Amateurish?
Hi,
I am having real trouble self critiquing this one. I took and implemented all Arty's suggestions for improvement but I still think that the city in this painting is not right. Please be brutally honest with me!
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Art Critique
21 Comments
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Honestly, I like it. This piece has a lot to say. It can speak to political views, social status and injustices, a need for academic reform, intellectualism, religion, etc.
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Is it meant to feel right? What do you mean 'Right'. Who said what you produce has to make you feel comfortable? To me the whole image is a challenge...
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Translated from Français
The impression looks strange to you because the city is as clear as the barbed wire, so your brain doesn't know what the focus of your image is.
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I honestly think the emotional atmosphere in this piece is already very strong. The contrast between the chaotic barbed wire and the distant city creates an immediate sense of tension, isolation, and psychological distance.
Personally, I don’t think the city feels “wrong” — it actually works well as a quieter, more distant element behind the intensity of the foreground. If anything, I’d only suggest giving the city one slightly stronger focal area so the eye has a clearer place to settle.
But overall, I’d be careful not to overwork it. Sometimes too many corrections can remove the raw emotional character that makes a piece memorable in the first place.
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The fact that you can feel something's off but can't name it yet means you're seeing your own work honestly. That's not amateur, that's someone growing in real time.
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I think its great. The color is amazing. What exactly doesn't seem right to you? It fits together perfectly ' imperfect', in the sense that its a city trying to survive in a harsh environment that is no longer meant for it to exist in. I think its just right.
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That's really kind, thank you! But to me, the city needs something that I can't put my finger on
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You could try scumbling the city if it's an oil painting. That would put it more in the background. All in all it's a great picture.
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Hi Molly,
Thanks for your input, but I don't know what scumbling means! Can you let me know?
Thanks
Dee
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Scumbling is when you take a dry oil painting and apply some light colored paint, usually white, to the area you want to get the affect on then wipe it off. There are YouTube videos on it.
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Hi, nice painting! In view of the size of the buildings, this suggests they are far away, therefore I would soften the edges and even make the cloud overlap the top of the buildings making it look like they are further in the background. Does that make sense?
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Translated from Español
Hi. My impression is that although the subject matter of the work is a bit scary, I like how you handle color.
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Honestly the fact that you’re willing to post it and ask tells me you’re taking this seriously. I’m not an artist so I can’t speak to the technical side, but as someone just looking at it, the mood comes through. That counts for a lot.
Thank you