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Claudia ValentineProfessor Powell

11/5/2010

Robert Swain Gallery Questions

1. The scale of Swains 10x30 painting allows the viewer an easier understanding of whathe his trying to convey, whereas the 6x4 paintings take a little more knowledge to

comprehend. One has to look a while and figure out how the colors relate because there

are fewer of them to give you clues. Also, the 10x30 feels as if it took a lot of work,

whether you understand color or not, whereas the 6x4s seem almost easy, until you

realize the amount of technical and cerebral work he put into them.

2. Each of the 9x9 paintings exhibits a gradation of color through different hues, differentvalues, and different levels of saturations.

3. As opposed to the more structured 8x8 paintings, Swains brushstroke pieces create moreof an electric, energetic feeling, with the different hues scattered all over and throughout

the canvas. The 8x8 paintings convey more order than chaos.

4. Many of the paintings seem static and almost rigid due to Swains structured approach,while the brushstroke pieces have a frantic movement about them. Also, his brush

strokes are very evident in the circle piece, which makes it interact with the light in an

interesting way.

5. The circle support differentiates the painting from others in a gallery, due to the breakfrom the usual rectangular shape. It is also reminiscent of a color wheel, with red and

green, complimentary colors, on opposites sides.

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6. Swains work has informative and expressive content. I think he aims for his work toelicit certain emotions from the viewer, while explaining how the colors he uses can do

so.

7. Artists use abstraction to convey their point of view in a way that is different, personal,and completely their own. Without conforming to social norms, abstract artists can

create a more accurate portrayal of what they want the viewer to feel.

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8. As with all of his paintings, Swain plays with hue, saturation, and value to create a

specific effect inRed and Green Circle. He uses red and green, two complementary hues, of

equal value and saturation, and positions them directly opposite each other, creating an electric

effect, with the colors reacting against one another.

The piece initially seems very simple, just a big circle with a green and a red half, but

after looking closer, I realized the amount of work that went into this circle. His use of brush

strokes gives the work a different, more emotive texture than many of his other pieces and makes

the piece reflect light so that it seems as if he used more than two colors. The brush strokes also

give the painting a sort of 3D effect, like it is more than just a flat surface.

I think Swain meant to give the viewer a sense of how colors can interact with each other

to create images in the mind that arent necessarily on the canvas. If you stare at the piece for a

long time, the line border between the red and the green starts to turn grey and kind of makes you

dizzy. As with all of his paintings, SwainsRed and Green Circleplays tricks on your mind and

your eyes due to his expert use of color.