Julian Opie's Work
Context
Julian Opie was in London, England in 1958. He was raised in Oxford. In 1982, Julian Opie graduated from Goldsmiths, University in London where he was taught by the conceptual artist and painter Michael Craig-Martin. Later on in the 80s, he became an influential figure in the British art scene after producing a series of painted metal sculptures that humorously combined loosely painted imagery with steel shapes. He has created some partitas and animated walking figures that are rendered with minimal detail in black line drawing. In 2010, one of his pieces of work the four sided of Ann Dancing was installed in Indianapolis. His most famous piece is of Gary popstar in 1989. He has been featured in the National Portrait Gallery by a portrait of the investor and engineer Sir James Dyson.
Analysis
What can I see?
I can see that the picture is a portrait of a male, that has been developed to become a cartoon version of the original picture. I can see that the light comes from the right side and the shadows and dark areas appear on the left side. The hair has a nice curl which makes it look realistic and there are about three shades to it. There is a light greyish blue colour as well as a darker grey colour with a really dark brown used for the hair colour. The background is a solid green that is almost like a green screen. The colours and face features are really apparent.
Feelings and Mood
The photo reminds me of a man in their 50s to 60s due to the hair colour used and some f the mouth features with winkles. I don't know who the person is in the photograph but they remind me of kevin Spacey in his portrayal in House of cards. I can not see what he is wearing but it reminds me of casual smart. I choose this art work since of Julian Opie's other cartooned pictures are too simplistic with not a lot of expressions and facial features that make the picture have more realism to it.
Composition
To me the focal point is the right side of photo as that's where there is the lighter areas. There shadows works as a leading line to direct me to the right side of the picture. The picture is asymmetrical since what is on the left side of the face is not all on the right side of the face. The ride side of the face has more features and colours and layers to it, making me look at it longer staring all around. My eyes first look at the left side of the face as there is more on it, but than my eyes suddenly look to the left. It may because of the lighter colours used and its simplicity to it but may eyes glare for longer. It could also be due to my eyes being quite sensitive towards certain colour and light and darkness.
Colour and Mood
I can see that quite a few colours have been used in this cartoon portrait. There are about over 10 colours used like a dark baby blue used for the shirt, than all the other shades used with that baby blue for the shirt. On the left side of the face it there are about three different colours used for the colour of the shadows. The mood the colour used gives of is mostly neutral. It does not make me feel a lot but feel how I am feeling before I look at the picture. But there is also a mood casualness given to the work as it reminds me of how someone would dress working in the city with the curly hair. The dominant colour is the green background or the skin colour of the person as there is more of it plus my eyes tend to look at it.
Light and Tone
There is a lot of shades and tones used in this picture with the use of light. The light is coming from the left side but more towards the bottom as there is dark parts to the hair. I can tell which are the mid tones, dark shadows and highlights due to the style of this art being cartoony and the colours being obvious to see. The light and tone do add depth to the picture and it makes the cartoon picture look like an actual photograph not a cartoon. It also adds weight to the photo making it look a lot better. The light and Tone does add a mood to the work. The mood it gives of is a nice and relaxing casual mood.
Texture and Pattern
The texture used in the picture is not as visible compared to other pictures that are not cartoony. The texture is a very smooth and silky one as generally speaking the picture is kind of flat so there is not a lot of textures it can have I think. The pattern used random but at the same time is not because certain part may have been placed there for a reason. There is a sent of repetition to the hair but also random the same way curly hair would be in real life normally.
What have I learnt and how will I use what I have learnt?
1. I have learnt how to make a picture into a cartoon in the style of Julian Opie.
2. To take pictures in different angles and be converted to a cartoon.
3.I have learnt to take many observation shots in the style of Julian Opie pictures before he turns them into a cartoon.
What can I see?
From what I see is that the picture is a portrait of a photography that was turned into a cartoon. The person is a man that is cartooned looks like a stereotypical hippie. They face position of the face is central but slightly slanted to the right. The hair is long as it starts from thetop and ends around half way 1/3 of the image. The shirt is red and is at the bottom, which is is in the bottom 1/3 of the image. He is also wearing a necklace that is multicoloured in contrast with majority of the image. His shades are near the centre and 2/3 of the image with a shine and gloss to it.
Feeling and Mood
The picture makes me feel like the image is of a hippie the way it looks like your stereotypical hippie. It also gives me a vibe of a peaceful person with a simple face and not a lot of colours used. It could also be a person on holiday who is enjoying the sun and that's why they have the shades. It makes me feel a bit dull as well due to the background colour is so grey and plain. Takes away my emotion and makes me feel a bit sad. I chose this picture because of how simple it is but how good it is to represent what it is meant o represent. It is a really nice cartoon of a person that looks almost real.
Composition
For me the first focal point is the glasses because it is what I first see as it is central in the middle of the image. Next the second point where my eyes look is the background because it so plain and dull. After that my eyes look for something with more colour so they either go to the shirt or the necklace. because the colour is vibrant. The image is asymmetrical because what you see on one side is not present on the other if it was reflected.
Colour and Mood
Not a lot of colour have been used. The skin tone is a creamy nude colour while the facial hair is black and the hair is a dark grey that is almost black. The shirt is a calm mid red. The colour give me a dull mood and a tired mood because they do not stand out much and are not vivvd. I think that the dominant colour is the black/dark grey colour that is the most common seen in the picture. I also get a relaxed mood and peaceful feeling because it is so dull.
Light and Tone
There are not a lot of light and tones shown in the image but there are. The light is clearly coming in front of the image because of the light is seen reflected on the shades. Other than that it is hard to see where else is the light coming from. The tone of the skin colour is mostly the same and there is other skin tones. The glasses have different tones, there are a few different colours.
Texture and Pattern
There is not a texture or pattern quite visible because the image is flat and 2-D. The texture it has is smooth and silky because the image is a cartoon. It can not really have a lot more textures because it is flat and not more is on a flat image compared to a more complex and realistic image. The pattern in the image are random and simple as the image is 2-D and flat.