Alfred Hutty At The Wedding Analysis

We often take the little things for granted when we communicate. Body language in verbal communication, kerning in written communication, and composition in artistic expression. These missed queues aren’t typically a deathblow to the message being communicated. Instead, it’s rather rare that these errors are obvious to an untrained eye unless they point out something painfully obvious, such as bad kerning turning “click” into “click.” In a recent visit to the Florence County Museum, the watercolor “At the Wedding” and it’s study composed by American artist Alfred Hutty demonstrates how subtle changes in composition can influence the perception of a piece.
“At the Wedding” depicts a newlywed couple leaving what appears to be more of a courthouse then a church. The finished watercolor is visually appealing by itself; however, the watercolor is displayed alongside its study in the exhibition. At some point between the study and the finished …show more content…
There’s no shortage of artwork that still manages to deliver a message in a visually pleasing manner despite being left or right centric with its composition. What sets “At the Wedding” apart is a reliance on geometric shapes for the doorway, windows, steps, and handrails. These shapes bring certain expectations to the layout of the work, and when there is a visible void, such as the right steps of the watercolor, it tends to stand out. These geometric shapes also being a certain familiarity to the canvas. They frame the work in a similar way to a page. In the western world, written language follows a left-to-right flow. The study best imitates this familiar left-to-right flow while the watercolor is the polar opposite. I suspect this explains the reason the unfinished study draws more attention and feels more natural and refined despite the polish of a finish of the watercolor when both pieces are viewed side by