Art Analysis: My Forebears Were Pioneers By Philip Evergood
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Analysis: My Forebears Were Pioneers
While most forms of art have a particular meaning to the artist who created it, the viewer of a
piece of art may interpret it in an entirely different way. In this paper, I will provide an analysis
of the painting My Forebears Were Pioneers, by Philip Evergood. This analysis will not only
include my interpretation of the meaning of the painting, but will provide thoughts as to why the
piece of art tends to catch the viewers’ eye and draw him or her in. The painting itself is an oil
on canvas measuring 50 x 36 inches and was painted in 1939. In the foreground of the painting,
an elderly woman in a long, black dress is sitting in a rocking chair, holding a book in her lap.
Lying beside…show more content… The larger scale
of the trees force the viewer to focus on the destruction and the severity of what has happened
without taking away from the smaller objects in the piece. Variety and variation are used to add
interest to an otherwise simple painting by creating a visually stimulating painting. While the
placement of the woman initially draws the eye to her, the colors in the background, such as in
the curtains and the sky, cause the viewer’s interest to be drawn to these areas of the painting. In
addition to a variety of color, the artist used a variation of shapes to add interest. The trees
themselves provide a multitude of shapes, from the way they lay on the ground overlapping, to
the way they are leaning in the background, to the roots and ground that are exposed. Another
area of the house that provides many shapes is the house. Evergood made brilliant use of the
architectural style of the house, such as in the windows, the roof, and the porch to once again
draw the viewer in.
My Forebears Were Pioneers was painted at the end of the Great Depression, which began
with the stock market crash of 1929. Although this was a difficult time for many Americans