Alex Colville’s piece titled Horse and Train from 1954 depicts a dark horse, viewed from the rear, galloping past the viewer’s right and toward a black train, which emerges from the works horizon to face the viewer. This painting is a gift of the Dominion Foundries and Steel Ltd. and can be found hanging on the walls of the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
This piece combines contrasting shapes and lines to aid viewers in imagining the speed of both the horse and train. High-speed objects utilize well-defined lines and smooth shapes while objects such as the slow blowing grass, billowing steam from the train or the approaching storm clouds are created using softer lines and shapes with plenty of visual texture. The texture also forces the viewer to …show more content…
However, the wall in which this piece hangs is empty, allowing viewers to block out surrounding images and explore the paintings other possible meanings. For example, I think this piece is a reminder that societies fate is determined by its people’s actions.
Colville’s generation was the first to experience man’s deadliest weapons: the atomic and thermonuclear bomb. Castle Bravo dropped in 1952, is the largest thermonuclear device ever detonated by the United States. Completely vaporizing three islands, Castle Bravo was more powerful than the nuclear weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Horse and Train could be viewed as Colville’s call to action.
Like the horse, society is metaphorically running so quickly toward this goal of becoming the worlds strongest military force, that they have forgotten to look up and see what destruction this sort of accomplishment can cause. Although it would appear that all the future holds is devastation, light can found even amongst all the darkness. Like the galloping horse, society has a choice, continue to run toward this train, or change
This piece combines contrasting shapes and lines to aid viewers in imagining the speed of both the horse and train. High-speed objects utilize well-defined lines and smooth shapes while objects such as the slow blowing grass, billowing steam from the train or the approaching storm clouds are created using softer lines and shapes with plenty of visual texture. The texture also forces the viewer to …show more content…
However, the wall in which this piece hangs is empty, allowing viewers to block out surrounding images and explore the paintings other possible meanings. For example, I think this piece is a reminder that societies fate is determined by its people’s actions.
Colville’s generation was the first to experience man’s deadliest weapons: the atomic and thermonuclear bomb. Castle Bravo dropped in 1952, is the largest thermonuclear device ever detonated by the United States. Completely vaporizing three islands, Castle Bravo was more powerful than the nuclear weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Horse and Train could be viewed as Colville’s call to action.
Like the horse, society is metaphorically running so quickly toward this goal of becoming the worlds strongest military force, that they have forgotten to look up and see what destruction this sort of accomplishment can cause. Although it would appear that all the future holds is devastation, light can found even amongst all the darkness. Like the galloping horse, society has a choice, continue to run toward this train, or change