Art of the Day Tide of Time By Vladimir Kush Presented by Ly Phung

Vladimir Kush Present Vladimir Kush is a surrealist painter born in Moscow, Russia. He studied art at the Surikov Moscow Art Institute, until he was enlisted into the Soviet Army to paint military murals. In 1990, he immigrated to the United States, where he lived in Hawaii. There he continued to practice art and opened his own gallery called the Kush Fine Art. All of his paintings are full of vivid symbols to display his messages. One of Kush’s most famous paintings is Departure of the Winged Ship.

Character

Color

Light

Angle

Proportion

Placement

Setting

Character The characters in Kush’s painting are a couple sitting on a rocky beach. But their posture we can tell that they are very relaxed and enjoying their moment on the beach. Both the man and the woman are looking out at the sunset near the center of the picture. To the right of the couple, there is a small rock formation that looks like a child. This hints that this couple might have a family. Color There are two dark brownish mountains that contrast heavily with the brighter background colors. This mountains are obstacles that block the way to get to the brighter light. Also, the contrast of the light and the dark colors creates the image of an hourglass, which symbolizes time, and in this case, shows the imminent future. The blue water in the bottom cone symbolizes the past and the knowledge that comes with it. The brighter, warmer colors on the top cone symbolizes the new and cheerful future that is ahead of us. Light A majority of this picture is exposed to light, with the mountains as an exception as they create the hourglass with their contrast of light. The source of the light is the sun, which illuminates everything. The top cone of the hourglass is bright, representing a bright, new and happy future. The moon in the top left hand corner of the painting is a waxing, or crescent moon, which symbolizes how the future is inevitable. Angle The angle of this painting is behind the characters facing the sun. This angle helps create the perspective that the mountains create a hourglass. Also, the sun is in the center of the picture, right above the neck of the hourglass, showing its significance and displaying Kush’s message: How you should not focus on the past, but on the bright future and is ahead of you. Proportion The mountains in the picture are proportioned to make an hourglass, which symbolizes the inevitable future. Both the top and the bottom cones of the hourglass are the same, revealing how both the past and the future are important. However, the top cone is much brighter, revealing its importance that you should focus more on the future. Placement The mountains and their reflections are placed so that an hourglass is created. The bright colors in the top cone of the hourglass promise a happy future, and the sun being in the middle of it symbolizes its significance. This helps tell an observer to focus in on the cone above, not on the bottom. The clouds above the sun look like sand, and symbolizes how sand falls in an hourglass. This shows us that time is passing and that we should move on from our past. At the bottom of the painting is rocks, in which the characters are sitting on. This shows that the past is set in stone and is unchangeable. At the top of the mountain on the left there is a small rock formation that looks like a candle. This burning light urges us to move towards the future. The boat near the rocks symbolizes the character’ journey to get to their future. The small sailboat between the two mountains represents the many that have strived towards their future. Setting There is no specific era or time period, as this picture could have taken place at any time. The painting takes place at a possible ocean shore, where the characters are relaxing at the bottom of the picture and looking at the sun, focused in the center.