24 July, 2009
Artist: Sylvia Grantins, Ontario Canada
Title: The Red School
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Available: etsy.com, sylviagrantins.blogspot
Appeal:
Red, black and white are always a commanding color combination. Don't believe me? Have a look at the Nazi flag or White Stripes album covers. Perhaps it's because the contrasting shades allow red the spotlight and we can all identify with red. Red is a stop sign, the blood that pumps through our heart, our face when we're embarassed or excited. Some may have gone to schools whose exteriors were painted red. Why red? Perhaps it made it hard for kids to say "I couldn't find the building" as an excuse for their tardiness.
We have a red schoolhouse of that sort here. It stands out from the snow like a sore thumb, so to speak. We're looking at it at an unsual time, however, as most schools operate during the day. Notice the wild night sky, fully of starry activity. Stars dance overhead like dreamy sugar plums for the school kids asleep in their beds at the same time this setting takes place. Is this to say school, early school at least, may incite childrens' imaginations? I know my early childhood educational experiences still influence me today.
What I really love about Grantins' works is how fluid everything is. The snow melts but the building seems to want to melt also- as if everything were one big candle that we've lit many times but never seem to fully finish. Dreamy.
No comments:
Post a Comment