by Sheyla Hernandez
Style and
Techniques
Jahnke uses a variety of
different mediums such as oil
paintings, ceramic, felt, wood
and so forth. It seems a large
portion, if not all, his work
portrays fictional characters
and images. His smooth
brushstrokes add realism to
his pieces and create soft
edges that seem to blend into
the
background.
His
backgrounds range from a
simplistic mix of two dark
colors, to solid black then to
intricate settings. This can be
seen in the three examples
shows below to the right.
Molting Chicken
Karl Jahnke
Jahnke, Karl. "Paintings." Karl Jahnke. 2008.
Web. 26 Jan. 2016. <http://karljahnke.com/>.
Cups
Karl Jahnke
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
uses colors that
blend in together
making the overall
painting look dull
and discolored.
Quick, thick
brushstrokes
creating blurry
images like in the
screaming pope.
main focus
was on
drawing
and
paintings
Style
Comparison
Karl Jahnke
Shadows of Conflict
Shadows of Conflict is one of the art works I am choosing to
focus on and compare, done by Karl Jahnke in oil. By the looks of
it the painting is presumably about war and soldiers taking shelter
in what little space they have available to them.
The overall emotion emanating from this piece is fear, sorrow and
misery. I also get a sense of anxiety and hatred from the men
depicted in the painting. Anxiety of what is to come and the
uncertainty of their lives in that very moment. The man on the
lower left seems mad and even disappointed in the viewer. The
people's gaze goes beyond the canvas as to break the fourth wall
to look directly at the audience. There is a strong sense of
asymmetrical balance with all the soldiers sitting on one side and
then having a single soldier standing, as opposed to sitting like
the rest, on the other side of the frame. A sense of guilt floods
into my mind. I interpret this piece as a reality check of our
comfort while others are fighting in war just to maintain our
freedom to be comfortable. With all our comforts we still dont do
anything beneficial making me think their efforts are worthless,
and they know it. They want the viewer to feel it too.
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Paintings. Retrieved May 18,
2015, from http://karljahnke.com/
Smoo
th
brush
strok
es
oil
painti
ngs
with
adde
d
dime
nsion
multi
color
sche
me
painti
ng
subje
cts
tend
Both
tend
to
focus
on
same
color
s
throu
ghout
body
of
work
with
use
of
light
on
light
color
s
such
as
Sculpture
roug
h
brus
h
strok
es
cera
mic
sculp
ture
(med
ium)
simpl
e
three
color
sche
me
sculp
tures
revol
Similarities
In both of these artwork pieces
there is excellent use of dark colors
to see the gloomy mood. Black is a
signature trademark for both of
these artists, although more so of
Francis Bacon, to start off a solid
background. Yellow and white are
used as highlights and make smaller
details pop out. These light colors
give the visual of being further away
from the background although they
lay flat on a painting.
Shadows of Conflict
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Paintings. Retrieved
May 18, 2015, from http://karljahnke.com/
Differences
Similarities
Somber facial expressions are
common and are shown in both
of these pieces of work. Although
they show different emotions the
main idea of solitude and
confinement is present. There is
no secondary character in their
pieces, just the main subject
experiencing their environment
and contemplating.
The use or light clashing with
dark colors is also prominent and
can clearly be seen in the
clothing of both works. It is also
peculiar that neither of their
heads are showing, they both
are covered with a hat and it is
unsure as to why they have them
since they couldve easily been
done without them.
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Sculpture. Retrieved May
18, 2015, from
http://karljahnke.com/sculpture1/
Study for Portrait II by Francis Bacon Sells for $27.5M - ArtNews. (2007,
February 10). Retrieved May 18, 2015, from
http://www.sgallery.net/artnews/2007/02/10/study-for-portrait-ii-by-francisbacon-sells-for-27-5m.html
Differences
The main difference from the
beginning is the use of different
mediums. I thought it would be
interesting to compare two
pieces that are made of entirely
different materials. Jahnke demonstrates
spectacular construction of facial features in a
three-dimensional plane. His background is no
longer black but consists of wood and is better
lit, therefore he uses brighter colors like light
blue and deep red.
Francis Bacon also uses blue for skin tones but
does not go in depth with facial features. Slight
shading or lack thereof gives the viewers mind
just enough information to make out a face. The
expression is vividly devastated compared to
that of Jahnkes sculpture that show more of a
confused and concerned feeling.
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Sculpture. Retrieved May 18,
2015, from http://karljahnke.com/sculpture1/
Self-Portrait
Acrylic on Canvas
Brushstrokes:
Personal v Karl
Jahnke
I approached this technique by thoroughly
creating a gradient from black to a rust color red.
I wanted to develop visual depth in my piece
even with a single subject, unlike Jahnkes oil
painting that has multiple subjects and has a
clear sense of depth. With the use of foreground
and background that are enhanced by subject
placement within the frame.
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Paintings. Retrieved May 18, 2015, from
http://karljahnke.com/
Color:
Personal v Francis
Bacon v Karl Jahnke
Composition
All explored artworks focus on a single subject except for the oil painting done by Jahnke that depicts multiple unidentified
soldiers. I chose to keep the focus on the main subject without drawing attention to any intricate backgrounds.
Another similarity is that no eyes are shown facing forward, the yes always seem to be closed or avoiding direct eye
contact with the viewer. This was intentional to disconnect the viewer from the piece as if they were only spectators and
could not influence the subjects in each piece.
Shadows of Conflict provides more movement in the work of art than the other two works I chose to compare.
My painting is focused on the face and abdomen, in turn lacking arms and legs as they do not stay within frame. This can
also be seen in Francis Bacons study portrait II where the arms and legs are hardly interpreted. As opposed ot Jahnke
who even included extra appendages to the large sculpture piece.
Works Cited
"Facebook Logo." Facebook. Web. 29 Jan. 2016. <https://www.facebook.com/karl.jahnke/photos?pnref=lhc>. Karl Jahnke Photos
Francis Bacon News Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2015, from
http://www.alexalienart.com/Bacon News Archive.htm
Home Page Wis-Ill Cat Fanciers. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2015, from
http://www.wis-illcatfanciers.com/
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Paintings. Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://karljahnke.com/
Jahnke, K. (n.d.). Sculpture. Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://karljahnke.com/sculpture1/
Study for Portrait II by Francis Bacon Sells for $27.5M - ArtNews. (2007, February 10). Retrieved
May 18, 2015, from
http://www.sgallery.net/artnews/2007/02/10/study-for-portrait-ii-by-francis-bacon-sells-for-27-5m.html
Lubbock, Tom. "Great Works: The Death of Sardanapalus (1827), Eugne Delacroix." The Independent. Independent Digital
News and Media, 22 Oct. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2015 .
"Francis Bacon Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
"Sacred Monster." NYMag.com. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
"See Karl Jahnke's Artwork in Exhibit at Elgin Studio." Daily Herald. 30 Apr. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.