Declaration

I hereby declare that my concept is heartache. Heartache can be defined as:

• Grief: intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death) wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn


• Very sincere and difficult emotional problems or stress en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heartache

I decided to choose heartache as my concept because heartache happens everyday to different people. People can feel heartache from the death of a loved one, loss of a pet, ending of a relationship, or failure to accomplish a goal. I will be using all different forms of art to portray my concept throughout my concept-folio. I hope to give viewers a better understanding of what heartache is and how to deal with it.

Mind's Eye Critique

Looking at “Two Paths”, the viewer immediately feels as though he or she is standing in a quiet, serene location facing an abandoned shack. To the left is an open path with specs of sand glistening from the sun’s warming rays. The path exudes a sense of calm and tranquility. To the right is an eerie, desolate path that hides in the shadows of the trees. The path feels cold and ominous. The trees and the grass that engulf the paths are different shades of green and brown. The artist’s use of these darker hues adds to the dreary feel of the path on the right.
The focal point of the painting could be the shack located where the two paths diverge. The contrasts of the bright colors against the dark colors of the woods make the shack stand out from its surroundings. Another focal point could be the path in the foreground of the painting. The path is made up of light shades of brown which stand out from the dark green grass that surrounds it. There is no right or wrong focal point, but only what the viewer decides to see first.
The painting could symbolize a decision in someone’s life. The path on the left, the blithe, more appealing path, could be the choice that is best suited for the individual who is faced with the two options. The path on the right, the frightening, dreary path, could be the choice that causes the individual trouble and is not the best way to go. The viewer must decide which path is the better one to take, sacrificing the outcome of the other path. All in all, the artist creates a scenario in which the viewer is the ultimate decision maker.

"Haymaker and Sleeping Girl"-Critique Number One

Looking at Thomas Gainsborough’s “Haymaker and Sleeping Girl,” the viewer is immediately sent to a quiet, tranquil farm that exudes the warmth of that beautiful autumn day. A wealthy adolescent girl is sitting against a fence sleeping. Her red-orange hair compliments her red-orange dress and sun bonnet. Pale, fair skin illustrates that the girl comes from a family with a lot of money. Standing on the other side of the fence is a farm boy. Dirty and tired from a hard days work in the field, he leans against the fence and admires his love napping. He is dressed in khaki colored pants and matching vest with a grungy white buttoned shirt underneath. In his soil-covered hands are a hat and a rake. His appearance and accessories show that he is poor and must work all day in the sun for money. The artist’s attention to detail provides the viewer with the subjects’ social class.
The focal point of the painting is the girl’s chest. The viewer may not be drawn to it immediately, but after scanning the whole painting the eye is attracted to the bare skin. Because her skin is so fair and white, the contrasting color of her dress makes the lightness of her skin stand out drastically. Once the eye is focused on the girl, smaller details begin to stand out. The basket draped on her arm and the dog lying next to her in the corner for instance.
This painting exudes heartache in an unconventional way. The different social classes are projected by the boy and the girl and show that they can not be together. As the boy observes what he wants most, the fence reminds him that he can not have her. The fence symbolizes the separation of social classes and how it is unworthy to love someone outside of your social rank. Although the sleeping beauty will never know of her admirer, the boy will always love her and will always deal with the emotional pain of not being able to be with the one he loves.