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KrawMagraw [2017-01-09 21:54:56 +0000 UTC]

Overall

Vision

Originality

Technique

Impact

For critiquing this piece I will use the four categories DeviantArt has me score 0-5 stars (Vision, Originality, Technique, Impact) as a way to organize and focus my commentary. Additionally I may add talking points from critiques I have experienced in art & design courses in college. Before jumping into those however, here are three things about the piece that I think are standout/really powerful (TL;DR below it)

TL;DR:

1.) Expertly executed and crafted with high fidelity and crispness

2.) Lighting adds high contrast, and creates interest via visual weight.

3.) The piece contains a quality that requires the viewer to question if it really is a photograph with it's lost details and soft edges.

Vision
This piece absolutely lacks vision/ a story completely. It's not that there isn't room for a greater vision, or narrative with the piece, but there simply isn't anything to even go off of. The only piece of information we are really presented with as viewers to interpret is the ghosted lights of the care going onto the freeway, but that's it. We can tell that it's night time obviously, possibly the dead of night because there isn't anyone about, but I thought cities never sleep?
However my biggest, biggest critique of the vision of this piece is you haven't even given us a title to guide our thought process. The right title, or even a short sentence of description could completely shift the paradigm of the viewer and have them view the piece in a new light. Something as simple as zip or zoom as reference to the speed of the car onto the freeway, or even "The city never sleeps" a possible reference to even in the dead of night there's a single car going through the city.
It's not that this makes the piece any less beautiful and executed so well, but it leaves something to be desired.

Originality
Originality connects to the Vision a lot, both suffering when the other does. It really doesn't need to be said that city streets at night is a bit cliche with the ghosted car from the long exposure. Though the setting under the freeway is different. The high contrast of the piece definitely is differentiating factor, providing enough breath for the piece to breath among others of it's kind.

Technique
You nailed it. The technique or craftsmanship as I'm used to calling it is phenomenal. The high contrast lighting, the crisp, yet subtle details of the freeway. The piece moves your eyes starting with the crisp hard diagonal which seems to intersect with a vertical line creating an intense focal point, then follows the ghosting of the car's lights and repetition of the support beams back to the street lamps which bring you back to the edge of the freeway and back to the front. It's definitely strongly crafted.

Really my only critique of the design is I feel it lacks a sense of movement, and or importance. This strongly relates to the vision/narrative of the piece, and I just feel there was more that could have been done to provoke more interest, such as if it may have been possible to have a person leaning against the foremost support beam with his head down sleeping, or something along those lines. maybe a bike with lights weaves through the trees on the right.

Impact
Overall the impact of the piece is pretty strong initially with how expertly photographed and processed it is. It definitely is what drew my eye to the piece with it's strong contrasting lighting, fidelity, and crispness. But after a quick glance at the piece there really isn't too much for the average viewer to take in . Unless you understand the difficulty and patience it takes to photograph a night scene with this level of competence I think it loses interest. In short the aesthetic is great, it's fantastic, but just not enough to hold your attention for more than a few seconds without more going on, more for the viewer to interpret, especially without a provoking title for the viewer to go to after their initial interest is provoked.

I Know this is probably painfully long, and I apologize as it's my first critique on DeviantArt, but I hope it helps you! Please if you have any questions about why I think some things or just need some clarification don't be afraid to message me.

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