Intro to Visual Arts

The painting, Portrait of a Dog, encompasses two people, a dog, and stationary objects found in most homes. The four panels display different subject matter. The leftmost panel is a closer view of a nude woman, her back to the viewer, who kneels in front of a bathtub while washing her hair. The next panel is underneath the one with the woman, with a smaller portion visible than the other three. This panel is made up of negative space, a Whippet dog and its shadow, and a small portion of its leash. The dog is looking up at the panel with the woman. This panel appears to have a different perspective of the viewer, as the cast shadows from the perceived light source on the dog fall differently than the perceived light source on the woman and the tub. The third panel is the tallest one, displaying a man in mid-step, holding the end of the leash that is attached to the dog and looking down at the dog. Behind the man on the same panel is a toilet with no seat cover over the bowl. The perspective of this panel makes the man appear smaller or farther away than the woman in the first panel. Contrary to the woman in additional ways; the man is fully clothed and is facing the viewer enough to reveal his face. The final panel again offers a different perspective, its stationary inanimate objects appearing much closer to the viewer than the organic subjects pictured in the other panels. There is another toilet, this one with a seat cover over the bowl, as well as a glass cup with a solitary toothbrush in it, and part of a tube of toothpaste in the foreground. This panel, being positioned lower than the subjects in the other three panels, brings the viewers eyes lower in order to see the subject matter, possibly requiring them to also take a few steps back in order to really see these objects in relation to the other panels.

This painting also has implied form composed of shapes that make up familiar objects, a dog, and two people. The use of four canvas’ in the multipaneled painting creates actual form, which, when combined with the proportions and positioning of the two-dimensional objects, creates depth. The variance in line changes the shapes of the subjects as well, like the woman’s body. The curvature of the lines give her body implied form and sculpt her to appear more realistic.

Fischl utilized space within the painting itself, and also outside of the painting by the positioning of the multiple panels. Within the painting, there are objects on the right side of the dog that are clustered together, especially in the foreground, as well as the left side with the woman, her clothes, the tub, and the object next to her. But the dog is really the only subject on its individual panel, only part of the leash joining it, and even the shadow of the dog seems to cut off instead of continuing on to the next panel.

There is not a wide variety of colors throughout these panels, Fischl utilizing mostly blues and greens. This allows the viewers eye to follow subjects in the composition based more on light, value, and space, instead of using different colors to draw the eye. The lighter tones are primarily in the center of the painting, the lightest subject being the dog in the center, and the next lightest being the back of the person at the tub and the clothes of the man walking the dog. The painting has many highlights on the objects that give a sense that there are reflective objects like glass. The values of the cool tone in the background/background objects help to bring more attention to the subjects as well as a darker emotional tone to the painting.

The variance of strokes and value create the illusion of different textures on each of the subjects and objects in the painting. The skin of both people, mostly the woman at the tub, have the most variety in light, value, and strokes that create more of a realistic perception of texture compared to other objects in the painting like the outside of the tub. The change in color in the center of the painting, combined with the lighter tones and highlights drawn more to the center, create an implied light source similar to a spotlight around the dog. Upon closer inspection, the shadows and highlights on the objects do not follow a singular light source that would be positioned outside of the painting, nor does it appear that there are various light sources depending on the perspectives in the different panels. Combined with the use of green on the floor around the dog, as well as the dog appearing to be the lightest subject with the harshest contrast to its shadow, the variance in the shadow and highlights on the other subjects suggests that the implied light source is in the center of the painting. The idea that the light source is in the center near the dog is solidified because the shadows, values, and highlights on all of the subjects and objects make sense when considering the different perspectives of the panels and the actual placement of them in relation to the dog.

Fischl has had an interest in “exposing the contradictory nature of suburban America and art history through figurative painting.” (Artnet.com) His residence in New York, which he once described as “a backdrop of alcoholism and a country club culture obsessed with image over content."(Artnet.com) may have had an influence over the tone of his Portrait of a Dog. While there are no visual references to alcohol in the painting, there are tones and emotions conveyed that mirror those commonly found in allegories of alcoholism and similar themes. The darker tones and the intense nervous energy of the painting are similar energies one may find in a culture such as the one Fischl described. His painting also reflects the latter part of his description of Long Island, New York as well as his interest in the contradiction between art history and suburban America. The painting is messy in many areas and is not technically perfect, which would be something that those “obsessed with image over content “may dislike about it. It also evokes the sense that there is a deeper meaning behind the subjects, a story which the viewer wishes to decipher. But the comment about those “obsessed with image over content” in relation to art may have prompted him to create a work which does not have any deeper story to the subjects and whose meaning is actually a reflection of the “country club culture” that he described of the people who would view it.

