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RadoJavor β golden age
Published: 2012-02-05 20:20:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 94840; Favourites: 4213; Downloads: 2975
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Description
A new private project. Melancholic atmosphere from small deserted American town in 50's, picture inspired by my trip to US.Let me know any critics, I would like to make more in this theme and welcome some thoughts.
All in PS with wacom intuos.
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Comments: 371
This is pretty awesome if think about it, i always like small town America. This picture of a deserted town is pretty organic, in it's own way. Not to mention that it has a mid century feel to it, a abandoned small country town that, was once a thriving community.
Now it sits empty in the middle of nowhere, i also like how everything is detailed, especially the background and derelict cars. I always wonder if modern society, is destroying small town valves, also the picture kind a reminds me of Cairo, Illinois and Detroit.
Well keep up the good work and all.
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Very evocative , i just see two little problems 1), The trees have autumn colors , so i assume it would be September -October , If you only visited the States and are from Europe you may not be very aware of the incredible fertility of US weeds . in September -October your cars (and town )would be overgrown with all kind of wild stuff ( where we in Europe have mainly brambles ).. 2) the watertower seems to have withstand the hand of time a little to much ....
Like i said , little problems ..still a Great picture
As for great details , i love the tin roof on the white building and the realistic way it's siding is falling apart , when living i the USA i lived beside an abandoned house that looked nearly 100% the same ...
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To tell the truth I love this piece quiet adamantly. Sure the sky needs a bit more work, I'm no expert about it, but it seems a bit off to me. Though Adore the color transition expressed within it. It's amazing the captivation on the old style cars that are slowly rusting and decaying as the elements of the world around them eat away at the exposed metal, and glass. It actually remind me of a place up north in America. Indian has many places that remind me of this piece. The detail brought into the foliage and leaves scattered about, is an amazing process that I could simply envy. The old style and renditions of the buildings was obviously well thought out. The shadowing is also well done. Though you can not get a clear depiction of what is on the other side of the long stretch of road, you get the sense and feel that there are other old buildings just out of sight that may be just as decrepit as the buildings being shown.
I get the sense that even though this quaint looking place may be dying and falling apart. It had lived a very lively existence, yet what could have been had been unobtainable. The look of the place as it is, shows a hope and good life that now is that of a memory sent to live on in those that are left to remember it. Even though time goes by and things fade, the impression left behind will always live on in those who know were to look.
Anyways I hope this was a good enough insight. Like I said I'm not expert, but I like giving people what I think. This had inspired me to try hard and do better in my works, even though they may not be as realistic as yours is. Other that what I've said this is definitely a lovely piece of art that I will certainly go on remembering.
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Let me start by saying this is a very great piece of true art, it captures an idea of decay and abandonment. The details on the cars are very good, the colours of them have been washed away. However I would think there should be more vines leading into the cars, maybe also a bird's nest? The white on the first house and fence should be a bit more grey, washed away. My greatest point of critique are the shadows, they are too bland and weak. A point of one of my predecessors is the blue in the dark clouds, this is absolutely natural, I've seen it in Assissi at the nether-cathedral. Blue skies occur with dark clouds. Overall it's a very good detailed painting on a used idea.
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There is a stark contrast I see and enjoy when viewing this picture. First of all I can almost feel cold autumn winds when I see the sky and the lighting and at the same time I can sense the warmth of the summers past when I imagine the old golden age of the U.S.
On a personal level I have always been charmed and captivated by the so-called "Atomic Age" of the 50's. As a European born long after this era I feel that the naΓ―vetΓ© and optimism that the American culture enjoyed in this time was unique in ways I doubt anyone will ever experience again. This was an era where everything was possible, where the secrets of the atom were being unravelled and the potentials could be anyone's guess. Ideas that were impractical or could even be life-threatening were embraced due to the same naΓ―vetΓ© and optimism I mentioned earlier.
