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Question 1 of the Higher Art and Design exam is an extended response based on a work of Art you will have studied in class. You could be asked to discuss any of the visual elements or expressive effects seen throughout this site.
Sample Question:
Select one artwork you have studied.
With reference to this one artwork, explain the:
artist’s working methods
artist’s choice of subject matter
impact of social, cultural and/or other influences. 10
The final prompt, asking for impact of social, cultural and/or other influences, will always be asked, so this is an area of the artists work you should ensure you study and learn carefully.
Viva La Vida
Viva La Vida
w720 x h520 mm (with frame) - 1954
Oil on Masonite (Compressed wooden hardboard)
Visual Elements
Colour
Red has been used for the centre of the cut melons as the warmest colour on the painting, as an advancing colour this pushes forward and creates areas of interest in the watermelons around the circular composition.
Red and green are complementary colours, these are seen in the melons, this creates energy in the scene through contrast and adding vibrancy.
The Blue used in the background is a calming colour and also acts as a receding colour which helps to push the melons forward into the foreground giving them prominence.
The brown used on the floor/table is a neutral colour, this could be interpreted as the desert floor or as a table surface. The choice of a neutral colour, gives connotations of life and abundance.
Tone
Colour tone has been used on the melons in some areas such as the centre, through the use of lighter shades of reds and greens in areas to create form. This gives the illusion of volume in areas, but due to the inconsistent application some areas are also flat
There is no clear direction of light in some melons the highlight is on the left and shadow to the right. In others there is no evidence of this, this again flattens some areas giving a slight flattened naive style to the piece.
Under the melons there is a dark brown/black thick line, this reads as a shadow and helps them to stand out against the brown, again direction of light hasn’t been considered so this contributes to an unrealistic style.
Rough tone has been used in the watermelons to help describe the 3D form of them helping to create the illusion of 3D form.
Shape
The entire composition is a circular shape which creates a continuous loop leading the viewers eye around the composition this was done as a nod to the circle of life, the melons each represent a stage of Kahlo's life.
The melon to the right is cut to create pointy triangular sections that have 2 roles, the 1st to lead the viewer back towards the middle before continuing around the circle and the 2nd to symbolise a rocky or rough phase of Kahlo's life.
The melon cut in half to the left is the roundest and most whole section of fruit, it brims with seeds, the unblemished round section represents Kahlo’s early years.
Line
Implied line has been used throughout the piece, for example within the cut up watermelon at the right, the jagged sections look straight and crisp due to differing tones of red watermelon flesh this creates a 3D illusion.
Some actual outline has been used around the watermelons, the middle watermelon has a very finely painted dark green line surrounding it, this helps to separate it from the other green watermelons surrounding it.
Descriptive line has been used in the melons to create the illusion of rounded form, this helps to give the melons realistic 3D form.
Texture
Rough textures have been used in the watermelon on the right, it looks like the skin has been roughed up or scored, this may be because it represents the pain in Kahlo’s life.
The melon in the middle has a smooth outer shell, showing a tough exterior, this may be representative of Kahlo herself who had to be tough in life despite having a soft interior.
Rough stippled texture has been used in the floor of the piece, this gives the viewer the impression the painting is set in the desert. This is a common backdrop for Kahlo’s work.
Scale
The size of the canvas is 72x52 cm just smaller than an A1 sheet, this will have been a size chosen to fit a desk top easel allowing Kahlo to paint propped up in a hospital bed.
The watermelons are painted at a large scale to completely fill and dominate the composition, this creates an intimate feel to the painting letting the viewer get up close with the subject matter.
All of the watermelons are at the expected scale and proportion in comparison with one another, this helps with realism as we wee the watermelons as they are.
Composition
Kahlo has created a circular composition with all of the cut melons circling the whole melon in the middle, by framing it like this Kahlo makes it 1 of the focal points of the painting.
The composition uses rule of thirds by having the melons sitting on a brown surface on the bottom which takes up 1/3 and the sky in the background which takes up 2/3. Placing the horizon line on the bottom third makes the depth feel close to the viewer and the melons seem closer and dominating.
The perspective of the painting is flattened in areas creating an unrealistic viewpoint within the composition. The flattened perspective makes the melon to the left stand out as we can see the whole red flesh exposed and raw with all of its seeds.
Red is an advancing colour, and this helps the melons at the front to push forward, the bottom central melon is inscribed with Viva La Vida, this melon is the true focal point of the painting as the viewer is constantly drawn back to this area of bright vibrant fruit.
The melons create a continuous leading line which lead the viewers eye around the composition, causing the viewer to take in the entire circle with the melon cut into various shapes, delivering the symbolism of the circle of life.
Materials, Techniques and Working Methods
Kahlo uses oil paint on Masonite, Masonite is a hard wood like surface of pressed wood fibres. It is smooth and non-porous this allows the artist to build up various textures of paint such as dry brush as seen in the sky.
Rough unblended colour has been applied to areas of the background which creates a sense of movement giving the painting an impressionist feel.
Kahlo has used fine brushstrokes in areas such as in the writing and in the details of rind and seeds within the melons, this helps to give a more realistic finish to the painting.
