"Central Park" (help needed)
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Hello SVS Community!
This is my first post here. I am a self-taught artist looking for some help with this painting! This particular piece is an abstract acrylic painting of NYC from the view of Central Park. At first it was just the landscape, but it was suggested I add some figures to give the piece a "story". I am very new to figure painting, however. Due to the abstract nature of the piece, I wanted more the impression or silhouette of figures but not too much detail. Something is wrong with the color and/or value, but I have never taken a class or lesson in art and painting so I don't have the technical knowledge to recognize what. If anyone can help me identify the problem and find a solution to give the piece more harmony, I would greatly appreciate it. Feel free to digitally draw/color on the image if that helps you show me what to fix! Thank you all!
-Gina
The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring.
~ "Ulysses" by James Joyce
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@dimarcora Hello - welcome to SVS - Love your James Joyce quote - i think the word "mentorship" is possibly scaring folks off from replying since many of us would not consider ourselves qualified for that role(myself included) - but i will try to start the conversation - I think your painting has become primarily about the couple - if you convert this to a grayscale you see that there is very little contrast in the buildings (or variation of value) but there is a huge contrast between the figures and the background - my eye goes straight to the figures and quickly decides there is not much else to see in the painting when i glance around and i end up back on the couple - which makes me feel that they must hold up to very intense scrutiny - the pose of the woman seems natural but the man seems stiff - i think if you showed both of his feet somehow this would help - i am guilty of not using reference when i should but i think it would be good to have some friends pose for you and see if you could tweak the gestures a bit - .... it is hard to critique traditional work because i know it is not so easy for you to make changes - anyways hope some of this has value
