Color in the Nun by Otto Dix
Otto Dix's painting, "The Nun," is a striking piece of visual art. This painting evokes a sense of emotion in the viewer for a number of different reasons. The three figures rendered in the work are decidedly abstract, including the titular nun and the two figures on either side of her. Additionally, the artist's sense of depth and perspective are highly unusual, characteristics which aid in the work's abstract nature. Yet the most singularly remarkable thing about this work of art is its coloring. Many of the techniques that Dix utilized to make this work noteworthy are based on the elaborate colors utilized within the painting.
Perhaps the most eminent aspect regarding the color scheme that the artist employed in "The Nun" is the shading and tones that are applied to the nun herself. Her preeminence in this work is not only underscored by her size in comparison to the other figures (the nun is rendered so large that her hands and her neck on up occupy most of the painting, whereas the other figures are so small that their entire bodies fit comfortably on either side of her), but also by the stark colors with which she is portrayed. Specifically, the dark tones of her headdress or cape form the backbone of this work of art. Nuns typically dress in all black and in this regard Dix's nun is no different. Still, the black color found at the base of her neck is much more stark than the upper parts of the garment, which are lightened a little with white and shades of gray. Nonetheless, these stark, black colors characterize the work as a whole immensely and give the viewer a brooding sense of gravity when looking at this work. This fact is of immense importance in understanding this painting, since the nun is the most important figure in it and the most visibly noticeable color the artist uses to portray her is black. The result is an ominous, foreboding feeling.
That sense of darkness and gravity characterizes the painting in part because...
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