Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Feast Your Eyes on This!


In class on Friday we will discuss how to use small but significant clues to sneak your way into a painting. Please peruse the painting below and respond to the questions that follow it.

Important notes:
  • Please do NOT Google this painting or use any other outside help; I only want to know what this class makes of the painting.  
  • Also, be sure to read others' responses before you post your own and include whether you agree or disagree with some of their interpretations.


1. Which part of the painting is your eye drawn to first?  Why do you think this is?

2. As you let your eyes wander all over the painting (up to down, left to right, corner to corner), which details of the painting do you have questions about?  In other words, if you could ask the artist one question about a specific detail in this painting, what would it be?  Post that question here.

3.  Let your mind attempt to draw together the details and make sense of the painting as a whole.  What do you think this painting is trying to convey to us?  Defend your thinking.

Please remember to proofread your answers carefully before posting.  Your response should reflect your professionalism.

130 comments:

  1. 1. When I first look at the painting my eyes are attracted to the man in the front because he is right in the front and is in a way mysterious and out of place.

    2. If I had to ask the artist of this painting one question it would be, what is the scene of this painting and why did you pick this scene?

    3. After looking over the painting I believe that the artist is trying to show a harbor town a long time ago. I believe this because you can see a town and a harbor in the background and possibly members of the town in the front working to make a living.

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    1. This painting is called the fall of Icarus because there seems to be a man drowning in the water on the right.

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  3. 1. The thing that catches my eye would be the lake because its almost the whole picture and its a nice teal blue color.

    2. One question I would ask the author would be what is theme of this picture and what is the purpose of this picture?

    3. I think this picture is trying to convey that almost everybody in the town is happy and its a peace full place to be. Also I think the town is pretty old and its has been around for a long time.

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    1. This painting is called the fall of icarus because the guy flew to close to the sun and fell in the ocean

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  4. 1. The first thing I notice is the girl. She looks like a farmers girl to me, or at least someone self-sufficient.

    2. Who is that man by the water, and what is his purpose?

    3. I think the artist is displaying struggle. Its going on everywhere, from the man, the girl, the seemingly drowning people in the water, and the gloomy colors of the painting.

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    1. This one of the top three blogs because it seems like alot of thought was put into these questions.

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    2. I can see the son fallen in the sea.

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  5. 1. The very first thing that catches my eye would be the man, because he is the least distinct in the picture, and looks the most normal. And usually for us, we look for something in a picture that we are used to seeing, and normally it is a person.

    2. As I peruse the picture I see mountains and a lake and a ship, and it makes me wonder where the man could be standing? It looks as if he is looking over to a beach where a ship is docked but I could be wrong. I also notice the town way in the back ground and that catches my attention as well.

    3. I believe that this picture is trying to explain the beauty of a certain place, and how if looking from afar it is even more beautiful. I defend this statement because of the influential colors splashed all throughout the picture, just really pulls together a good painting and shows the distinctiveness of a certain area.

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    1. I think this blog is in the top three because it is very detailed and flows nicely.

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    2. This is one of the three because he used great grammar, good word choice and makes solid points

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    3. This is a top three because of the length and the meaningfulness of the response.

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    4. This blog is good because because it meets all the expectations and its really in dept. Good job

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    5. This post is one of the top three because it is informative, descriptive, and all questions are properly answered.

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    6. There is a lot of thought put in to the responses.

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    7. This response looks good.

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    8. This is a good blog because he supports his ideas with details.

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    9. this is a top 3 blog because a lot of effort was made in this post to be very detailed.

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    10. I like how you really tried to look into the picture and see what it could really mean.

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    11. I think that this is one of the top ones because it is descriptive and has lots of detail.

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    12. I think this is one of the top three because its very complete and uses full sentences.

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    13. This blog is good because it shows good grammar usage and detail.

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    14. This blog has completely answered respondses.

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    15. I think yours is in the top 3 because it sounds like you really put some heart into it.

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    16. This is a good blog because it is easy to understand and well explains the painting

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    17. I do believe that you belong on the top three list. You go into detail on how the painting is so gorgeous. I mental image of the picture as a read your writing. You got some good ideas I most definitely agree on.

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    18. I think this blog is good because it has good details and good grammar.

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    19. I believe this is a top three blog because it has really deep thinking and nice flow to detail his responses.

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    20. I believe it is called the fall of icarus because it shows of the island in which he arrived when he fell into the sea.

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  6. 1) i was firs drawn to the see and how big and open it was. i was probably drawn to it becuase of how real it looks big it is.
    2) Why does the sky look so dark in the left corner if the sun is out.
    3) To me the paiting is trying to show how big of a world we live in with how massive the ocean looks.

