A formal Analysis of Pepper Encore

            Pepper Encore (2015) by Judy Thurston is an exceptional multicolored piece of art. The artist ingeniously depicts her feminine artistic feelings through the proper use of bright colors. The red and yellow pepper is beautifully represented in an artistic manner, with keen details on their texture and the startling yellow pepper’s distortion on a surface of a silver plate. The artist exploits her imagination to the limits through the dull and shadowy representation of the background images to give an observer a clear sense of the dimensions and the elevation of the pepper on the table.  This artist’s work (especially through the use of contrasting colors) symbolizes the youthful life’s beauty, its fragility, and the lurking dangers. As such, this paper seeks to provide a detailed analysis of the artistic ingenuity in representing the human feelings in a watercolor piece of art.

Description

            Judy Thurston created Pepper Encore 2015 using watercolor paint and a brush. The artistic work is a paint that measures approximately 15 inches in length and 12 inches width. The artistic image represented covers the paint area in its entirety. Besides, there is an imaginary diagonal line that runs from the left bottom end to the right top end that splits the image into two—one-half is dull and less detailed whereas the other half is multicolored and possesses high level of artistic details.

Meaning of Pepper Encore

           Intentionally, Judy Thurston chose pepper as an artistic image because of its hotness and strong taste though it looks beautiful on the outside. This choice can be taken by the image viewer to imply the complexity of the life of a youthful individual. Also, the choice of a red and yellow colored pepper for artistic representation is an attempt by the artist to represent the happiness and dangers that life has to offer. Some viewers might also interpret the red pepper as a sign of bitter-sweet love, with the yellow pepper representing the striking beauty of the feelings that comes with it.

            The exceptional detail of the reflection of a yellow pepper on a silver bowl is a reminder to the viewer of the need to keep their lifestyle in check. Additionally, the checked table cover at the background represents the unpredictability of life. In fact, the artist works hard to create an impression that the silver bowl can be toppled over the table anytime. This adds to the excitement of the viewer, especially if he/she considers the mysteries surrounding the bowl and at its distant dark background.

Light

           The artist has a distinctive way of employing the effects of light and shading. She perfectly does this by leaving shading the reflective surfaces of the red and yellow pepper white. Additionally, Jane Thurston represents the light on the silver bowl’s surface. Besides, the distorted reflection of the yellow pepper and the striped table cover would not have been possible if there were no angular illumination of the objects. A keen viewer, therefore, will be quick to note with utmost certainty, which the lighting emanates from the left side of the image. There is also an implication that the illumination is on an elevated surface as compared to the positioning of the image objects. This is especially so especially when the viewer takes into consideration the position of the white shades on both the pepper and the silver bowl.

             Furthermore, it is also safe to suggest that there is a second source of lighting due to the double white dots intentionally detailed by Jane on the painting’s dull side.