The painting Marin: The Golden Hour by Katie Delay is an interesting example of contemporary artistic creation. The first detail that attracts attention to this image is its structure. The picture is divided into several parts, each of which reflects a separate component of the world. First, the trees on the sides of the image are undoubtedly striking. They are dark and remarkably detailed; hence, they get the most attention. Their “severity” and clarity are remarkable: they add volume to the picture and stand out from other elements. Looking at them, one can assume that the viewer is located on one side of the river, while the rest of the image is on the other side. The central part of the picture is divided into three parts: upper, middle, and lower. Each of them depicts a separate part of nature: sky, earth, and water.
The upper part that depicts the sky is light and weightless. The author used delicate and pale colors, which makes this sky not “oppressive,” but, on the contrary, open and free. To make this part of the painting more pleasing to the eye and more realistic, the author used a gradient between pink and purple. This creates a strong impression that the sun has almost gone down in the landscape depicted. However, the sky is still light enough to make out all the other details.
The middle, earthly part of the picture is filled with other colors: yellow prevails here, and even the sky is painted in shades of this color. The author depicted hills, covered with green bushes and grass somewhere, but generally lifeless. They are partly associated with dunes, but their yellow color is more likely associated with the general sunset lighting. The foreground shows trees casting small shadows. They attract the eye and are a kind of “barrier” between the viewer and the hills in the distance. Closer to the trees, the green color predominates, making the picture more intense and indicating the season and the period favorable for nature.
The lower part of the picture depicts the river – the part of the landscape closest to the viewer. The water itself seems to be quite mobile, especially closer to the coast, where the author depicted not just flowing water but its behavior when meeting with coastal stones. Yellow reflections from the hills are visible on the river, which adds realism to the image. In addition, there are large stones in the river, which also receive light from the setting sun and hills.
This picture reflects the rather romantic and melancholic mood of the author. Looking at the painting, viewers are imbued with the calm and pensive atmosphere of the sunset. The multi-layered picture makes it interesting to view and allows the audience to conclude that the author paid attention to many details of the surrounding nature. For her, the trees nearest to it are as important as all individual parts of the opposite coast of the river. One can see her attention to nature and the world around her, and interested attitude towards them, and an understanding of their value.
The painting Marin: The Golden Hour by Katie Delay is a truly captivating piece of contemporary art. It attracts the eye and arouses the interest of the audience. On the one hand, it portrays natural phenomena with charming simplicity. On the other hand, it is executed with an unusual structure, making it necessary to examine it more carefully and look for hidden connections. In addition, the picture is filled with peace, which can only be found at sunset on the river coast. Undoubtedly, this is not just landscape painting, but a combination of admiration for the world and an innovative approach to creating art. All this makes the picture valuable and worthy of attention among art connoisseurs.