1)
In childhood, Cole uses an orange theme or a dark orange sky to make it almost as if
the sun is starting to rise to symbolize the rise of a new life and childhood experience.
The small plants that lay near the angle and the baby on the boat could represent the
early beginnings of life, with the plants starting small but will eventually grow overtime
such as the baby. The orange hue can also symbolize joy and optimism.
In youth, the baby has now grown and is being set off alone by the angel. Cole uses the
trees as a way to symbolize growth over time as the baby is now no longer a baby. The
castle can symbolize the large goals of the young child as they spread wide and beyond
his gasp. He wishes to grab and achieve that goal as he reaches the sky and moves
forward.
In manhood, the young child is now an adult. Cole shifts the colors and theme to
symbolize a dreadful and dark experience. The adult’s life may be filled with stress,
chaos, and overwhelming moments that cause the boat to shake in violence. The rough
currents further support this sense of despair as it symbolizes what life is to the adult,
and that it is very rough.
Lastly in old age, the adult is now an old man. Cole uses the bright yellow sky to
illuminate itself in front of the old man to symbolize the afterlife presumably heaven. The
contrast in the golden sky to the gray and dark surroundings symbolizes the possibility
of light no matter how dark it can be. Guided by the angel who has been with him since
he was a child, the angle guides the old man into the afterlife.
2)
Nature plays the role of growth. In the beginning, starting with childhood, the small
leaves and plants symbolize the beginning of growth.
In youth the plants now grow into trees, symbolizing the passage of time and how the
small plants grew into large trees, full of life.
In manhood, the colors of the plants darken, and the trees begin to spiral and twist
symbolizing life itself in manhood, a chaotic spiral full of despair.
In old age, the disappearance of plants symbolizes the beginning of the end where
eventually the plant and the old man would pass on. The first two provided guidance
and a sense of calmness in emotion while the last two ended things in a lost, chaotic
state with a sense of despair and inevitability.
3)
The light and shadows play a large role in emphasizing the main themes and
characteristics of each stage in the voyage of life. The orange haze from a rising sun
gives the message of the beginning of a new life such as the beginning of a new day
with the sun starting to rise.
In youth, the natural colors with a blue sky give the message of calmness and hope.
In manhood, the dark colors can only give off a sense of dread and misery.
And finally, in old age, the dark surroundings can give the message of the end as if the
sun has settled or is about to settle its way down. But the bright light above the sky
gives the symbol of hope and a path to the afterlife.
4)
To me, the painting that resonates with me is old age. I believe its depicted so
accurately based on my experience with the people around me. When you come to a
certain old age, you can’t help but know that the sun is about to set and that your final
breath will soon reach closer. Everyone I know who's old such as my grandma, my dad,
and probably all old people have already accepted this fact. And this can be symbolized
in the painting of old age. The old man reaches his arm out to the angle, accepting his
fate as the clues around him grow darker and darker. With that being said, I really
believe that these themes do represent and accurate depiction of human life in some
regards.
5)
1. The calm open sea represents the conclusion of life’s journey because everything
has been settled. As you go more towards the calm sea, the darkness continues to
grow representing the nearing of the end. I believe this is an accurate representation of
being old in modern life. When you grow up, you grow up fast. You do many things
during your childhood, youth, and manhood, and the only time you slow down and
become calm is when you’re old, meaning this is a very good illustration of old age.
2. The angle returning and leading the old man towards the heavenly light shows the
kind morality, belief in faith, and the ideas of salvation. In the sense of morality, it brings
the idea that when one was been through the good and the bad experiences of life, they
should eventually be lead and brought to the good parts of the afterlife. Faith and
salvation can be connected as the belief in faith can lead to the saving of a human from
a sin and its consequences including death.
3. The theme of the colors that surround the old man. The gray clouds, the dark
shadows, and the shallow and colorless water all symbolize the nearing of the end as all
the colors fade. In contrast to the other painting, there is an absolute night and day
difference in terms of the theme and the idea behind the colors when compared. For
example, when comparing old age to childhood, it's literally a night and day difference.
In childhood, the colors of childhood can be seen as the sun rising to a new life. While in
old age, the dark and colorless surroundings can symbolize the sun setting, nearing the
end of life, but with hope as the afterlife of heaven appears in the sky by a golden light.
When compared to manhood, manhood is the beginning of the drains in color. It is
represented as a stressful, rocky, and cruel time. The lack of light in the sky proves this
time of life to be a formidable time. When transitioning to old age, the colors go darker,
telling us that the time of sorrow still exists but with the possibility of death in time soon
to come. But this time, there is a sense of hope that lays in this time, as the heavenly
light shines upon the old man’s time to come.