Siegried (1958), Franz Kline

This painting contrasts with Wall's in it's inherent violence. To me, it seems like a storm because of its rough edges, diagonal lines (which meet 1/3 from the top of the painting), and the clashing occurring between top and bottom. Where this clashing occurs, some grey exists. Grey also exists near the bottom where it cuts through the black mass that feels as if it's moving upwards. He uses only black and white and grey. It looks as if the canvas was painted white, then black was painted over, and then white areas were painted over that while the black paint was still wet so it could be mixed and create the grey areas. Balance is created through the use of solid areas and chaotically mixed areas.

This painting, and others like it, may reflect the possibility of an "inner display," because while we are only viewing shapes and forms, our minds seem to fill in blanks (that may or may not have been intended to be there). It is this 'filling in' that creates the feeling of a storm for me. Perhaps due to my own "politics of location," I see an ocean and winds and rain clashing with each other (I'm from a coastal town).

Both paintings make use of the rule of thirds, and diagonal lines converging at a point. They each also show clear balance between forms. The stark black/white/grey of Siegfried, however, contrasts with the mellow, happy color palate of House and Farm on the Allegheny River. So, too, does the feeling of motion--in the first painting, the motion is calm, slow; in the second, it is fast, violent, and chaotic.

I did not find that looking first at Wall's painting influenced the way I saw Kline's. However, when going from Kline to Wall, I felt that I couldn't believe the calm scene in front of me--that rural life that's placed so close to wilderness is never that peaceful, and that hard work and pain are its hallmarks. Viewing the pieces in this direction made Wall's piece feel phony in that regard.