Critique #1

Bryan Larsen, a very respected artist is also the genius creator of “Opportunity of the Future”, BB& T No.3”, and “Study for Young Builder”. Generally, his paintings are shown to be in cities, or neighborhoods as seen in the picture above, “Walking among the Clouds”. Bryan Larsen’s, “Walking among the Clouds”, gives the viewer a sense of inspiration. The woman depicted in the picture seems to be glancing at an mirage of creativity, an ideal insight of what the future looks like perhaps. Larsen uses a mix of light hues and colors to specifically depict the woman’s ideal personality. The viewer feels as if they are the woman, glancing at towering industrial buildings among a busy city. The woman seems to be peeking over a building herself, if you look closely, beyond the slips of her sheets, there is a concrete boarding. Perhaps she feels as if she is trapped, lost, and confused thus, dreams of an image of where she longs to be. Or perhaps, greeting the morning sun, as she looks over the city; as she would on any other morning.


Larsen uses a perfect portrayal of contrast and balance of colors, from the woman’s ripped quilt, to her dark skirt, to the blue and tan scene spread before her. I personally love the openness of this painting that gets the viewer wondering, ‘what could the woman be doing?’ or ‘what is the purpose of this painting?’, which is a very good quality that many artists strive to have. The image is fresh, eye opening, and captivating, inspiring even my imagination as I look at it. It makes me wonder, what would I see if I were to walk ‘among the clouds’.

Kayla F.