h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm sorry I haven't had time to do a big critique on these but the votes from the Leeds jury are as follows:

1. I think 15 Squirrel and 18 Orca are by the instructor. Both are competent (although the log on which the squirrel sits is oddly resolved and the composition of the squirrel isn't what it might be). Both are very commercial.

2. I like no. 5 (Rhapsody in Blue) the best although I don't like the title. However, like a rhapsody it does convey to me a feeling of energy, although perhaps not ecstacy, and it is harmonious like music.

3. The painting I liked least was no. 4 (Church in Snow). It is stilted, forced and too twee for words.

4. No 14 uses a palette that is not to my taste but might be commercially successful. Both my grandmothers would have loved it. The composition is good.

I also like the composition of no. 10 (Yellow Bird). And it made me feel cheerful.

No. 6 (Bird in Aspen Tree) would have been better without the bird which spoilt the balance.

Nos 8 (Autumn Lane) and 11 (Snowy Blue Lake) illustrate the dangers of listening to art teachers who tell you to lead the eye into the picture. It doesn't work if it is too obvious.

The composition of No 22 (Window Box) is sent off-balance by the larger window. The painting of the smaller window is very competent though.

I hope the artist who produced No 12 (The Hunt) is too disheartened by failing to get into the show and carries on enjoying their art.

5. My list of 12 would be: 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20.

We're still waiting for Solnushka to post her critique, right?

Right, sorry, here I am!

Ok. When I first looked at all of them together, I thought that their teacher has done a good job of training them to paint light in a certain way: they are all quite similar in that respect. I assume that was this term's project?

1: I like the colours and the fact that despite the fact thay are quite strong, it's quite a bleak picture.

2: The toad on the branch is quite striking, although I'm not so sure about the one underneath. Somehow I can't quite see the point of it though. I know that sounds odd.

3: I like the way your eye is drawn up the path and the planty bits are well done, intricate. Some of the brickwork seems a bit clumsy and when viewed from afar the window seems a bit out of place. I think it's the wrong colour.

4: It is a bit chocolate boxy. Nice composition though I think.

5: This is interesting. One of those pictures that looks like nothing in particular when close up, but works well at a distance. This one seems to have their own style too and I like the way the details sort of fade in and out of focus.

6: Like the shape. It's a bit two tonal though.

7: Striking this one. Probably because of the perspective, the way the light/ dark contrasts give a sort of halo effect to the church thing and the fact that the church thing looks incredibly out of place in the middle of nowhere. And I can't work out what it should look like. Very Science Fiction.

8: This looks better from a diestance, really. It worries me that close up I can see the canvas. I like the closing down of the trees to the road at the back of the picture compared to the front.

9: This is probably not so well exectuted, but getting there in terms of colour etc.

10: See now I like the way the yellow of the bird is echoed at the bottom, but that other colors are picked out in the flowers too. Plus the bird looks positively poised to go.

11: I see why the white stick is there, but it does rather look at though it's soved on top of the water in a rather odd way. The background is nicely done though and the mountains are carefully noticed and suitably dramatic.

12: Well, I assume this person is quite young. Actually, there's a lot of energy in the horses from a distance. It does create a feeling of excitement and readiness for the off, which is rather fun.

13: Again, another halo effect although I think this one's a tad less subtly done. Interesting building. Like the open door inviting you inside. The back of the building seems well done. I seem to remember it's quite difficult to get the perspective right when you are painting things getting further away, although that was the thing my eye focused on rather than the front of the building. Is the painter left handed?

14:I'm afraid I really like the slightly unnatural colours here. Self conciously rather stylised and I like the way the slit in the trees at the back seems echoed in the way that the brightness semms to slant straight down the centre of the picture.

15: That is a very fat squirrel.

16: I like the composition of this picture, with the action coming straight at us, although some of the cows are slightly clumsily executed. To be honest, I like pictures with a story, and this one is suitably dramatic.

17: See the back is probably not so technically good, but the reflections idea for this painting is nice and rather pleasantly impressionistic.

18: I actually rather like the rather two tone effect here and the somewhat flat, clean exectution. I like the way the white of the mountains and the whale are highlighted. The water seems a bit odd though.

19: I like the painting of light in this one. The way the light hits the church and the path is very early morning and gives it an inner glow (again...). I also like the way we seem to be looking up slightly from a croached position. Very humbling. I do like these buildings too. Not very British. How quaint.

20: It's very brown.

21: Nice building, like the angle they've chosen. More light effects, rasonably successfully done.

22: It bothers me where the rest of the big brown window is. I'm nopt sure whether that's a strength of the picture or a failing.

Choice:

1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21

I think I like no 14 best, and I refuse to guess which one the teacher did as I'd be wrong...

You know, I was thinking that the chocolate box one would look a lot more interesting if the artist shoved the church leftwards and made more of the avenue thing: something we'd like to follow the sledge down.

I know very little about art.

My favorite is 13, Las Trampas Church. I like the composition and the colors.

My least favorite is a toss-up between 12 The Hunt, which I think is dreadful, and 14 Creek Fall which has too much color to suit me.

The two by the instructor - I'll pick 16 and 20. They just look to me like they were done by the same person.

I really had a hard time picking 12 that I liked. Probabl;y should have done this when I was in a better mood. 3 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 10 - 13 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 19 - 20 - 21

I had already created the shortlist before I came in here and found Hypatia's contribution, but her ranking doesn't change the standing of the top 10. It does downgrade one of the honorable mentions, but that's very minor.

The shortlisted paintings are at http://www.asterlil.com/h2g2/juryshow/shortlist.htm ; please follow the instructions.

Anyone can participate, even if you weren't here for the first round!

6 -5 -10 presume this thread still the one

My picks in order of preference are as follows:
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Blue Rhapsody
Las Trampas Church

Chapel Holy Cross, Tome Church, Blue Rhapsody

(3-4-1)

I liked Tulie church quite a bit more than Tome church - it would have received 2nd place in my book.

1st: 3 - Chapel of the Holy Cross
2nd: 1- Blue Rhapsody
3rd: 5 - Las Trampas Church

1. 4
2. 9
3. 3

Honestly, the first one, Blue Rhapsody? didn't have nearly the compositional elements of the others. The birds were both too cutesy and too...tame?

The painting of the horses was good, except the clouds. They didn't work for me.

First - no3
Second - no8
Third - no5

First place - 3 - Chapel of the Holy Cross
Second place - 6 - Bird in Aspen
Third place - 5 - Las Trampas Church

Chapel of the Holy Cross (3)

Orca (9)

Blue Rhapsody (1)

Slightly shifting my position, I'm going to vote for

1. 3
2. 1
3. 10

5
7
3

3
4
1

7 1 5 , although my favourite would have been the landscape on the right of the Hon Menshs that appears to be called Tulie Church as well, and I would have given the Window Box and Door pictures of the first round big ups from the Monkery

I'm trying to stay out of the critique till after the winners have been picked, but as the Window Box and Doorway are out of the show, I can say that I liked them too. They have technical problems, but I think the artist shows a definite style, a way of interpreting the world that will only get better. There's a lot of rhythm in those flowers bordering the walk in doorway, but the painter doesn't understand his/her light source fully, which makes the patches of bare brickwork float above the wall rather than appearing set in.

You'll be telling us which two were done by the instructor, I hope.