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    1. This panting is called the fall of icuros becuase it look like something is on fire in the water and someonei is looking up

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  7. 1. When I look at this painting my eyes are drawn to the big ship probably because it is the biggest thing in the painting.

    2. Where is this all taking place at?

    3. I think this painting is trying to convey to us that this is a hard working town but a happy town because it looks like the man is using the horse to help him with some kind of work. There is also a man that looks like he is herding cattle in the background.

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    1. This response is in the top three because I see a really different out-of-the-box response than everybody else but still properly answers the questions.

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    2. This is called the fall of Icarus because there is a man in the water that looks like he has fallen.

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  8. 1. The first part that my eye is drawn to in the painting is the women. She is wearing red in a picture with few bright colors and she is probably a centerpiece and main focus of the painting.

    2. Why is there a man in white almost falling into the water on the right side of the picture?

    3. After viewing the picture for some time I believe that the picture is of an ancient Chinese harbor town, and the lady in red could be a Noble or highly ranked women.

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    1. I think this is in the top three because you had a great prediction on what the painting was about.

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    2. I think this is in the top three because he noticed more about the picture than most

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    3. This is in the top three because it is answered differently by Danny than most people answered it and really pointed out the not so obviouse things most others didn't notice.

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  9. 1. I'm drawn to the farmer, tending is farm. Than I am drawn to all the ships out in the sea.

    2. Is there a war happening in the picture?

    3. It appears that this is the Renasance time period and the country is a very farming filled country. It also seems that there is a war or something with the navy is occurring and all the ships are coming towards the big part of the city.

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    1. I believe your blog is the best because it delivers punctual answers and confines within the lines of the requirements.

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    2. I also wonder if there is a war in this painting because there seem to be many ships and a man with a sword.

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    3. This blog has good detail

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    4. This is called the fall of Icarus, because there's a man drowning in the ocean and the sun is shining.

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  11. 1) The first thing I noticed is the person working in the field because its almost exactly in the middle of the painting and because the person is wearing orange, which stands out against all the other colors.

    2) If I had to ask the artist who painted this one question, would be when and where is this?

    3) I think that the artist is trying to show a town from a long time ago. The painting is trying to convey sadness because all of the colors are depressing and it's not a very happy scene.

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    1. This a top three blog because it has been in full sentences and are creative answers.

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    2. Yours is very good.

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    3. This is a good blog because you have good detail

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    4. The title doesn't help me understand the painting at all. I'm still confused.

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  12. 1. the first thing I noticed about this painting was the man/woman in the from of the painting controlling the plow. This caught my attention first because they are wearing a red shirt and its the only red object in the painting.

    2. If I could ask the artist anything i would ask what is the purpose of the giant castle looking thing in the middle of the harbor?

    3. I think the artist is showing the many different ways of life for different people, some are farmers and there is also a Sheppard, then in the back ground there is a city and in the harbor there is a big ship, and in the bottom there looks to be some kind of fisherman.

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    1. Has good flow.

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    2. Detailed responses.

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    3. This blog is very detailed.

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    4. This blog has a lot of strong detail.

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    5. I think that this is one of the top because he put a lot of thought into it.

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    6. This is top three because he has a good question and also good observations

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    7. In the bottom right corner he is drowning because you can see his legs in the water and i think that is hurcules by the shore in the white robe

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  13. 1. The first thing I notices was the farmer that is pushing the horse down the hill, because it's right in the middle of the painting and usually the most noticeable.

    2. What is the farmer doing and where is it going?

    3. I think the artist is trying to convey to us how life was, maybe? Or how it was like to get down to a lake to fish or something.

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    1. This title helps me find the understanding because in the bottom right there is a drowning man

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  14. 1st Hour Carter Hawkins

    1. I am drawn to the person's red shirt first, because everything else in the painting is a dull color and the vivid red stands out compared to everything else.

    2. Where is the setting of this painting?

    3. I think that the artist is trying to convey what life was like back in a time period like this where everyone had to work really hard in order to make money and have food. It is very different from today's world where most people in a wealthy country are spoon fed and don't have to work as much.

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    1. I think this is in the top 3 because it is well explained and detailed.

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    2. I think this is in the top three because it helps me understand why someone would notice the red first.

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    3. I'm glad you and I have the same opinion as I do. The detail is great as well.

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  15. 1. The first thing I noticed was the Horse in the painting because its the first thing that you see when you look at this wonderful painting.

    2. If I could ask the author one question I would ask him, What message are you trying to get out to your audience?

    3. I think the author is trying to tell us how hard times were back then because the mood of the painting is sad and everyone one the painting seems to be working hard.

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    1. This is called the fall of Ikerous because if you look in the painting there is a man drowning.

