Bird in Flight: Artwork Description, Analysis, Interpretation, and Judgment

This article provides a detailed description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment of the Bird in Flight sculpture by Sollai Cartwright. It explores the dimensions, texture, elements, principles, and meaning of the artwork. The artist's interpretation and judgment of the sculpture are also discussed.

Running head: BIRD IN FLIGHT 1
Bird in Flight by Sollai Cartwright
Student’s Name
University

BIRD IN FLIGHT
2
Bird in Flight by Sollai Cartwright
Description
The artwork has the dimensions of 85cm height, 40cm width and 105cm depth and it is
made of white Carrrara marble for the sculpture and red marble for the base. The design of the
bird using marble presents both physical and visual texture. The physical texture is derived from
the nature of the material that has been used to create the artwork. This means that the sculpture
presents physical texture that has been achieved through smoothness of the material which gives
a sense of contrast between the bird and the surface. The base and the sculpture itself have been
designed differently to produce physical texture. Further, visual texture has been achieved by the
artist through the skillful nature of the artwork to create an illusion of optical texture creating the

BIRD IN FLIGHT
3
image of a specific bird which is a dove. In other words, the artist has used this texture to create
different birds like owls.
Analysis
Elements of art entail a variety of aspects that artists use in their work to create visual
aspects that can be seen by the viewer. One element in the artwork is the use of form. Brown &
Green (2011) states that in art, form is the work that creates the shape in the piece of work that
the artist uses. In this case, Sollai has used both depth, width, and height proportionally by
applying principles of art to create a piece of work that can be accepted. The artist has used
organic form to visually suggest the natural world which makes the shape of the bird appear in
the image.
Shape is an element of art that uses lines to enclose two-dimensional space. In art,
different shapes are used to create a piece of work that is acceptable. To apply shape, artists use
organic shape to create different images that they seek to accomplish in art (Tomita, 2015). To
create the sculpture of the bird, organic shapes are used since they follow no rules thus allowing
the artists to create an improved piece of art that depicts a bird in flight. This means that the
freeform element of shape allowed the artists to create a sculpture that has life and shows birds in
flight.
Further, we have also seen the use of texture where both visual and physical texture have
been used to shape the view that the artist sought to achieve. Visual texture has been used to
create the image in the object which highlights the organic nature of the piece of art that shows

BIRD IN FLIGHT
4
the life in it. Thus visual texture has been created to make the viewer understand what the
sculpture implies.
One principle of art that is seen in the piece of art is the use of rhythm to create motion in
the sculpture. To create rhythm Sollai carefully repeated use of shapes to create a visual tempo in
the sculpture. Since the sculpture is designed to depict a bird in flight, rhythm has been used to
produce meaning. Through the use of random rhythm where the shapes have been grouped
together to show the life and flight nature of the birds.
Another principle of art that is seen in the artwork is the use of balance through
combining different elements to the feeling of stability and equilibriums to the art (Findlay,
2012). What we can see in the piece of art is symmetry in the whole work that has been achieved
through the use of shape and form to relate the different parts of the sculpture to each other to
create visual equilibrium. Since the sculpture is three-dimensional, gravity influences balance
since the sculpture can only achieve balance if it stands on its own. This is the reason why the
base is wider than the sculpture itself and the shape used in base is different from those in the
real sculpture. Thus visual weight has been distributed evenly across the composition to make
the view appealing to the eye. Therefore, balance is a principle of art that seeks to create a
positive impression for the viewer to increase visual acceptance (Stout, 2012). Symmetry has
also been achieved in the way the different sides of the sculpture have been made identical. This
means that when an imagery line is drawn at the center of the artwork, a sense of order,
rationality, solemnity, stability, and formality can be seen.
Lastly, proportion is also another principle that has been applied in the piece of art
through the relationship of different elements of art that combine together to form a whole

BIRD IN FLIGHT
5
(Stout, 2012). In the sculpture, form, shape, and texture have been used to create the image of a
bird in flight in a piece of art that needs a closer look to understand what the artist was trying to
portray. In most cases, artists use their creativity to combine different elements of art in order to
achieve proportion. By combining these elements of art, Sollai was able to create a sculpture of
birds in flight.
Interpretation
According to MacNeill (2010), intepretation of art needs to be interpreted beyond its
closed nature and focus on wider conversations in the meaning of art. Thus birds in flight is a
sculpture that seeks to encapsulate the spirit of the land and the sky. The artist argues that the
marble yielded its own spirit of joy when it was being carved. Thus allow him to participate in a
meditative state that allows the will of the universe to be created in the sculpture. These pieces
seem to float in a dreamlike state that creates the illusion of a bird in the sky. The choice of the
material used is not just ordinary marble but rather marble that was sourced from Italy in the
quarries of Pietrasanta (Alcoa, 2019). This shows the drive and the need for the artist to share the
feelings that he had when creating the artwork. The bird seems to create a spirit of the sky that
creates a state of tumultuous joy when you look at it. Thus the finishing of the sculpture and its
finishing has been designed in a way that allows the viewer to continue with the journey of
viewing (Nunan & Cartwright, 2013). Thus the work of Sollai seems to create an illusion of an
ever ending journey that makes it easy for the viewer to be driven by the artistic elements in the
art.
Judgment

BIRD IN FLIGHT
6
The birds of a flight sculpture is a piece of artwork that is successful since it shows the
world as a beautiful place as shown in the journey of the birds. The inspirational seeps that the
sculpture creates show the beauty of the world that we live in and the constant movement in our
lives. Thus the artist creates aesthetic beauty that explores the nature of the world that people
live. The sculpture encapsulate the spirit of the land and the sky and presents a visual effect that
creates the journey of life that shows a bird in motion. This can be related to life where people
are always on the move in search for opportunities in life. Thus the sculpture shows the motion
of life that people engage in everyday of their life. This can be related to showing the value of
life and the enjoyment that comes when people move from one place to another. Thus the
finishing of the artwork is related to the bird in flight where we cannot tell where they are
coming from and where they are going. However, if I was the artist I would have focused on
adding the aesthetic elements of the artwork by creating different sizes of birds to illustrate the
different elements and parts in life. This means that I would have created a bigger sculpture that
carries more aesthetic value that the image displays. The impression of birds in flight will be
better than birds in flight thus what will be added is making sure that the image of the birds
appear infinite which will show the unpredictable nature of life.

BIRD IN FLIGHT
7
References
Alcoa. (2019). Artists and exhibition information: Sculpture by the SeaCottesloe. Alcoa School
Education Program. Retrieved from
https://sculpturebythesea.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/C19-Artist-and-their-
Artworks.pdf
Brown, A., & Green, T. D. (2011). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting
fundamental principles with process and practice. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Findlay, M. (2012). The Value of Art (Vol. 56). New York: Prestel Verlag.
MacNeill, K. (2010). When Subject Becomes Object: Nakedness, Art and the Public Sphere.
Media International Australia, 135(1), 82–93.
Nunan, S., & Cartwright, M. (2013, May). A Tuscan Art Adventre in Hong Kong. Retrieved from
https://livingtuscany.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/a-tuscan-art-adventure-in-hong-kong/
Stout, J. (2012). Design Exploring the Elements & Principles. Iowa State University.
Tomita, K. (2015). Principles and Elements of Visual Design: A Review of the Literature on
Visual Design of Instructional Materials. Educational Studies, 57, 168-174.