Comments (3)
Most people when they think of California, they immediately think of tourist hotspots, such as LA, Sacramento, Beverly Hills, etc. However, California is an extremely diverse state geographically. To the north are the beautiful mountains, Red Wood forest, and cooler weather. To the south are the highly popular beaches and warmer weather. Wayne Thiebaud in his piece shows the diverse and mesmerizing landscape of the lesser known parts of California. The body of water in the center of the painting shows the importance of water in farming and our daily lives. The varying forms, colors, and shapes of the fields speaks to the diversity of different crops grown in California. The climate allows for a unique growing opportunity found nowhere else in the United States. Crops such as grapes, strawberries, various nuts, and other fruits are able to be grown in this climate. Thiebaud's piece allows for the importance of California to the nation's farming industry to be brought to light.
I love how Wayne Thiebaud tries to capture what California looked like before a lot of the development happened. Even though places like LA and Sacramento are the main focal point of the state, there are still thousands of acres of land still in its rural state. That's where the state gets its beauty too. The expression of color and contrast are used wonderfully and it really helps show the beauty of California in such a unique way.
When people think of California, they think of celebrities in Los Angeles, the big cities, and the Pacific Ocean, but not many of people think about the stunning places outside of the cities. I was able to experience one of the more natural places in California which is the Redwood Forest. As a kid I was expecting to be stuck in a hotel in a big city, but we ended up in one of the biggest forests in the world with tons of wildlife around us. Wayne Thiebaud does an amazing job in his "Ponds and Streams" artwork of showing how adventurous California really is. He wants people to know that there is more than just the cities and the skyscrapers. California has many crops that they can grow through most of the year. This artwork could bring some attention to California so they can be known for more than just the big cities. This artwork is interesting to the eye. It seems as if you are sitting on a hill looking down to the pond, but once you reach the end of the pond, it seems as if the land is very distanced. There is lots of depth and space within this colorful artwork.