Art Critique
23 11 2014
The two pieces of art that hang in the HPER lounge are probably what some people would call “hotel room artwork.” Hotel room artwork, like elevator music, is meant to be pleasing to the eye, without making too much of a statement. These particular pieces match the warm, school-spirited maroon of the walls. They aren’t too flashy; their main purpose is to decorate the wall while refraining from drawing attention away from the main attraction: the pool facility seen through a glass wall on the opposite side of the room.
The background of each artpiece is a patchy quiltwork of different shades of beige, maroon, and a light forest green. The edges of the pieces look like the borders of states or countries, softly jagged and as if they have been erased and redrawn many times. The focus of each piece is a series of four straight-edged, defined rectangles. On the left painting, two adobe squares lay atop an adobe rectangle with a black shadow, as if light was coming in from the top left corner of the painting. In the middle of the rectangle sits a black and white striped smaller rectangle. The painting on the right features a similar design, except it looks like the rectangles have been moved out of the way, revealing a diversely colored tunnel.
The overall effect, when “read” from left to right, seems like the middle box has been rotated and unlocked, to show something more varied and interesting beneath.
The artist of these paintings seems to have used a few different techniques. Some patches look more sponged on, while others seem to have been applied with a brush. As for a critique, the art is pleasing to the eye, but it (the collected two, since I don’t think they’re meant to be separated) isn’t a piece that would stop you in your tracks. It is however, the type of thing that my mom would like to hang in our living room because she likes interior decorating and because the people in her favorite staging shows on HGTV would probably use it to bring out the color in the walls or something.