Instructions are in the attachment below. 

Please reply to these students below.

Student 1:  Yolande Njomjeu 

Reflection of the Big Dipper, 1947

Jackson Pollock

Media: Oil on Canvas

1- According to an art blogger, abstract painting is the visual expression of an artist without the constraint of forms found in objective reality. It is consider the purest form of expression. 

2-What is the media used for each piece and how does it add to the piece?

This piece of art was painted on canvas. The artist used oil because it allows him to use techniques like blending. He also used enamel to complete the layered look.

3-What example of contrast can you find in color, size and shape?

Pollock alternated between thick and thin lines. Some of his gestures make me think of ink-jet print. This painting has an organic shape, it looks chaotic. The artist used  primary colors like blue and yellow. He also used some secondary colors like orange and purple. The blue is very saturated and contrast with the black. 

4-How would the painting look if the orientation was horizontal? Do you think the artist would have painted it differently?

If the painting was horizontally oriented, the direction of the lines would have change. Pollock was known for putting the canvas on a hard surface especially on the floor. He wanted to have all possible views of the painting. I do not think he would have painted it differently. 

Source: https://www.jackson-pollock.org/reflection-of-the-big-dipper.jsp

The Basics of Abstract Painting You Should Know

Composition VII, 1913

Wassily Kandinsky

Media: Oil on Canvas

1-Abstract painting is the visual expression of an artist without the contraint of forms found in objective reality. It is considered the purest form of expression. 

2-What is the media used for this piece and how does it add to the piece?

The piece of art was painted on canvas. The artist used oil because it allows him to use techniques like blending.

3-What example of contrast can you find in color, size, and shape?

Some colors are vivid while others are blurred. The painting looks like a hurricane of forms and colors. The artist intertwined hard and soft edged shapes.

4-How would the painting look if the orientation was horizontal? Do you think the artist would have painted it differently?

The painting is oriented horizontally. i do not think the artist would have painted it differently. To him a painting is a music and i believe this is the music he wanted to compose.

Student #2  Brandon White 

Reflection of the Big Dipper, 1947
Jackson Pollock
Media: Oil on Canvas

1) What is abstract painting? How is it defined?
At their core, abstract paintings is something that an artist can use to freely express their feelings, thoughts, and more. In a way, an abstract painting is sort of a window in to who the artist truly is, rather than what they see in the world around them.
2) What is the media used for each piece and how does it add to the piece?
The painting to me seems to be oil painted onto a canvas. This allows artists to be able to blend and make it look layered.
3) What examples of contrast can you find – in color, size, shape?
All across the painting is a series of both thicker and smaller strokes of black, while the blue in the middle seems to stand out the most. Around that is various streaks of yellow.
4) How would the paintings look if the orientation was horizontal? Do you think the artist would have painted it differently?
In my opinion, the painting would not look any different in what it is if it was flipped into a different direction, nor do I think the artist would have painted it different. The position of colors, patterns, and such would rotate, but it would still be fairly static in it’s design and outcome.

Composition VII (1913)
Wassily Kandinsky
Media: Oil on Canvas

1) What is abstract painting? How is it defined?
At their core, abstract paintings is something that an artist can use to freely express their feelings, thoughts, and more. In a way, an abstract painting is sort of a window in to who the artist truly is, rather than what they see in the world around them.
2) What is the media used for each piece and how does it add to the piece?
The painting to me seems to be oil painted onto a canvas. This allows artists to be able to blend and make it look layered.
3) What examples of contrast can you find – in color, size, shape?
There is a lot going on in this image compared to the first one, as shapes, colors, and more vary from one glance to another. It’d be hard to not have your eyes drawn away within seconds of seeing something, as they’d quickly pick up another detail that one missed, such as musical notes hidden in the painting.
4) How would the paintings look if the orientation was horizontal? Do you think the artist would have painted it differently?
While I don’t think the artist would have painted it differently, I can safely say that the painting would look quite different if it was turned on it’s side. The perspective of it would change, as well as the overall outcome and look of the painting – in a way that would almost give the viewer a new experience, and cause them to think differently on it.