Degas, Dancer-Painting

Of course, this is only one of Degas' many paintings of dancers, but this is one of my favorites. The prima ballerina is caught in a moment of her dance where she is perhaps the most happy and comfortable; her arms are arched gracefully in a port de bras, and she seems to have just completed her movement, perhaps an arabesque, attitude, or jete. In the wings stage right, we can see a danseur, as well as the tutus and pointe shoes of the eager dancers, waiting for their time on the stage. The floodlights cast an otherwordly light on the main dancer; a warm, bright glow shines through her tutu and gleams on her pale skin. The entire stage is bare, but Degas has painted it to complement the warmth of the dancer's light: a musty yellow-blue color that, while complementing the dancer, does not in any way detract from her focus.

Meghan Ogilvie, Untitled

Meghan Ogilvie, a Canadian photographer, captures a very ethereal beauty in her series of underwater photographs. The three images here are only a sampling of her work. My two favorite elements of these photographs are the crinkly white light that the surface of the water casts over the floor, and the graceful, flowing fabrics that seem to envelop the models. The incredibly cool, blue light of the underwater world gives the models a pale and very clear appearance. I think it would be a fun challenge to recreate the crinkly pool lighting on a stage. The images here suggest motion, movement, yet the women seem suspended in a frozen moment of time.

Unknown, Gustav Klimt

I was google-searching paintings by Gustav Klimt, one of my favorite artists, and I stumbled across this photographic portrait of the artist. I think this is an excellent example of light and composition, and the black and white feature of the photograph bring out its good qualities even more. Klimt wears a dark jacket and the lower background is darkened to bring the focus of the viewer's eye upward to his face. Even his dark beard and hair make the eye hone in even more to the glow on his skin and his eyes.
Klimt's art blends light and color in a beautiful fantasia. He even dapples with external light, that is, light that comes onto the painting by incorporating the application of gold detailing to many of his paintings.

Hopper, Nighthawks

I think this is a very tragically poetic and simple painting, a picture of aloneness. Outside the building, there is no sign of life or activity. It is dark, and all the other shops have closed for the night. There are no cars either.
Inside, while there is still light, it is a harsh, impersonal light, not the warm glow of a home. The counter separates the bartender from the other people, and they are separated from each other.
The bright light of the "aloneness" building spills out onto the street and pervades the building in the left corner of the painting. Even though they are physically together in one location, they are still alone.

Waterhouse, The Rose

John William Waterhouse's "The Rose," is one of his many romantic paintings of female figures. This one in particular is a portrait of a young woman with delicate, pale skin; the blush from her cheeks mirrors the flower she is reaching to sniff. The robe she is wearing is kept a darker, muted color, but there is a white building behind her that brings the focus up to her face, a clever device used by the artist. The lighting in this painting, as with every other Waterhouse, is soft and warm, and along with the smudged brush strokes, creates a very romantic atmosphere.

Fragonard, The Swing

The pinnacle of frivolous, artificial Rococo art. There is much light in this image. Mainly, it is focused on the young woman, as she playfully kicks off her dainty shoe from her dainty foot. The servant pulling the ropes of the swing is of little importance (like palace guards in the background to a theatrical show taking place in a castle), so he is dimly lit. The focus of the girl's eyes directs us to her lover; the colors and his own lighting are very neutral. The billowing pink dress is the most colorful piece in the painting; it is reflected faintly in the flowers to her lower right. Perhaps the girl's frailty, frivolity, and gracefulness is echoed in their color?

Rodin, The Kiss

My favorite sculpture. There are many different castings of "The Kiss," and I have seen one of them in person at the National Gallery of Art, but this image strikes me as especially beautiful...because of the lighting. The tender, but passionate embrace of the two lovers fated for Dante's Inferno, is shown in a bright light that is full of contrasts. Bright, but soft. Modest, but dramatic. It is most intensely focused on  their faces, but it also glimmers on the muscles, curves, and gentle touches of the couple's hands. They are not hewn (?) completely out of the rock, but are still part of it, frozen in their embrace forever. The light so intensely shining in their faces further explains that they will (artistically speaking [of course realistically speaking this is an obvious point]) always be in this one position, poised in an act of love; ie, the light does not move.