YIN Xiaotang (Music) talks on Hepworth's ' Fenestration of Ear_The_Lamp'

1) INTRODUCE THE DRAWING IN GENERAL TERMS

•What is the title of the drawing?

It named 'Fenestration of the Ear_The_Lamp'.

•What is the name of the artist?
   The artist is Barbara Hepwprth.

•What is the year the drawing was done?
It was painted in 1948.


•What is the medium? (ie the materials used to produce the picture, for example charcoal on paper, pen and ink etc)
Pencil and oil on board.


•What is the subject matter or general theme of the work? (eg is it a figure drawing, a map, a portrait, an autobiographical work, a picture about nature, a drawing of the city etc?)
This is a picture depicting a surgery. It shows that three doctors are manipulating the operation while the patient is actually invisible.


•What is the purpose of the drawing? (eg Is it a diagram that explains how something works? Does it record accurately record the appearance of something? Does it express the artist's emotion or memory? )
It shows a regular but not very realistic scene of a surgery and it’s depicting what doctors are doing in the operation room. "Barbara was running a nurseru school for the first three years of the war……she drew at night……In 1942 the Nicolsons moved into a roomy house with its own garden, and conditions became a little easier."1 It’s more emphasized on the mood not the details. I think it express the artist’s feelings of harmony and warming, and her admiration of doctors for their love and care.


2) DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL
•How is line used? What does it do/express?
Lines are very simple and fine, very fluent as well. There are seldom straight lines, but a lot of curved lines. Some contour lines are blurring into the background. Lines are very delicate when it comes to eyes and hands.The lines show how Barbara tried to capture a specific moment quickly and her intension to memorize her day duty feelings other than to do a sophisticated sketch.


•How is tone used? What does it do/express?
Tone in this picture is very harmonious and warm. But the whole picture isn’t focusing on perspective and light and dark, it’s very flat. The yellow color makes the scene warm and has a sense of peace and safety. Purple seems to mixed right with yellow, and help to create shadows and depth in the picture.The tone is particularly important in this painting, and the yellow-dominated tone seem to manifest the inner qualities of love for lived and rescue every life of doctors.


•What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture? What is the effect?
Mainly there are 3 human figures, and one patient seems to be covered under the doctors and light. But the figures are without identity, and simplified by the simple lines and less concern about the proportion.In the painting, there are a lot of curved or circle-liked shapes, such as the left side doctor's arm seem to form a circle with the right side doctor.This kind of arrangements help to make the painting soft and harmony, assisting to express feelings.  


•Is texture a feature of the drawing?
Yes. In this picture, the artist was trying to emphasize on the mood of the painting, not the detail and reality of it. So she tried to make the surface smooth, and lines are fluent. Us viewers don't have to spend efforts to appreciate the details and skills of the painting, instead, we can experience a sense of harmony and warmth immediately while watching it. Colors are simple and echoing with each other, no strong contrast. The arrangements of colors help to preserve the mood constructed by lines and composition.


•What can you say about the composition of the drawing? What is the effect of this type of composition on the overall drawing?
The composition of this drawing is triangular; three figures show the apexes of the triangle. And the whole painting is slightly above our eye level. These arrangements help to create a sense of stable and harmony. And the closed composition makes the patient seems to be protected by the three doctors, also increase the sense of safety.Actually the lamp is the emphasis of this painting. Because other contrast are all based on it, while the three doctors' eyes are leading us to the lamp. The lamp is warm and bright, and very important in the operation, as well as represent doctors' faith of saving people's lives. The doctor in the middle is depicted quite like a Christ-like figure, judging from his eyes and the gesture of him, his head and arms seem to form another smaller triangle, which make the composition more stable, and reinforce the sense of safety and harmony.


•Is rhythm important in this picture? If so, say more about it...
Not so much I think. Because in this painting, it’s more like a capture of a very moment, make it still and memorize it. But I think the curved lines are like floating music notes, they are very tender.


•Is the picture balanced? Explain...
Yes, this drawing is quite balanced. The composition contributes a lot. It’s a closed triangle composition, very stable. Although the whole picture is slightly deviated to right, but because of the two lower figures, it still very balanced.


•Is perspective used in the picture? If so, describe the way that the illusion of three-dimensional space has been created.
A little. Instead of using shadows precisely, she used the position of three figures to show the three dimensional space, because the two lower figures seems bigger than the higher one, so there should be some space between them. Also the use of purple color helps to replace the shadow, which used to create the three-dimensional feeling.


•Is the picture harmonious? If so, in what way?
Yes. First it’s because of the composition. The triangular composition remains me of the religious sacred feelings. And this composition makes the scene stable.Doctors seem to coherent with one another, and they together form a closed triangle, which also make the paintnig more harmony. The curved lines contribute to this feeling as well. Those lines are tender, thin and clean, no clear angles, no complicated overlapping. The use of colors is warming and bright.


•Are there any strong contrasts in the picture? Say more...
No. The color is light and echoes to each other, not in contrast, but in connection.


3) INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION
•What is the mood of the drawing? Justify your answer using information from your responses above
The mood is peaceful and harmony, with a sense of warmth and safety. Lines are very simple and fine, there are seldom straight lines or sharp angles. The yellow color makes the scene warm and has a sense of peace and safety, because this color relates us to lights, and light is warm and safe experience of human beings. The triangular composition remains me of the religious sacred feelings. And this composition makes the scene stable. All the elements in the drawing help to form the mood of harmony and peaceful.


•What does the drawing express? Justify your answer using information from your responses above
It use simple lines and warm colors to express a feeling of safety and harmony. The composition of the painting also shows its stability and safety feelings. The middle figure was depicted as a Christ-like figure, with his eyes tenderly looking down and his hand forming a holding position, which remains me of religious painting and Virgin Marie.


•In your opinion, why is this work interesting/moving/ clever/ imaginative/thought-provoking/......?  Choose the adjective(s) that best fit(s) the work, and then justify your conclusion in terms of specific features and qualities of the drawing.
I think this painting is moving. Because the lines are loose while clean, but the facial expression and hands are carefully depicted. The composition as well as the color forms the tone of the painting, making us feel safe and harmony. The most eye-catching figure was represented as a religious figure. It shows doctors’ duty of saving people and warmhearted.



Reference List
1: From Lucie-Smith, Edward, Lives of the Great 20th-Century Artists,
   http://www.artchive.com/artchive/H/hepworth.html