The dog in this painting is a whippet, a breed that is lean and is known for their speed. The thin, frailness of this breed and their unmatched speed, makes this breed the perfect dog to convey nervousness. Instead of simply using the dog for this purpose, Fischl also has the dog positioned in a way that demonstrates the dog’s nervousness to exaggerate the intensity of this emotion. The dog’s tail is tucked far between its legs, its ears flattened back behind it. It’s gazing up in the direction of the woman but seems almost to be leaning backwards. With how high up the collar is around its neck and the dramatic angle of the collar and leash, it looks like the man is pulling the collar aggressively backwards. The man’s gait and stance is abnormal, his right leg raised higher than one would have it if they were simply walking forwards. It seems to be possibly poised to strike the dog, or maybe just raised in order to step over something. If the latter is true, then it appears that he may be about to step over the real corner of the dogs panel, instead of stepping over a perceived or implied object. It seems likely though that with the harsh positioning of the leash and collar and the man’s intense gaze down at the dog, that the former is true. But even though the whippet is nervous and possibly being mistreated by the man, it is still the source of light in the room and is still appearing focused on the woman. Eric Fischl said, “Dogs absorb what's around them, the insanity around them.” (animalfair.com). The dog gazing at the woman even though it is nervous, and the man should be the subject of its attention, implies that the dog is more concerned with the woman. Dogs tend to be symbols of loyalty and companionship, and typically when a dog gazes at a person in the way this dog is, that person is the one that they are most loyal to. Overall, this leads to the possibility that the woman is nervous, possibly because of the man, and the dog is absorbing her fear as its own. The implied light source is significant here as well, because it seems to be close to the dog but between the woman and the dog, between their two panels, but at the height of the man’s chest. The shadows and light around the woman and the dog suggest that the space between the dog and the woman is actually greater than what is displayed. The dog should be deeper in space, with the implied light source even with the woman but above her, near the top right part of her canvas panel. This would make the harsh contrast in value on the dog and its shadow make more sense. The dogs panel is behind the woman’s panel, which supports this idea more than it would if they were on the same panel or if the dogs panel was above that of the woman. This could evoke a sense that there is perception in the subjects that the dog and the woman are closer to one another than they actually are physically.

There is such an intense fear and yet still the emotional bond of the dog to the woman in a seemingly insignificant place like a bathroom. The painting creates a hierarchy of power between the three subjects. There is the power that this man holds over the whippet in being able to tower over the dog and impose his will over it. There is also a contrast in power between the man and the woman. She is on her knees, naked, and her face--her identity--is invisible to the viewer. But the man is not only standing, clothed, and fully visible, but is also the highest subject in the panel that is positioned higher than the other three. The power that the woman holds over the dog, in completely attaining its companionship and loyalty to the extent where it absorbs her emotions as well, is another dynamic reflected in the positioning of the dog and the light and distance between them. Depending on the viewer, there may even be a significance in the power the dog holds. It is painted as the centermost subject, the lightest subject, having its own color, and the subject with the most decipherable emotions. Even the name of the painting itself draws the viewers’ attention. A viewer will see the title, Portrait of a Dog, and they may feel that this painting is not a portrait of a dog, since there are two humans and other subject matter within. Fischl may have intended this, as the viewer would then be curious about the importance of the dog and would go on to take another look and really analyze the painting. Fischl draws such a focus to this subject that he makes the dog have power over the viewer.

The significance of the deeper emotional connections between subjects in this painting does not easily connect to an important matter outside of their bathroom. It does not portray anything that at first glance would be important to a large majority of its viewers. But there is an importance in the connections between the subjects and how those connections are repeated throughout the suburban America that Fischl had such an interest in exposing.