Art Analysis: Janet Fish's Painting of Yellow Flowers on a White Shroud

This art analysis explores Janet Fish's painting of yellow flowers on a white shroud, discussing its elements, interpretation, and background information.

Running head: ART ANALYSIS
ART ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ART ANALYSIS
Step 1- Preparation and Label
The image chosen by me is a painting of Janet Fish. It shows yellow flowers on a white
shroud, placed on a grass bed with wild purple flowers on it. There is as such nothing abstract in
the image, as it is very straight forward and unambiguously flowers of various colours, which
goes in tandem with the style of painting usually done by her, that is painting images which are
realistic in nature. This goes as far as the information about the painting that can be provided.
However, despite being realistic and a very straightforward presentation of flowers in the
painting, there definitely has to be something abstract and symbolic about the image, which shall
be provided in the latter steps.
Step 2- First Impression
The immediate reaction to the piece of art was that it was an illustration of a nursery
rhyme book meant for children to read as they love colourful stuffs and their books are made
colourful deliberately so as to attract attention. I must also say that the painting is very much
attractive as it has the element of attracting the attention of the viewer.
Step 3- Description
To describe the piece of art, the first thing that attracts the most is the bunch of yellow
flowers which are rather haphazhardly placed on a piece of white shroud. The white shroud is
placed on a grass patch with purple flowers blooming on it.
The shapes of the flowers and the leaves are very much natural, they are similar to what
one can see in real life. The chosen colours are quite bright and they attract the eyes. The lines

2ART ANALYSIS
used are quite fine and continuous and the form is unidimensional and no effort has been devoted
to create any illusion.
With regard to the visual cues it must be said that too many beautiful elements have been
made to interact with each other, and that has caused the viewer to face difficulty in viewing
each of the element separately and appreciate its beauty. The source of lighting is natural and
direction is vertical. There is no illusory in the picture as such as it is very realistic.
Step 4- Analysis
There is a harmonious balance of the artistic elements like colour, shape, line, texture,
shape, form and value in the image. There is no contrast as such as the colours and shape are
very much unidimensional. There is a unity of elements as in mostly flowers and leaves, the only
odd element is the white shroud. There is a fine balance in the choosing of the elements as the
flowers and leaves are relateable to each other, the only mismatch is the white shroud which had
been absorbed into the rhythm and unity of the painting thereby making it look like it is not a
mismatch.
The artist has chosen high quality oil paint to render the image with a shimmery effect
like that of glass paintings.
The usage of vibrant colours of the nature has attracted my attention the most in the
work, and I suppose the artist has worked hard in making the painting colourful.
Though the element of being highly colourful is associated with joy euphoria, but the
whit shroud and the arrangement of the bunch of yellow flowers tend to convey a sense of
sadness, like a tomb of a deceased person and the mourners paying their homages. The initial

3ART ANALYSIS
feeling is of awe which is an effect of the colours, but on deep analysis, the feeling is of sadness
as death and tomb are symbolism of detachment.
Step 5- Interpretation
Since a piece of art is a medium of expression and no matter how much straightforward it
might seem, the chosen art work is in my opinion all about being reflective of some personal
tragedy of the painter Janet Fish. It could be some beloved one of her whom she had lost that she
must have dedicated the painting to. The theme or subject is an offering of flowers and the view
of the world that has been espoused by the painter is that all good things come to an end, nothing
is permanent except the memories.
Step 6- Background information
This particular art work was done by her in memory of her beloved grandmother to
whom she was very much attached to, and her death had left a deep impact in her life.
Step 7- Informed judgement
The thing which I have learned about the artwork is that usage of highly bright colours
are something which most artists tend to avoid, but Janet Fish has changed my mindset and the
chosen painting has made me favourably disposed towards making painting colourful. She has
redefined abstraction by her realistic painting and has shown that realistic paintings can be
abstract too.