The piece is named "golden age" and I believe it is a perfect name for these optimistic days. Because it became more apparent in time that this age eventually showed to be the foolish first seed of a culture and society that today stands on an unfortunate edge. The name is of course more ironic in this sense as even seen in the picture; the corpse of a once-vibrant and active city, forever frozen as a memory of a by-gone time where there was no care in the world for the future. But time makes fools of us all and even this little, 1950's American utopia had to suffer the consequences of magical thinking.
I would never place a perceived vision into the mouth of the responsible artist, but if the vision of this artwork was to show how nothing is safe from the passage of time, then I believe you could never have given me a better execution of said vision. It is a beautiful piece even if I did not see the philosophical and historical elements within it.
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This is going to be a bit short but
I think you need to rethink the cars if this id the 50s no one in there right mind would let a seemingly ok car go to waste let alone 4 of them and while I could be said that they are broken it's not readily apparent beyond what appears to be broken glass and flat tiers
could you possibly include somthing to idcate that they are trully BROKEN oil stain on the road. bonet open. wheel missing. great big hole in the side?
Other wise this is a truly brilliant piece of art work
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I have to agree with Pinkchick400 and GeminiLiam.
I find very little wrong with this piece. The yellow to blue actually works really IMO. The detail on the vehicles is top notch. The only picky thing I see about it is the leaves on the road don't change color in the shadows making them look like they are floating a little bit. Maybe darkening the ones in the shadows, and brightening up the ones in the light more could fix that. Lack of detail ( like the tree branch) always appeals to me when coupled with awesome rendering you have going on in other spots. I say bravo.
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Two very different critiques already and I must say I have to agree more with the first, a wonderful piece of work., your detail is just amazing. An autumn scene captures the decaying of life perfectly, old cars rusting, leaves turning brown and decaying. I think your sky is beautiful, moody, dark and depressing, light and dark showing the fear of death and decay but also shining on what could have been. The road shadows are real and amazing, the cars beautifully decrepit. Didn't we all play in such old wrecks in by gone years e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s⦠" width="15" height="15" alt="
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Thank you for a lovely crit, Im glad some people see this picture as I thought it. Ive seen similar things in Ireland also, maybe I should paint it someday.
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I certainly think you should. I just think it is wonderful work. There is really nothing in this piece that doesn't work perfectly, you can do all the components perfectly, but if you do not make a story then you have failed, but you have told a perfectly believable story, a true story and I love it
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TO be honest I think you 'nailed it' in one. There really isnt anything I would change, so much so that I wanted to ask if you had merely copied a photo or altered it in some way.
I did note that someone felt the sky wasnt right- I have lived in a few different places and the sky can in fact be very.... dual? I respectfully disagree.
Heck a lot of my own favorite photos I snap are when one sky seems to smash right up against another (greens, yellows, blues and purples all warring for the same sky).
My point being that this really worked for me in your image.
The dark and desolate above the town with a golden and warm feeling down the road between the trees. You have catpured the lighting faithfully across each building front, warm meeting shadow and to me if you altered this then the whole picture changes meaning (and loses some of its magic)
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I would like to say you have created one admirably amazing work of art. e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s⦠" width="15" height="15" alt="
It is extremely difficult to find something for you to improve on, perhaps someone else can, but I'm sorry that I cannot. I really think you should keep working on different scenery and keep doing what your doing, I love your art and please continue! e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h⦠" width="15" height="13" alt="
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I don't know if it's postapocaliptic town or just abandoned. Sky is made not so good -> at right we see yellow light and on the left there is a blue one. Composition of colours is perfect, balanced but logic of that light coming from clouds is not good. Perspective ideal. I love the fance, both fences on the right. Brown tree parts on the left centre looks as if you had no time to end it. Or just forget to made it better. Cars are masterpiece, broken windows, broken doors. Light on the road is realy great. It looks like you made many mistakes, but it is not true, a little mistakes in really good piece of art. As always.
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personally I look at the boarded up windows and think that these people had some time to leave and had time to plan, but I look at the abandoned cars and wounder why so many were left behind. over all it gives me more of a horror vibe.
