Girl in White Blanket, 1917 by Henri
When we draw in color, we usually think about the color of the objects that we see and then choose a color similar to it in our pencil set. There is another element that we can look at and it will also make a big difference in how our art looks. It is the element of value or how light or dark something is. We can see in the paintings below by Henri, that he liked to surround the people in his paintings with dark backgrounds. The darkness is very different from the lighter faces. Using light and dark, he makes the faces stand out so that we really notice them. Let’s look at how he uses light and dark in the painting of a girl wrapped in a white blanket. The background is filled with darkly woven blankets or rugs. What part of the girl is dark? Yes, her hair is dark. What does Henri use to separate the dark hair from the dark background? Yes, the white blanket over her head stands between the dark hair and the background.
How many places in the painting show light areas next to dark areas?
What colors in this painting are dark colors?
What colors in this painting are light colors?
Catharine by Henri 1913
George Cotton Smith by Henri, 1980
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