Blog #3

A work of art where every component seems proportionate to the others, harmonious, and equal, is balanced. On a recent visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario, I looked at a beautiful painting by Emily Carr called Trees in the Sky, and saw lovely balance in this whimsical scenic oil on canvas. In this work there is striking balance between the land and the sky, which meet around the centre of the canvas. I also love the colours in this painting; they are such rich and vibrant jewel tones. The wavy brush strokes create incredible texture and movement, all running in horizontal directions across the work. In contrast to this horizontal motif are the trees, whose slender trunks soar vertically upwards, out of the realm of the land to deposit their umbrella-like treetops in the sky. This equilibrium between horizontal and vertical movement is another feature of balance in this work. Balanced paintings such as this give me a feeling of stability. When a painting is in balance, the world feels in balance. I feel centered and calm, and free. I want to hop from treetop to treetop in that blue sky like a frog upon lily pads. I want to roll down those undulating hills and into the mashes and grasses below. It reminds me of a Doctor Seuss illustration. It also makes me think of how beautiful natural scenes such as this one can be. Walking through a forest you can see how much balance there is in nature, and what a peaceful effect that can have. I think every child in Canada should get to explore the natural wonders we are so lucky to have here, so that they can find that sense of balance within themselves.