Assignment 1b -Criticism

Finally, here is my criticism assignment, but better late than never I guess.

Here is panel #7 of the Katrina Chronicles: Volume II. I was drawn to this one because it was one of the few pieces that had only one drawing on it, and because of the pink flamingos. Pink is my favorite color. The shape of the bird and its posture is quite interesting, I think, the way the neck is a long as its body and cranes down from top to bottom and then out. This large flamingo is the focal point of the composition and has a physical dominance over the whole picture, as it is, I believe, meant to represent the idea of “how having someone severely guarding things makes it hard to get a job.” The series is about, Peter Prescott’s struggles to get a job and make money to support his family, among other things, and here we see yet another physical indication to the above said representation, in that, the flamingo is closely guarding the telephone. Notice that in the background, there are other flamingos, but they are not dominant, or as physically large as the one in front, neither do they seem to be paying much attention to anything, but whatever they’re doing. Still, the difference in the size of the three birds in back and the one in front is also to relate a sense of distance and space between them. The three are farther away than the one. Furthermore, in the large flamingo, can be seen a good example of texture, especially in the wings and feet. The neck particularly gives us a sample of curvature lines, fluid lines, such as is found in Nouveau art and many other styles. There are also aspects of Deco art and other similar styles that revolve around straight lines and sharp edges, (more of a square, or geometric object-look), in the bend of the front leg, the crank of the neck and in a few parts of the beak. Personally, I find the use of shadows and white space in this composition to be very interesting. There is a shadow under each of the large flamingo’s two legs; which could attribute to both the mass, weight of the bird itself, but also could be meant as yet another indicator of the creature’s dominance. Next, notice the large amount of white space at the top of the composition- if the large flamingo was taken out, the white space would make up the majority of the picture. The white seems to highlight the shape of the creature, but also may be present as a representation of “nothingness” to go along with the theme of the difficulty of getting a job. Notice that the landscape presented in the composition is also quite plain, basic and even white in sections. The water between the parcels of land is a rich blue, perhaps symbolizing good times amongst worried times. Then, the parts of land themselves, are small and narrow- like stepping stones, and I think it’s safe to say, “traverse it carefully.”