Nature/Science Theme

Artist: Joseph Mallory William Turner

Title: Mortlake Terrace

Medium: oil on canvas

Date: 1827

Currently: The. National. Gallery of Art

Source: http://www.nga.gov

1. Description:

3. Anaylsis:

3. Interpretation:

4. Judgement:

In this painting there are elm trees on the shore of a lake. In the lake there are some sailboats. Around the lawn there is a hoop, a ladder and a doll on a red chair. There is also a dog waking along the wall. There are cool and warm colors.

There are cool colors of browns and greens, and warm colors of orange and yellow. The movement starts from the largest tree, and travels left down the line of the trees. The painting is balanced because of the sailboats in the water on the right and the trees in the left. The positive space is the trees and the negative space is the buildings on the water.

The long shadows of the elm trees, create elegant patterns on the lawn. Turner used cool and warm color screen to create a quiet mood in the late afternoon. The point of view in the painting is from the porch of a house and it is at eyeliner level. The tress grab your attention because they are the subject matter of the painting. Turner created a balanced piece to create a sense of unity and peace.

I feel involved in the subject matter because of the sunset and the many objects in the painting. For me the artist has created a visually interesting piece of art. I enjoy this piece a lot and the artist has been successful in communicating the content of the artwork.