Garrett Hollowell- Museum

I'd definitely consider Self Portrait as Red Tent to be art.  Not only is it obviously visually appealing, but there is a much deeper meaning to it than just looking really good. Without looking at the description, you can already tell it has to do with polluting our waters and condemning pipelines and oil rigs that pump sludge and waste into the water. In the painting's description, it is about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The painting itself doesn't appear to look like the Gulf at all, but rather some fantasy lagoon with with a lot going on. It's on a large canvas, so it can fit all the action on it, but it takes a lot of observation to process all of it. In the foreground is a tree with rotting fruit with insects all over to show the effects of the polluted waters on plant life. In the distance is a large fire, also showing the dangers of a rig like the Deepwater Horizon failing. Ultimately, at the center of it all are the pipes causing the chaos by polluting everything. There's so much that I just get it all, but the disorder and chaos drive a strong message and make for a great painting. About the location of the painting itself, I'm kind of peeved that if it's off in the corner kind of hidden, as opposed to the other paintings in the room which are pretty front and center for all the museum-goers to see. I'm not sure if it's because of the unsettling nature of the painting or what, but it deserves a better placement. However, part of me thinks that the reason it's off in the corner isn't entirely because of the nature of the painting, but rather that the other paintings by the same artist in the room are much more bright and have more upbeat tones. What really interested me in the painting was that there was a whole lot going on in it and that it's really complicated. I'm not really a fan of overly simplistic paintings so the complexity of this painting clicked with me really well. The way the artist manages to capture the chaos and disaster caused by pollution into a visually appealing painting that gradually gets grosser as you look at it is pretty neat. The longer you look the more disgusting the details are which forces the viewer to think about the effects of pipelines. The left side of the painting is light and shows the previously beautiful landscape, whereas the right is dark and dying. My favorite part though is the rotting tree in the foreground. I like the insects consuming and living in the tree's once ripe fruit, since it ties back to the theme of us killing the beautiful landscapes and waters with our pollution. Overall, very neat.