Rebecca Partridge
I have chosen this piece by Rebecca Partridge to be the subject of my report on the use of colour and light in art.
The artist has used blocks of all different shapes and sizes; but they only appear as blocks due to the colour and light used. Different tints and tones have been used for each face of the blocks to present them as 3D objects. The direction of these blocks has also been used cleverly, as the perspective of most of the shapes points towards the centre of the piece, pulling you into the art; you're eyes are immediately drawn to the centre of the piece due to the direction employed in the painting. Aiding this effect is the way the shape colours have a stronger hue, the closer they get to the centre.
The further away your eyes move from the centre, the colours become less saturated and the blocks are much larger, all aiding the directional aim of the piece. The artist could have cropped the piece to focus on the main area of colour; but instead has allowed the shapes to expand outwards and the colour to decrease in saturation and brightness untill the colours are almost transparent. This use of light creates space around the focal point of the piece and allows your eyes to explore from within the area of strong colour to an area of very little colour. The way in which the colours fade out, creates the sense that the area of interest ends within the piece, whereas if the colours remained at 100% hue until the edge of the painting, there would be no 'end point' within the piece. This would also remove a lot of the balance the piece possesses and hinder the direction it works so hard to achieve.
