylee Matthews

10/2/2018 01:28:58 pm

Love that

Chayla Slavin

10/2/2018 01:19:14 pm

The foreground has a bright and contrasting colors and makes whoever is looking at it feel good. The background has a very bleak color palette and emits a negative vibe.

Jaicei Boynton

10/2/2018 01:21:18 pm

It looks like a cold winter day. The sky is more dark and sad, while the ground is a little more lively but still pretty dull.

Brooke

10/2/2018 01:21:31 pm

I notice a pathway and darkness. Whatever pathway somebody takes you go through ups and downs experiencing new different things. It’s sad and dark in the background and the foreground the nature is alive and healthy.

Miriam

10/2/2018 01:24:15 pm

I love how you say that nature is alive.

Taylee Matthews

10/2/2018 01:28:07 pm

Love how you said go through ups and down experiencing new things

Taija

12/17/2018 01:23:36 pm

Yes that’s what I think

Taija

10/2/2018 01:23:33 pm

The fore ground looks happier and more bright. The background is sad and dark not as happy looking.

Taylee Matthews

10/2/2018 01:26:28 pm

I notice everything dark and gloomy. The painting background sets a theme of sadness because everything is dark and dead. The path is happy and bright then gets sad and dark.

Brooke

10/2/2018 01:27:24 pm

I agree that it goes to happy to sadness in a meter of seconds

Miriam

10/2/2018 01:27:46 pm

Gloomy is a true description of the painting.

Taija

12/17/2018 01:23:17 pm

That’s pretty much what i said about the picture

Taija

12/17/2018 01:24:36 pm

The fore ground is more happy and positive. The back ground is more gloomy. It’s also cloudy and grey.

What ART Thou Doing?

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories