Museum Visit Paper

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direction (Green, 2008). The shadow of the camel assists in the process of comprehension and orientation, that is, proportion.

Interpretation

Weeks brilliantly captured the experiences that he aimed at in coming up with the painting. Viewing the painting, having oil on panel as the medium greatly enabled to establish an inescapable harmony in giving attention to portraying the Middle Eastern experience. The ability that the painter had in perceiving form in terms of color and texture relationship is evidently revealed in the Ship of the Desert. With the artist, Weeks, inspired to have this artwork by a trip that he had in the Middle East, he succeeded in portraying the immense fascination that he had developed about the Middle Eastern life. In this picture, he portrayed an exceptional emphasis on detail by uniquely blending factual recording of the experience he observed in the Middle East.

Even without establishing the exact location that the painter wanted to exhibit, Weeks succeeded in portraying the sense of experience that characterizes those travelling across Middle Eastern deserts. There are numerous messages that he managed to get across with the painting while at the same time succeeding in upholding the design principles. However, this results from the effective integration of values in their appropriate amounts. All aspects of a painting dominate with different color, facilitating variety, contrast and excitement to produce a complete painting.

Artist

The artist, Edwin Lord Week, was born in 1849 in New England and travelled to Paris in the 1870s. While in France, he established himself as one of the notable American expatriate artists. Part of his fame was attributed to focusing his paintings on North Africa and Middle East, regions that he visited which had been given limited exposure in art. After overcoming the dangers posed by disease, famine and hostile population in these regions, Weeks was keen to have detailed rendering that could translate his travel experiences. Week received numerous acclaim for his works during his lifetime and continued painting until he died in 1903.

Value Judgment

Considering there existed limited paintings representing such experiences, the composition of the painting comprehensive what the artist had in mind. Notably, Weeks aimed at portraying the kind of experiences that he had observed in faraway lands to a population that had limited exposure regarding cultures that are prevalent in North African and Middle Eastern deserts. The value of Weeks’ painting is in its representation of the manner the artist was trying to portray Middle Eastern experiences in the West and Weeks was one of those who succeeded in doing so. According to Newman & Bloom (2011), those objects playing a significant function of memory, such as documenting special experiences, are likely to acquire considerable value. Considering its context, the painting has an air of originality and expressiveness as the aesthetic qualities behind the value in the work.

Conclusion

In coming up with his artwork, Ship of the Desert, Weeks made a successful effort to portray the experiences that he had experienced while in Middle East. However, this would have not been possible had he not given attention to design principles in creating the painting. The painting provides an example of the manner artists capture people, their activities and places via visual images.

References

Dews, P. (2003). The Painter’s Workshop: Creative Composition & Design. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light Books.

Green, G. (2008). The artist’s essential guide to watercolour. Cincinnati, Ohio: David and Charles.

Messerly, K. C. (2006). Painting the elements: weather effects in oil, acrylic and watercolor. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light Books.

Newman, G. E., & Bloom, P. (2011, November). Art and Authenticity: The Importance of Originals in Judgments of Value. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1-12