Alex Gardner: Couch Coaches in Coach

Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Date: Alex Gardner: Couch Coaches in Coach Introduction Alex Gardner is not your ordinary artist. Born in 1987, Gardner is already making headways in the art community. His approach is different and sets him apart from artists of this day and age. He makes great use of symbolism and uses faceless characters in his pieces just like he did in the Couch Coaches in Coach. However, his message does reach his audience, and hence, it is fair to say that Couch Coaches in Coach is a masterpiece and one that pierces the heart because of the hard-hitting truth in the piece. Below is an elucidation of the piece and its relevance to the art community. Analysis The color, shape, form, texture, light, and composition of the artwork are quite pronounced. For color, there are two main ones that are evident in the piece, and they are black and white. However, there is also light brown, which is the cover that the character who is standing appears to be holding. Black and white are indeed some of the most imprecise colors an artist could choose. But Gardner knows how to use them to communicate his ideas without much fuss. With black and white, one gets an ordinary look of the piece that could be blank except for what the characters appear to be doing in the piece. When it comes to texture, for two-dimensional artists like Gardner, the surface of an artwork makes all the difference. For this particular piece, the texture appears smooth, and Gardner appears not to have put a lot of emphasis on it because his focus was on the characters and his inclusion of heavy Mannerism attributes in the piece. Light and shadow attributes also do not seem to come out strongly in the piece as light appears to be uniformly distributed on the piece. Composition, on the other hand, takes center stage in the piece. Through the elements of composition, one is able to come to terms with what Gardner is trying to showcase through this piece. First of all, there is unity in how Gardner presents everything. Secondly, there is a sense of balance because the painting does indeed feel right upon observation. Nothing seems heavier on one side, but Gardner appears to have considered the symmetrical arrangement of the contents of the artwork. Movement and focus of the artwork are also used exquisitely because Gardner directs the eyes of his audience. All eyes are on what is happening on the couch, and Gardner directs his audience there through the faceless face of the character who is standing. Composition influences how one feels for not only the character who is standing but also how one responds to the message Gardner is communicating. Shape is another element that helps to send the message Gardner intends. The shapes of the characters in the artwork are all similar with rounded edges. Gardner appears to have included this feature deliberately because he wanted to communicate the similarity of the characters. There is no doubt that Gardner sought to showcase the emphasis of diversity in this day and age, even as people neglect their obvious similarities. Interpretation Instances of Mannerism are deeply embedded in Gardner’s piece, and hence, his technique and subject matter borrow a lot from this era of art. In Mannerism, the goal is n...