The painting I chose for this blog post is “Structure, Number 2” by Sam Francis; I chose it because of its vibrant colors and the aggressiveness of the lines. Along with the distinctive lines came a wide range of color choices, and while observing there is almost a separation of specific colors on each side, I can't help but think this was the intention of the artist. While assessing how this makes me feel and how others might perceive it, the Thing that stood out to me the most was the jagged lines and paint splattering. The splattering especially gave me many emotions, like anger and desperation. More specifically, the painting's lines made me think of war, with the red paint almost like blood on the walls of a war-torn nation, probably from people just trying to protect their homes. I think I came to this conclusion because of playing mature and violent video games from a young age, like Call of Duty, Halo, and God of War. Staying on the point of the war, the variety of colors like red and yellow makes me think of early American settling day, with the American settlers battling it out with the natives, especially with the blue being primarily on one side of the painting and the yellow on the other. There are jagged red lines on both sides, showing the loss of loved ones by either side of the war. Another interpretation of this painting is a little more personal, a battle to stay alive. The red reminded me of the car I restored with my grandpa before he passed away. The aggressiveness of the red made me think of how hard he fought to keep going, the multiple heart surgeries, among many other things like pills and rigorous dieting. Although it is rough, the two splatters connect, and even though it is harder to lose someone you have a connection with, it's always better to have good memories than none. All in all, I feel Sam Francis does an excellent job on this painting, and an endless number of interpretations can develop while looking at this painting, and the more you look at it, the more feeling I develop.
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