Analyze Artwork: Good Winter

In his analytical essay, E. M. Forster explores the observation of art. Like most people, he only looks at the surface of a picture, and quickly becomes distracted by something else. Throughout his essay, he expresses the importance of looking at art, really looking at it – not just a glance, but absorbing yourself in it and giving it your full attention. By the end of his essay, the reader has an idea of how to truly look at art and appreciate it. Forester ends the essay by saying: “Not looking at art leads to one goal only. Looking at it leads to so many.” Like art work, this declaration seems simple enough on the surface, but one must look deeper – really listen to the words and what Forster is trying to communicate. He is saying that art opens up so many doors, and by ignoring it the future becomes more limited. This is because art has such an impact on the mind. It allows for thinking outside of the box and discovering new ideas. It opens the mind and expresses emotion in ways that television or the internet cannot.

To truly look at art, Forster explains, many factors must be considered including composition, patterns, designs, and color – not individually, of course, but as a whole. They are not merely doing their job, but “doing other work too.” So, for example, when one picks up the new self-titled Bon Iver album, they will probably notice the cover art on the front CD case. Its green setting is perfect for this folk artist, but the listener will surely become distracted by the tantalizing sounds coming from the speakers. When the CD has repeated infinite amount of times, one can finally look at the amazing work of art distributed to every owner of “Bon Iver” without distraction.  Gregory Euclide was chosen specifically to emulate the feeling of “bon iver” meaning “good winter” in French, and he does just this. Although there is no snow on the ground, the bleak colors give a cold impression. The great pine trees are not symmetric, yet are reflected back on certain angles of the image. There is a small loch surrounded by hills and more trees. As one gets closer and closer to the picture, the details become more distinct, yet when the picture is being held at a distance it seems to be a collection of leaves. The overall tone of the work of art is utterly somber, but somehow in a beautiful way. As Forster said, artwork is a whole. Individually, these images mean nothing, but together they impart the feeling bon iver through melancholy beauty.