Charongess on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/charongess/art/Soldiers-288273387Charongess

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Soldiers

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Description

A piece I created for a presentation. Painted in photoshop. 5-6 hours.
Image size
750x1063px 641.24 KB
© 2012 - 2024 Charongess
Comments36
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:star::star::star::star::star-half: Overall
:star::star::star::star::star: Vision
:star::star::star::star::star-half: Originality
:star::star::star::star::star-half: Technique
:star::star::star::star::star: Impact

The style, technique, color choice are very similar to what we might see in what would be considered Chinese art. Note the use of a very bright red. Long brushstrokes along with short dabs are implemented. The soldiers themselves are reminiscent of terra cotta soldiers down to their base colors.

This however is not bad! rather it conjures up a very rich east Asian culture, one whose style has been wonderfully recreated and put to good use in this artpiece!

Yes the technique and originality are not completely different, avant-garde or edgy. But the proper usage of the chinese style, the restraint taken so that it is not over the top, over used to the point of borderline racsim, that is skill.

Moving on, we look at the vision of this piece. Here we come back to that terra cotta warrior idea. As previously said, we noted that the soldiers at first glance look like infamous terra cotta soldiers that make up the army. But look further! We see that the scores of soldiers lined up this way evoke the whole army itself! It would almost appear as if the terra cotta army was marching towards it tomb to its final resting place (if clay soldiers could walk).

With this knowledge in mind, this peace takes on a different, more...somber tone.
At first glance we see the big red flags, large army on the march, a pink midday sky. One might think this is a formal occasion. Maybe no joyous, but there is no reason to pull sadness from this painting. however, we pull in this terra cotta background, and this history, and we see...something different.
Why are these men on a march, what are they marching towards. This question, thats what i consider vision.

I will not know what their purpose is without asking the artist in question. I will not know what they are actually doing without asking the artist in question. But if I were to guess. I feel this sadness. This somberness. I feel this sadness because These soldiers look stiff...lifeless almost (which is great for the terra cotta analogy).I feel this somberness because it looks like a slow, long, endless march that goes beyond this painting. So this vision...this vision that the artist sees, that I will not, for that I give it a 5.

Our final critique, our impact! My I must say what a ride this painting is. We see this whirlwind of emotion, going from this grandiose march to this somber almost funeral procession, but we have yet to touch on this i might say amazing background. Our focus has mainly been on the bottom half of the piece, but the top half deserves no disrespect! The tree is a wonderful piece of greenery put in the middle of the painting. I may have a bit of a quarrel with its position as I feel the soldiers should be more of the focus, but I love how the tree bends over to the left, out of the piece and back into it on the lower left hand side. It makes it as if we have this view from a scout or any person that is climbing a tree to get a better view.

The mountains are a wonderful touch as we see the soldiers marching through this deep gorge. It gives great depth to the piece. I just looking at the mountains get this amazing sense of height and of vision.

Thus all in all, as you can tell from my gushing critique, I find it amazing.
I applaud the artist in what she has made. I truly think it is a wonderful piece and I have the utmost respect for what she has done.