The Importance of Art in Society
The development of our society is very intricately woven together with art. It is a common practice to preserve our heritage in beautiful photographs and paintings. Understanding the various emotions being communicated by any work of art, such as paintings, helps to build empathy in society. Additionally, they aid in the dissemination of knowledge about certain cultures and their distinctive traits, which improves our understanding of one another generally. Art is thus an important part of social life on this planet, and it is imperative that keen study is undertaken to establish the motivations for creating a piece of artwork, the intended message to be passed by the art and the various environmental influences on the type and quality of the art.
An Analysis of "Broadway on a Rainy Evening"
Broadway on a rainy evening is one such painting that not only leaves an impression but also holds much significance to the evolutionary heritage of New York City. The painting is watercolor based with gouache and pastel highlights over a piece of graphite paper. In the painting is a street with vehicles and people using the road and several buildings stretching to the horizon. The road is wet, and the air appears hazy and gloomy just like any other rainy evening. The street is also lit with lamp posts and even by some shops along the street. Vehicles along the road pick up passengers as they go. The buildings and lighting suggest that the painting represents Broadway Street during the early 1900s. This is also evident by the dim lighting and the vehicular technology displayed where trams followed tracks.
Techniques Used by Everett
Everett's work employs various techniques to achieve the overall effect of the painting. Such techniques include sfumato to highlight the shady and hazy state of the evening in the image as a result of the rain. The painter also uses perspectives to invoke the illusion of depth within the image as portrayed by the narrowing streets and diminishing buildings further down the street. The street also appears reflective, indicative of wetness along the road. Coupled with the lighting above, the overall effect is that of a rainy evening in a tarmacked street which is the effect the painter was aiming at. To emphasize on the time and weather of the scene, i.e., a rainy evening, Everett avoids highlighting the intricate details of the architecture to properly illustrate the effects of the rain pouring on overall visibility.
Emotions and Thoughts Evoked
Looking at this illustratory work of art invokes several emotions and thoughts concerning the environment of the time in the painting and the way of life of the society back then. The hazy atmosphere displayed in the painting invokes a somber emotion upon a viewer with the different shades of grey and hints of brown that dominate much of the painting. The lights and flocked streets invoke a sense of awe that the activities of the people in the painting are not disrupted in any way by the downpour. The lights also show that normal economic activities are not affected by factors such as climate and even nighttime. The texture of the painting is particularly intriguing especially about the architecture. Emphasis is placed on the buildings' silhouettes, and the intricacies of architecture ignored purposely to illustrate the city environment during times of climatic turmoil and how the environment affects the views of others on the urban setting such as the one in the painting.
Implications of Infrastructural Development
The painting sparks further thought concerning the infrastructural development of New York City during this period. Trams on tracks and tarmacked roads are clear indicators of the development that had taken place at the time. Street lights also show the extent of the economic activities in the city during the time. The painter successfully portrays this economic and infrastructural progress at the time which allows the mind to extrapolate these developments to the present hence track the progress of the residents of the city. Other features of the modern society such as commercial advertisement are evident in the society illustrated in the painting which is suggestive of the onset of societal advancement in fields of commerce and entertainment.
Interconnections Between Primary and Secondary Themes
The above primary and secondary invocations by the painting are related in certain ways. There is the awe of the extent of human social and economic activities that arises from the extensive infrastructural development that enables these activities. The availability of lighting services and advertising has extensive influence on the primary activities along the street in the painting which is entertainment. Being evening, these amenities are required as this is the time when people engage in leisure activities.
Conclusion
Broadway holds great significance in the theatre industry as the hub for this trade across the world. The painting by Everett shows the evolutionary differences between the theatre then and now. The gloom due to rainy weather represents the shadows of the city's activities cast upon this industry, and the lights, people and the infrastructural resources displayed are indicative of the much potential that both the industry and the city had at the time the painting was made. The artist has effectively communicated this evolution through this piece of illustratory art.
