Image Essay #12

This is an acrylic painting on canvas called “Illusionistic Containment” by William DeKoornbolt. The painting appears to be an abstract painting within a painting frame and hanging on a painted blue background (possibly a wall). The reason I chose this painting is to talk about how it uses the technique of containment. Containment is when an artist sets up a border so as to “contain” the picture or a portion of it. DeKoornbolt does this by painting a frame onto the canvas to surround the abstract “painting” in the center. The frame therefore contains the “painting” in the center of the overall artwork.

I like this painting because it incorporates many different colors. I think it’s interesting how he sort of sets up a color wheel and combines the colors in the middle. We learn, then, which colors create what other colors. What I don’t like about this artwork is the flatness of the frame. This could just be because of the web image and is not actually seen in the real painting. However, I wish the frame looked like it was popping out to give that trompe l'oeil feel because I like those sorts of paintings. This painting is a great example of closure.