I'd say that they're good practice, but wouldn't consider it art. I've hear some people describe art as something which have lost they original meaning and have been given a quality that increases their original value.
To illustrate this point I will talk about one of my favorites, by far:
To me this work is different from the rest, not only due to the setting, but also it's apparent mood. A seemingly hostile encounter, brought mainly through the symmetry in the branches. These go from the center to the outside, crating lines to draw the observer into the center of the image, and bringing attention to the 'eyes'. Eyes are the most important feature of any portrait because they distinguish and give meaning to a face.
Also the 'crown' gives it a royal or noble character, and the gray area can function as both a 'mouth' and a 'beard'. This gives it both an old look, but accentuates the aggressive nature of the image.
The snow on the branches also suggest coldness, and the gray overtone isn't due to the lack of saturation but the (harsh) environment.
Lastly the composition. I will take the liberty of doing a few things here:
In white you'll see the rule of 3rds applied, and in red are the centers. The skewed branches appear very close to the intersections of the white lines, and will get the most attention, save from the vertical centerline. You'll also note that the eyes are located on the horizontal centerline, giving the image stability. These are the main reasons that this image is so interesting. However, and this is critique on the image, the crown and mouth are squished against the sides and are outside of the 'Safe Action Area'. They are outside of the zone that gets most attention, and so the observer will likely miss them. Bring them closer to the center of the frame so they will be noticed earlier, or keep the image simpler by removing them from frame.
Now, onle last thing; Notice how the image is divided by the center lines? The story of the upper-left area tells a totally different story compared to the lower right and left side. Here's what I get:
- Upper-Left: Winter moving into spring.
- Upper-Right: First snow in fall.
- Lower Left: Mid-winter.
-Lower-Right: Clear summer day in a dead forest.
This keeps the image dynamic, because it contains different perspectives and make the exact setting something for the observer to discover.
And that's all I got.
Cheers.
Edited by (KDR) Dr_Freeze001, 22 September 2015 - 07:47 AM.