Compare contrast Two Paintings
The First Steps by Marguerite Gerard & First Steps by Vincent van Gogh 3. Paris, A Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte & Rainy Day on Fifth Avenue 1893 by Childe Hassam. Describe the two paintings in detail so that your readers can easily visualize them without actually seeing them. Explain how the perspective, technique, and compositional features of each painting help create contrasting rhetorical effects. In your analysis, focus on two or three specific points of contrast. Support your analysis by referring to specific details from each painting.
Questions for Visual Analysis
What point of view does the painting take toward its subject? Does the Perspective perspective seem subjective or objective, positive or negative, emotional or detached? How do the details of the painting create a specific impression? What artistic techniques does the painting display? Does the painting seem Technique realistic or expressionistic? Are its colors vibrant or subdued? Does the brush work look polished or messy? How are the details of the painting arranged? What do you notice about Compositional the colors, the lines, and the relationships among the people and objects Features portrayed?
How do the individual figures relate to each other and to their setting? What visual parallels and relationships do you see? Your analysis should present both your own observations and library research.
(Please note: encyclopedias—including on-line encyclopedias like Wikipedia—do not count as sources for this assignment.
) Give your essay a thesis and a clear, logical organization. Your first paragraph should start with a strong lead, provide any necessary background information, and end with a clear thesis statement. The next 1 paragraph should establish the similarities between the two paintings and describe them. Then, in two or three paragraphs, present the points of contrast between the two paintings. Be sure to support your analysis with specific details from the paintings. In your final paragraph, summarize your main points and clearly present the significance of your analysis. Each paragraph should have a strong topic sentence.
