landscape 

This photo has very vibrant colors, with the contrast of the blue and orange creating a very strong color palette. The yellows and oranges are what make it clear that it is Fall, which I think instantly brings up emotions of comfort and warmth. The blue adds a coolness and briskness that is soothing but also very strong. The point of view in this photograph is especially unique for a landscape image as it is taken from the ground looking up at the trees. You can make out the direction of the branches, telling of where the ground is, though the ground itself is not shown in the image. The leaves create very intriguing lines and shapes, and adds a lot of creative energy to the image. They are playful, not perfectly placed, yet the lines of the branches themselves show a sense of purpose and stability. The simplicity of the photo adds to its beauty coming from the nature alone. There is no heavy editing, and the colors are natural. There is also energy in the photo, feeling as though the leaves could at once fall down into the photographer's face.

This is a painting by Jan van Goyen from 1630-1635. It is an example of "tonal" style in Dutch Golden Age painting. This style of artwork was very classical phase, having an atmospheric quality, but with compositions that were more expressive, as well as stronger contrasting light and color. I believe my image is similar to this in having very contrasting colors, yet not being incredibly dramatic, just as the images in Van Goyen's pictures are pretty neutral. Compositions like Van Goyen's are often anchored by one single subject.  My image does have leaves as its subject yet there is not one single leaf that is the main focal point. Van Goyen's paintings also have fairly neutral colors, as well as a typical landscape composition to it. It is very traditional and simple. My photo is definitely more modern, with a unique camera angle and its vibrant colors. It is similar in the sense that it shows the simple beauties of nature, specifically the wind in both of these images. It is subtle but it is powerful and strong. 

Compared to my earthworks image, the leaves photo is much more constrained in its viewing field. It is concentrated on this small section of leaves on the tree. My earthworks image here is a lot more collaborative and creative. It also has human interaction incorporated into it. The photo of the leaves has no owernship in it; the leaves simply belong to the tree which belong to nature (which ultimately belongs to God). In this earthworks image, the question of ownership is definitely raised. Is the man one with nature? Is he controlling it? Or is nature controlling him? Like most art, there doesn't have to be one definitive answer, but rather the raising of these questions is an awesome thing for an art piece to do. I like the mystery and almost confusion with this photo, since the composition is so unnatural with the man's head and hair being framed into the natural landscape. It looks odd and yet in a strange way it still looks pretty natural and not incredibly out of sorts. I believe the black and white edit helps in making this transition between the man and landscape seem a lot more natural.