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I think the trees on t he left look great, esprcially those brunches without leaves, and the thing is that in art you enhance some part of the picture and others may stay abandoned and rough finished, and that I like
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thanks for this. I knew that sky could take some more work.
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While I suppose the sky could use touching up, I don't think you should get rid of the color shift. One of my favorite things about looking up at the sky is how different the colors are as you transition across it. Other than that, I agree with this critique.
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Brilliant illustration - it could almost be used for that book Resurrection Day by Brendan Dubois alt-history story set during the Cold WarΒ
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Wouldn't they have needed their cars to move out? O_o
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I like the scenery of the sky - the contrasting light and darkness make it seem like a storm is quickly approaching, and the leaves being blown across the surface of the street help convey that feeling.Β Very nicely done.
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You're skills are so admirable! Hope to be as good as you someday!
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I read the criticism regarding your sky in this painting. To your defense I must say that living in northern Florida all my life skies like this are quite common. What would create this effect would be a low sun angle a mostly cloudy sky with some breaks to allow the shafts of sunlight to shine clearly through. It would appear that a storm front or thunderstorm looms off in the distance on the right. The leaves appear to be blowing across the street so an outflow boundary is passing. I would say bad weather is coming. The ghost town look reminds me of the economically depressed small towns who once wereΒ thriving 'American Pie' communities. A sad and beautiful picture ofΒ the remains of 'Americana'.Β
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thewatchfulleye has been stealing your work! It is all over their gallery. They are claiming it as 'their' apocalyptic work. Just in case anyone hasn't told you, I wanted you to know.
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its just pure scam. can you let know about this to DA?
thanks
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Yes, of course. I will must definitely let them know^^
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Love it, but I am curious where you found the inspiration.Β
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Disturbing. Β It makes me want to find out the story behind it. Β The boarded windows are made with untreated wood that looks newer. Β Maybe a survivor lives there. Β I wish I could explore the town.
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Love this theme! I love to explore abandoned places and your art makes me wish I could jump through the screen and explore around.
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Love it,looks a little like my hometown some time ago.
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really great feeling captured here, i love old America work.
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Well, with exception of the abandoned part, I actually know a few places like this about an hours drive from my home...
The water tower is a nice touch, which gives it a bit of a Central USA type of feel to the scene.
Nicely done!
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For some reason i was thinking GTA-ghosttown when i did see this one
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An incredible piece of work. I've worked as a reporter in small Midwestern towns, and this evokes them wonderfully, down to the trees (oaks, it looks like). I feel like I recognize the watertower. The title adds something, too.
But I'm sure you wouldn't ask for critiques if all you wanted was praise.
1) Movement. The sky shows what looks like a storm brewing and clouds moving to the right, and yet the rest of the painting is deathly still. You can't have it both ways. The dust hanging over the street should swirl a bit. Some of the leaves seem to be moving, but others seem deathly still. And the trees and other plants don't appear to be moving/bending in a wind. Either a wind or stillness would work in this, but not both.
2) Zoning. Parts of this look like an alley behind houses and businesses and parts look like a street in front of them. The painted fence would be in an alley. This many cars would be parked in front. Also, you seem to put businesses next to residences. I can't imagne many towns would allow that as much as you show it.
3) Neverending Alley. I think the sense of infinity of the alley/street continuing one doesn't help the overall feel, which is the claustrophobia of a dying small town. Most streets and alleys in small towns would end somewhere, usually into a building or turn.
It is great work, though.
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thanks for the crits, You wrote some interesting things. I need to gain more knowlege about US towns for sure.
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You're welcome, and it is an excellent piece that captures the feel well. As a professor of mine told me, "There's no such thing as a perfect poem; it is just less imperfect as the last version."
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You really portayed it well, and it's unique. A lot of people prefer to paint the fifties in its mind-numbing conformation. This shows another side of that decade.
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just breathtaking!I love the mood of your work!
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