Today I'm critiquing Ruisdael's The Windmill at Wijk on it's Imitational qualities. Some people believe art should look realistic, Ruisdael does an excellent job portraying a real landscape. The waves look as if they are in motion. The Space is used really well, there is no negative space in the painting. The attention to detail in the clouds is great, they look very "real". You can see the puffiness in the clouds and in the log fence you can see texture of the wood. Overall the painting looks quite realistic.
When critiquing it based on Emotionalism qualities, I find that the painting can be both happy and sad. If you look at the choice of colour the colours are very cold, which gives off a sad and unpleasant feeling. But when viewing the whole paining it looks like a peaceful place, I imagine if I was there I would be quit happy and content.
This painting is not very well balanced, the right side is heavier than the left. The windmill is the focal point of the painting and is the most emphasized, it captures one’s attention at once. The colour pallet chosen is mainly on the cool side and there isn’t much contrast. The clouds gradually change from darker to lighter as does the water. Expressive lines are used in the water to create a ripple effect and to show a sense of movement. The sky is larger in proportion to everything else and there is more negative space then positive, I think that it creates a sense of depth. The texture in the clouds, windmill, trees and log fence are all united very well. Formalism is the art of tying the elements and principals together, Ruisdael has a gift of tying them together beautifully to unite his work.
