At the Museum with Kristie Hilliard

I went to the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth and the work of art that caught my immediate attention was called Earth Spirit. Earth Spirit is a tomb figure that stems from the Northern Wei dynasty and continued into the Tang dynasty. The purpose of these tombs was to ward off any evil spirits who threatened to intrude.

Lines are not heavily included in this tomb image, although there are a few lines present. The black stripes on the forearms and forelegs are linear and the flames emerging from the creatures head, shoulders, and right leg are representations of lines. The most important lines, the ones emerging from the flames, are curved, short, and thick. They are utilized to emphasize the rage that the Earth Spirit feels toward the evil spirit it has subdued. I believe that there is an implied line that starts from the Earth Spirit’s hand and ends at the evil spirit’s body. Once they come in contact the line is complete.

The objects in the artwork are volumetric. There are spheres present in the eyes of both creatures and circles are present in the ears of the Earth Spirit. Also, there is a big circle in the center of his chest as well. The creatures in this work of art are strong, intimidating, and grotesque. They are huge monstrous beings and their size creates a sense of coercion.
Space was not really an issue for the Earth Spirit. It was closed inside of a glass box so it did not fill my space at all. In regards to the spacing of the objects, however, there was no space left between the two creatures. The Earth Spirit captured the evil spirit and had it pinned down so there is no space between the two creatures.

The source of light for Earth Spirit was provided by the museum. There was a light switch that could be adjusted to turn the light on and off.

The colors chosen for Earth Spirit set the mood for the artwork because it consists of earth tones entirely. There are mixtures of browns, grays, gold, and a small hint of black. The artist chose these colors because they are representations of the earth and bright, bold colors would have probably distracted the purpose of the piece representing the earth.

The texture of the tomb is rough and rugged in certain spots but it appears to be smooth.
The balance of the objects is definitely asymmetrical. They are on two different levels with the Earth Spirit being up high and the evil spirit being down low. They are clearly unbalanced.
When I first looked at Earth Spirit, my eyes were immediately drawn to the flames coming out of his shoulders and the look of intensity in his eyes.

Rhythm is not present in Earth Spirit because there are no repeated patterns or decorative ornamentation. The tomb is a sculpture that can be seen in the round. It is not placed up against the wall. It is on display in the center of the museum. It is a three dimensional sculpture.
The Kimball Art Museum was founded on the concept, “an art institute for the people of Texas.” It is named after an industrialist and art collector, Kay Kimball. It is located in a museum district, making it a very welcoming structure in a welcoming environment.