Art Assessment-Critique Exemplar
Analysis:
The element of art that, in my opinion, is the most important would be space. The road is
twisting and turning all over the place. You can see the space between the building and the trees
and forest. You can even see the road all the way up the painting. It gives me the idea that the
road is a long road. I also see that form is a very important element of art. The trees in the
background are little circles that get smaller and smaller when they go farther away. The road
looks like a big ‘U’ with little twists along the way. The top of the church is a long and narrow
triangle. There isn’t much pattern in the painting, yet the artist made this all work by balancing
the art work in an asymmetrical way. The main focal point, the church, was put in the front of
the painting, close to the center. That’s the first thing I see when I look at the painting.
I see the church, because it’s large and the color stands out. Then my eyes drift down to
the road. I see Paul Revere on his horse, because he’s a darker figure on a lighter road. Then my
eyes follow the road. They stop at the house next to the church because golden lights are shining
through the window and catch my attention. After that, my eyes go back down to the road. They
keep going along it until the next little house. I pay attention to it because it also has golden
lights shining through the windows. After I look at it, my eyes go back to the road and follow it.
They keep going until they reach the top, where some little specks of gold are. I infer that they
are houses with lights on. My eyes then catch a glimpse of the trees. The smooth and circular
shapes make them look perfect. There are many little trees. They stand out because they are
shapes on top of something flat. I then look at what seems to be a stone wall. It’s huge and wide,
making my eyes go towards it. The follow it until it reaches the road. My brain then tells me that
I’ve already seen this. I then just scan the corners of the pictures and look it over again to make
sure I haven’t missed anything.
Looking at this artwork next to “The Starry Night,” I can see many similarities and
differences. The way the artist painted the artwork is very different. In “The Midnight Ride of
Paul Revere,” the lines and shapes are more smooth and fluid than “The Starry Night.” In Van
Gogh’s piece, the lines are more rough and almost jerk around the page. Grant Wood’s piece has
less colors than “The Starry Night.” Van Gogh’s has brighter and more colors. One of the most
important elements of arts in “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” space, isn’t as present in “The
Starry Night.” “The Starry Night,” seems more flat than the other piece of art. There are more
lines in “The Starry Night,” than there are in Wood’s artwork. With all these differences, there
are similarities. Both pieces of artwork have a similar focal point. They both have a large and
triangular shape on the left side of the piece and it’s close to the center. They also have a ‘town’
feel about them. Both artworks have the little houses in the background.
Interpretation:
The subject of these artwork is Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride. The artist picked this
subject to show a piece of United States history. It was made to show the world of the famous
night where Revere rode the roads of the colonies to warn everyone that ‘the British are coming!’
The time period is very important to the artwork because it is about a piece of history. The artist
really used the process of painting with oil painting well. He took the advantages it has. He made
it smooth and well-rounded.
Compared to “The Starry Night,” this painting is still very different. Time period in Van
Gogh’s piece is not as important as it is in Wood’s painting. “The Starry Night” could have been
painted in any time period and it wouldn’t make a difference in the importance of it. The subject
is different too. It’s about a night sky unlike Wood’s which is about history.
Judgement:
The artist made this piece of art to show an important event in history. He wanted to teach
people about Paul’s Revere’s ‘midnight ride’ in a new and different way. It’s a visual of the event
which could help the understanding of the ride.
Unlike Wood’s piece, Van Gogh’s painting seems to just resemble a beautiful night sky.
It’s more of a ‘pleasure’ piece than it is a ‘teaching’ piece.
All of this information that Wood has put into “Paul’s Revere’s Midnight Ride,” is so
important that this artwork has been preserved and kept all these years. It’s a way to, like I said,
teach this important event to people in a new way. It’s a piece of history itself.