Art Response Blog #1

"The Pinch of Poverty" by Thomas Kennington

What, as you see it, is the major contributing factor to poverty? Looking at this piece of art how does the artist portray poverty (positive light/negative light)? What is the artist's vision about poverty (what's the message)? Identify two artistic techniques that help the artist achieve his/her vision, and explain how they do that.
There are many small things that occur overtime to make a person(s) impoverished. A major factor is the family or person's income. Going along with this is how many people that income must provide for.

This artist portrays poverty negatively. From the looks on the faces and the lighting you can see that they have little hope except for the girl selling flowers. I think the color selection in the piece really helps show that there is hope but there is very little of it. The background and lighting is very dark throughout the picture, except for the girl. Her face is more in the light and the flowers in the basket pop showing that they are her way out of poverty. It shows the hope that she has but also the work that she must complete to recieve income. The body positioning tries to play to your emotions. The mother and two younger kids are in the back, in the dark and are "clumped" together. The daughter is standing out in front of them showing that she is the chance for her family to earn money. It makes you sad that she is the one supporting all four of the family members. It shows she is willing to try and make things better, whereas the others are "stuck" in poverty. This relates back to the vision which is; poverty is a negative thing and you can get "stuck" in it, but if you keep working and trying you can fight it. That is what this girl shows, the work.