Railways gives the viewer a vaguely naturalistic depiction of railroad tracks from an aerial perspective. Yet the railway is not entirely realistic in its portrayal, though its general shape is instantly recognizable. The tracks themselves are vividly colored in warm shades of yellow and red. These bright, warm colors stand out against their background of expansive gray. The red and yellow of this piece represent the heat and power of the train, which leaves the tracks veritably humming with energy and heat from the barreling speed of the train cars.
The red and yellow colors have additional significance, particularly if the viewer notices the yellow and red circles on either side of the railroad’s tracks. Seeing these circles of color, the changing colors of traffic signals are brought to mind. Red, used to indicate stop, and yellow, used to indicate a required decreased in speed, are used in this painting to show the changing speed of the train. Though the train itself is not actually depicted in this painting, the residual effects of the train’s passing along the tracks are visible in the touches of color that give Railways interest and vibrancy.
©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved
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