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  16. 1. The part of the painting that my eye is drawn to first is, the man who is holding the horse by some straps.I am drawn to this part of the painting because it is the action that is going on, the man is moving his horse across the lake in my eyes.

    2. As I read the painting more carefully I question the man's feet, the man seems to have hoofs for feet. Why does the man have hoofs, and why is he walking an animal with hoofs?

    3. As a whole I believe this painting is telling a story about how a hoofed man is walking to some mid evil town bringing his horse with him. I believe this because their is a man walking across a bridge with his horse, and he is heading towards an old village and there is a castle in the background.

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    1. This is a good blog because he actually went into detail and explained why he thought what he thought.

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    2. This post uses good imagination

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    3. This is a top three because of the length and the meaning

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    4. Restates the question and and put a lot of thought in to the answers.

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    5. This is none of the top three because the ideas in it are unique and original.

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    6. This is in the top three because its creative and is meaningful.

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    7. Has beautiful flow and deserves to go onto the top threeeeee.

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    8. You really explained it well and you made an image in my head.

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    9. This post is a top 3 because it really goes into detail about the painting.

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  17. Alex Fox

    Period 1


    1.As I scanned the complex painting for the first time, my attention was immediately drawn to the man using his horse to tend his farm or lawn. I believe his red shirt makes him the focal point of the painting because there isn't anything else like in the painting.


    2.What is the story behind this painting?


    3.I think the people working like the man tending to his farm and the shepherd behind him are doing that as there occupation. They come out and they work and then they return to their homes in the city at the top left of the paint.

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    1. I think is one of the top three blogs because it is really detailed, and there was lot of thought put into it.

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    2. I think this is called the fall of Icarus because the is a person struggling in the water.

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  18. 1. The first thing that my eyes saw was the man, because he is the closest and most distinct thing in the picture, everything else in the picture seems to be in the background. It seems like the artist painted it like that so the man could be the main focus of the picture.

    2. As I looked around the ship in the picture I see two legs in the water splashing around.
    What is going on there?

    3. i think that this picture represents and place by the ocean that as been recently colonized and the farmers are trying to start their own farms. It seems like it is a harbor town and they are creating farms so that the town will have food.

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    1. This is a good blog because Bryan went into detail and seemed to have given a lot of thought into his answers.

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    2. This is a good blog because you used proper punctuation.

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    3. lots of detail and did a good job explaining his responses.

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    4. I had asked why the picture had two legs in the water, now that I know the the titel and that was where he fell

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  19. 1. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was the ship because it is big and it stands out because there is not a lot of other things happening around it.

    2. I would ask the artist where the painting takes place.

    3. The artist is showing what it was like in the past without machines for farming and before iron clad ships.

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    1. This is called the fall of icarus, and it is called that because icarus is falling out of the sky, after flying too close to the sun.

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  20. The first thing I notices was the farmer that is pushing the pail with the horse down the hill to create paths because he is right in the center and he is the most colorful part of the picture
    If I had to ask the artist of this painting one question it would be, what is your point in making this painting?
    I think the artist is displaying struggle. Its everywhere from the man to the girl to the horse to the boats and the tide.

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  21. 1. The first thing I notice when looking at this painting is the farmer in the center because he is in the forefront of the painting and most of the other aspects of the painting are in the distance and hard to see.

    2. If I could ask the artist of this painting a question, it would be, at what time of day does this painting occur? It looks as if the boat is trying to reach shore before night fall.

    3. I think this painting is trying to capture the beauty of the geography found around the harbor. It is also trying to show us the details of some people who live in the town, but it also shows the distance and the bigger picture of the harbor.

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    1. Your writing is pro.

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    2. That is a really good question.

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    3. It is well explained

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    4. Very well explained

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    5. Good punctuation.

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    6. This is a really good blog because good vocabulary is used and it was specific to his thoughts and answers and made me agree with his answers.

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    7. I think everyone agrees that this is a very good post. Well detailed and punctuated.

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    8. This painting is called the fall of Icarus because we can see the man falling into the ocean from the sky and wading to the shore to be picked up by herculues.

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  23. 1. When I look at this painting my eyes were first drawn to the sea because the color blue is appealing. Also, because the sea is most of the picture and everything is revolved around it.

    2. If I were to ask the artist of this painting one question I would ask; what were you trying to illustrate when you painted this?

    3. I think the artist is trying to capture that the man has moved on from the past and wants to start a new life in a more joyful town.

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    1. This blog is good because it has good grammar and been responded correctly.

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  24. 1. I am drawn to the person farming because she is wearing a bright color and she is the biggest object in the painting.

    2. My question would have something to do with the person drowning on the bottom right corner. I'm not sure what is going on there but it looks like two legs and the person is upside down.