Kahlo has used dry brush strokes to create rough textures in the skin of some of the watermelons as well as the sky and ground. This gives the painting a raw unfiltered effect, it is imperfect like her life.
Kahlo's studio set up comprises of a desk top easel which would be placed by others close to her bed. Viva La Vida was painted 8 days before Kahlo died, by this time she was quite unwell and bed bound. The painting was of a size that would be suitable for her to easily paint from in bed or in a wheelchair.
Kahlo also painted from memory as a working method, the watermelons were not set up in front of her, this explains the multiple perspectives and slightly off drawing in some of the watermelon, such as the floating one at the left. This gives the painting it's surreal look.
Kahlo often painted her own reality, as a working method she would come up for concepts for her painting based on her life and her experiences. This painting symbolises her whole life, showing the circle of life from beginning to end.
Subject Matter or imagery
Kahlo has chosen fresh watermelons, these immediately suggest life and abundance, celebrating the fertility of Frida’s Mexican heritage. Watermelons are significant in Mexican culture as they are often left as offerings to honour the spirits of ancestors during the Mexican Day of the Dead ceremony.
The watermelons here could, also be a symbol of life and fertility — their many seeds offer a kind of immortality. A promise of new life. Rebirth.
As this was painted so close to her death the painting could symbolize her work being the seeds of her life. Offering her immortality through legacy.
The inscription, Viva La Vida, means Long Live Life, this is Frida's parting statement as she knows she is near the end of her life, this makes the painting a celebration of her life.
The desert, symbolizes her home, Mexico the desert can be a harsh place the watermelons offer sweet refreshment.
Style
The perspective of the painting is flattened, in a way that shows the influence of the styles seen in Catholic iconography and of the European impressionists.
The flattened style also appears to be informed by the same style if painting as Paul Cézanne and like his still life works, which also featured flattened perspective and is also very much of the land.
Kahlo's style can also be described as Naïve and similar to folk art as she received no formal artistic training, this can be seen in aspects of the painting, folk art often tells personal stories, this can be seen in the symbolism of this piece which tells the story of her life.
The style of the painting has it’s own category, the term "magic realism", introduced in 1925 by Franz Roh to describe Kahlo’s work, this is due to Kahlo’s way of painting work that while based in reality depicted her own reality and life, this can be seen here in Viva La Vida as it represents all of the stages of her life.
Mood and Atmosphere
The green of the watermelon skin contrasts with the red of their flesh which can suggest a mood and atmosphere of love and passion, this is fitting as Kahlo was known for her passion and her great love of Diego.
The mood and atmosphere of this painting is one of celebration, in Mexico it is part of the culture to celebrate the dead with foods placed at altars. . It’s a way to joyfully remember and celebrate the life of those who have died rather than sadly mourning them. Acknowledging the many days of their lives, not just the moments of their passing. To affirm joy in life itself. The watermelons of this painting celebrate all the stages of her life.
The watermelons in this final painting also has a darker atmosphere of pain and suffering, Frida carefully composed her own flamboyant outer image as part of her art, but also to disguise the chronic pain she often suffered because of multiple illness and injuries during her life. The inner vibrancy of the watermelon shows Frida’s vivid inner life, her ability to continue to create despite setbacks in health, love, artistic success — right to the very end.
Social and Cultural
Frida Kahlo inscribed "Vida la Viva" on the central melon wedge at the bottom of the canvas, which translates as "Long live life", just eight days before she died. This may have been a straightforward statement as she neared death. It may also have been an ironic commentary on her pain-filled existence due to polio, a bus accident, and multiple surgeries.
Watermelons have hard shells that protect the soft flesh inside. When you bite into the flesh, you experience cool, juicy sweetness. At its most elemental, a watermelon could symbolize the artist herself, who had to develop a thick skin to weather a life marked with physical pain, a troubled marriage to artist Diego Rivera and harsh criticism of her art.
Using herself and her life as inspiration Kahlo shows in the painting that once her shell is cut open, it reveals her inner life that is vibrant, fresh, and sweet. Also, the many seeds of the watermelons, like those of the pomegranate in Greek mythology, symbolize fertility as well as immortality. Once the fruit is gone, the seeds carry the promise of new life forward into eternity.
Kahlo was also inspired by her heritage, watermelons also relate to the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead, when relatives imagine their dead feasting on watermelon and other favorite foods. On this day, Mexicans celebrate their dead rather than mourn them. The artist herself echoes this spirit in her statement, "Long live life."
Kahlo shows took further inspiration from the natural order of life. The whole watermelon in the middle of the painting is spherical like the earth. It is a complete circle like the cycle of birth and death. In her diary, just days before her death, Kahlo penned her final entry stating, I hope the exit is joyful – and I hope never to return.
In Viva la Vida, Kahlo was inspired to create a bright and vibrant celebration of her life in both its simplicity of composition and complexity of emotional expression. It is not emblematic of the fear of death, nor is it hopelessly longing for the continuation of her own life. It simply shows life in all it’s various stages.
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