From the Artist: I made the red element Africa's burning sky. Despite the dominance of the red, the eye is drawn to the upper tusk on the right-hand canvas and the fact that it isn't actually attached to an elephant.
From the Painting Guide: A lot of you will know I'm very fond of minimalist, abstracted paintings, so it'll come as no surprise that I love the strong curved lines in this painting, the way the tusks curl and the echo of this in the sun shining from the top left corner.
I also like the fact that the suggestion of sun is subtle (you don't see it at all if you only look at the right-hand half of the painting). And if you've ever seen an elephant tusk up close, you'll recognize the rich color and texture that Marianne has conveyed here. The 'unnatural' angles of the two tusks made me think of one of those televised occasions a few years back when a huge pile of poached ivory was collected and burned in support of the ban of trade in ivory.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Frame or No Frame: Should the tusks have been painted a little further from the edge because if someone were to frame this work, some of the tusks would be lost. I know a frame could hide only a little, but look where the two tusks cross on the left-hand panel, the 'interest' is right on the edge of the painting.
From the Painting Guide: A lot of you will know I'm very fond of minimalist, abstracted paintings, so it'll come as no surprise that I love the strong curved lines in this painting, the way the tusks curl and the echo of this in the sun shining from the top left corner.
I also like the fact that the suggestion of sun is subtle (you don't see it at all if you only look at the right-hand half of the painting). And if you've ever seen an elephant tusk up close, you'll recognize the rich color and texture that Marianne has conveyed here. The 'unnatural' angles of the two tusks made me think of one of those televised occasions a few years back when a huge pile of poached ivory was collected and burned in support of the ban of trade in ivory.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Frame or No Frame: Should the tusks have been painted a little further from the edge because if someone were to frame this work, some of the tusks would be lost. I know a frame could hide only a little, but look where the two tusks cross on the left-hand panel, the 'interest' is right on the edge of the painting.