    3. I think the painting is trying to convey that people now have it easy. All of their food is grown or hunted for them. I think this is true because in the way back I see a city with a lot of tall buildings but the farmer is up close to show that they are the people who work to keep us happy.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. It is well explained.

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    3. this is very good.

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    4. The legs in the bottom right corner is Icarus.

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  25. 1. The first thing i am drawn to in the painting is the sunset on the ocean because it is what the paintings angle is directed out towards.

    2. Why did you paint drowning people? Why does the land in the distance appear to be frozen over?

    3. It looks to me that the painting is portraying Spain or a country near Spain in the time period in which people where first sailing over to the new world.

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    1. This is a top three blog because its really deep thinking.

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    2. Icarus is the man drowning in the lower right hand corner.

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  26. 1. The first thing I notice about the painting is the black haired person working in the field with the horse because the person is right in the middle with an orange shirt on it just stands out.

    2. My question to the author would be, where is this picture taking place at? I would ask this because it looks like a paradise but at the same time there are mountains and it looks like glaciers in the background.

    3.I think that author is trying to convey what it was like back in the time period with boats instead of cars and planes and horses helping with farming instead of other tools, it shows the city and how its not as developed as actual citys with giant sky scrapers.

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    1. I think this blog is one of the top three because it uses full sentences, answers all of the questions, and as no spelling or grammar mistakes.

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    2. I understand this painting a little bit more because the title of the painting the fall of icarus because of the half man half bull person working on the farm.

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  27. 1. The first thing that my eyes are drawn to in this painting is the sunset in the background. This is because of the bright yellow color that shows the mood of the painting. This also attracts my eyes because it brings out the whole painting from the city on the left side all the way to the cliffs on the right.
    2. If I could ask the painter one question it would probably be, what is the meaning of this painting, and why did you place the people you did in the spots you did?
    3. I think this painting is trying to convey how the blue collared man creates the white collared man. This is because this is a small town that works hard to make enough money for themselves, and then ships their product to the city to be sold by the white collared men to become richer. This is shown in the painting by the hard working man with his ox in front of, and also by the city that is shown bright by the sun. This is all shown by the boats carrying the product through the sea, which I see as a connection between the two different life styles.

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    1. This post shows the difference between the two cities which makes it a good post.

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    2. I believe this is one of the best blogs this week because his responses completely answer the questions given.

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    3. I think that this is one of the best posts because he put a lot of effort into it.

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    4. This post is good because there is good detail and, as said by Alex F, the responses answer the questions.

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    5. This post is a top 3 because it has a good flow.

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    6. This post belongs in the top three because he makes good points and has nice flow.

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    7. This is called the Fall of Icarus because he is drowning in the bottom right corner.

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  28. 1.The first thing that grabs my attention is definitely the ship off to the right. It grabbed my attention because its the only ship in the cove. The ship also has big sails and is surrounded by brighter colors.
    2. I would ask the painter what is the significance of the person plowing because it is the biggest portion of the painting.
    3. I think the painting trying to show us how different it was back then and now.

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  29. 1. The first thing I see is the sun. Mostly because of its bright color

    2. One thing I would ask is why is there someone swimming by the boat?

    3. I think it's just trying to show a normal day way beck when.

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    1. Remember when is painting is based off your favorite Greek myth? The guy swimming is Icarus.

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  31. 1 The first thing that draws my eye when I see the picture is the person in orange because of the difference in color against the rest of the painting.
    2 When you look at the whole painting you wonder what time period this is and what country this is in also it looks like there is something in the water that im not sure what it is.
    3 I think that this painting is trying to show us how people live in the old times and how they use ships and how they farm.

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  32. 1. The guy in the front caught my eye first because he's in the front of the painting.

    2. I would ask the painter what made you want to paint this picture? What meaning does it have towards you?

    3. I think the painting shows us a town back in the day, and what they did. It also shows how were adapting over time to a new and better civilization,

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    1. You can kind of see him falling in the background, by the mountains. Another way I see it is he already fell and hes floating in the water.

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  33. The best three blogs in my opinion
    were danny, brandons, and patricks.
    i thought that all of these asked good questions and pointed out good observations.

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  34. 1. The man in the front catches my eye because I think there is mystery behind him in what he is doing. I wonder what he is doing with the weapon in his hand.

    2. When I look at this painting I see all the ships and question where they are all going and what they are doing on the water.

    3. I think there is a war going on in this painting because there seems to be a lot of activity in the water and a man in the front seems to be holding a weapon.

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    1. I think it is called the fall of Icarus because the sun is blazing in the sky.

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  35. This is called the fall of Icarous because in the background behind the ship you can see an explosion in the water, and that is Icarous falling

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