Comparing Artists

This piece of work can connect to Fine Art A-level, it is a piece of work you will have to complete if you do the course.

The artists I have selected to compare with John Piper with his work called High Cross, and Vincent Van Gogh with his work called Mulberry Tree.

The High Cross created by John Piper in 1977-8 is in the medium of lithograph on paper. I chose this art work because of the fact I like it and because of the trees, they seem to be moving in the wind around the church giving the effect of the church being over taken by the wind.

The Mulberry Tree painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1889 is in the medium of oil on canvas. I chose this art work because of the use of colour. The tree is a yellow and stands out against the blue sky and the white sun-lit field. The tree looks as if it is almost on fire.

John Piper was a naturalist, naturalism is the realistic depiction of objects in their natural setting. This is shown in his work as it is an accurate representation of what he is studying.

Van Gogh was an early Expressionist, he used bright colour and bold brush strokes to express the emotion in the work which is characteristic of Expressionism. His work is very intense expressing his psychological frame of mind.

John Piper during the two world war was commissioned by the 'war artist’s scheme' to capture the effects of the war on the British landscape. The destruction of the Blitz easily fixed into Piper's usual works of old ruined buildings. Piper had also lost his brother in the First World War which may have enabled him to respond to the commission with his deepest emotion. During the years he travelled around Britain, he captured the atmosphere of places. The scenes are not always directly related to bomb-damage but reflect a sense of loss and nostalgia caused by the war.

Vincent van Gogh painted The Mulberry Tree while in voluntary confinement at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy, France. Although Van Gogh suffered ongoing attacks (likely caused, at least in part, by epilepsy), he nevertheless produced some of his most powerful works during his time in France. The Mulberry Tree is a wonderful example of his output during his time in the asylum.

Each work connects to my ideas because of the nature element within them. The Mulberry Tree, its use of colour reveals how inspired Van Gogh was painting it, the contrast between the tree, the sky and the field. It is something I want to experiment with more. The tree to me represents life and vitality within nature, my ideas do connect with the life and vitality of nature but I am more focusing on the destruction of nature which is why I chose this painting because even though the tree is clearly alive it almost looks on fire because of the vivid colour Van Gogh used on the leaves.

The High Cross connects to my ideas because once again of the nature element within it. John Pipers muted use of colour on everything in the work apart from the church itself, draws emphasises on the church but also in return shows the trees and foliage to be important. To me the church looks to be overtaken by the trees and the foliage. This connects it to my ideas because I am focusing on the destruction of the nature, especially the destruction of air. The trees are blowing in the wind, with the storm clear in the sky, against the church which makes me think of the damage the tree would cause to the church if it were to fall.

The differences between the two works are the use of colour, the portrayal of nature and the style in which each work was done. The use of colour in the Mulberry Tree is very vivid and the colours contrast against each other, whereas in the High Cross the trees and nature are all the same colour. The portrayal of nature in the Mulberry Tree shows nature to be full of life but in the High Cross nature is shown to be destructive and violent. The style of the work in the Mulberry Tree is detailed and very expressive, whereas in the High Cross there is not much detail on the trees to give them that blowing in the wind sense.

The similarities of the two works is fact they are both trying to show nature in its true form, just the artists have a different idea of what that is. It is surprising that Van Gogh would have the positive outlook on nature considering his state of mind at the time, but I think drew energy from the life he saw in nature which is why he painted it like he did. There is also another side to what I see in the Mulberry Tree and that is the idea that the tree looks as it is on fire, which draws a similarity to the High Cross in the fact that nature though it gives life can also take it away though the destruction of itself.