Vibrant River Analysis

Art is great in the sense that no matter how plain or extraordinary a piece may be, it will always develop differently in each person’s mind. A painting has the ability to evoke different thoughts and feelings among those who view it. With that in mind, let’s begin. I chose to interpret, analyze, and judge a great piece of artwork currently hanging on the Ford Center in Downtown Evansville. That piece is called Vibrant River by Roger Stoller. This 41’ x 15’ abstract piece was designed out of stainless steel and was erected in 2013 as a “celebration of natural Evansville”. In this analysis, I will go through the principles of design and how this piece exhibits those values, as well as give you my interpretation and judgement of this piece. To begin, this piece shows little to no harmony. Harmony is created when …show more content…
Balance is a way of combining several elements to add a sense of stability and equilibrium to the work. With the bend of the river, this piece seems to split up into two pieces. One north and one south, creating an almost symmetrical appearance when really there is nothing truly symmetrical about this piece. That same river is used to greatly portray movement throughout the work. Movement is created when using elements to direct your eye through the composition or to create the look of action. The fluidity and polish of the stainless-steel shapes help to give a sense of motion to the “river”. Every curve and twist in this piece draws your eye. It never seems to be still, or not in motion, creating guides for your perspective and where to look next. I’ve noticed that every curve in this piece is just the right size as well, and had meaning and thought put into each one. In other words, it had good proportions. Proportion is the size relationship between the parts of a composition. The “river” was big enough to be distinguishable from the rest of the piece, but did not overwhelm or take away from any parts of it as