- Published: September 15, 2022
- Updated: September 15, 2022
- University / College: Maryland Institute College of Art
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 18
The paper ” Torgerson’s Portraits Deal with Illness and Death” is an exceptional example of a term paper on visual arts and film studies. Tonja creates portraits that deal with illness, death, and impermanence of the body. The portrait shows a person curled up inside a destroyed structure. The structure is completely shattered making the individual vulnerable to destructive factors such as harsh weather that can cause illnesses (Tonja, 2013). These aspects complement the intended purpose of the portraits. However, the old destroyed structure does not give an outright disgust as intended by the artist. The structure illustrates the impermanence of the human body and destruction caused by illnesses but does not emphasis disgust. The setup allows an individual to reflect upon the truth of destruction by illness and loss through death but lacks the scary and disgusting aspect caused by these issues. Consequently, the identity of the person cannot be pinpointed from the illustration since it puts more emphasis on the outside than on the inside. However, the artist has blended beauty and the fact of death and illnesses by incorporating appealing colors. The image of the individual has been placed at the edge of the wall to emphasis the thin line between death and life. Foley uses hypochondria as a collection of objects that do not seem to fill up the surrounding space. The choice of bacteria and organs illustrates the objects inside our bodies that are placed in the body cavity without filling them (Foley, 2013). However, the objects used in the art produce the impression of internal décor rather than the intended emphasis of human health problems. The magnificent combination of yellow, grey and other luminance colors produces a collection of objects that can be used to decorate the space available inside a building without evoking the association with the internal body organs. The images of bacteria and viruses hung on the wall fill up space rather than create space. They are decorative objects that occupy the space on the wall without evoking the subject of health and body organs. However, the shapes of bacteria and viruses have been mashed up to illustrate factors that threaten human health by affecting organs occupying the space in the body.
Give Me Hell by Crotty (2013) contains a well-crafted mixing of colors that create the impression of hellfire. The painting contains dark areas in the background that illustrate the dark forces of hell. This creates the effect of fear for hell and the dark forces, which will make people go to their knees for repentance. However, the inclusion of green and purplish colors gives the impression of beauty in hell. The colors have a beautifying effect, which waters down the intended scary impact of hellfire. Expressing horror is necessary for compelling people to repent and reflect upon torture and agony expected in hell. The choice of colors is important for reinforcing the intended purpose of the painting. On the other hand, the use of distorted dark images on the painting complements the aspect of suffering in hell and sends people to their knees for repentance. The inclusion of the red color in the flames complements the artist’s intention of suffering in hell.