Classical Exhibit ART 200x

John Trumbull, American, 1756–1843
The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

History

    John Trumbull is famous for many revolutionary art pieces depicting many battles and historical events. Jefferson invited John to stay with him in Paris to compose the painting. Jefferson wanted this piece to be historically accurate but also have everyone included, even though some who opposed the proposal were not physically present during that moment of history. Jefferson was the one who submitted the document to John Hancock, but in the painting, those included were John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. 

Elements

    This painting is a historical moment of the revolutionary history of America. The overall tone depicts a very gloomy and dark setting. This moment of history was secret; only a select few witnessed this day until it was made known to the world. They did not have electricity yet; candlelight and sunlight were what they had. Not one's face is hidden in the painting, so they can all be named in the painting. All faces were severe and heroic; being there was an intense moment of history. They were shaping the building blocks of the new founding country. Anyone would be nervous, yet all faces were stern and ready to face the start of the new founding country. The color of the painting was dark, and everyone wore white powdered wigs because that was their culture. You can see many faces in this painting. It took John 3 decades to do because he wanted to include all 56 members. It must have taken a long time because he had to research many faces and interviews to see who was present or involved. Everyone in the painting was not even present, but Jefferson wanted everyone there despite the reality of having some disapproved or who could not be there.

Jacques-Louis David: Oath of the Horatii, oil on canvas
(Paris, Musée du Louvre);
Photo credit: Scala/Art Resources NY

 History

   This painting was made from a Roman legend where three men were chosen to fight against their enemies’ champions so that both parties could avoid a full-scale war. Those three men were brothers, and their father holding the three swords is swearing them into an oath to protect their nation. Women in the background are the wives or fiances of the three men. They are distraught and know what their husbands will be facing. They will face life and death and either win or lose, which would mean gruesome death. 

Element

This piece of painting is my favorite of the three I choose. The reason is because of the perfect shading and the color choices of the art piece. The parts where everything has what looks like highlights shining from one direction in the painting are perfectly shaded. The color of the skin is bold and lifelike. Furthermore, the shading and colors perfectly align where light and dark would be in real life. The painting is like someone who went back in time, took the picture with a camera, and made it look like a classical oil on canvas painting. The shadows of the painting are spot on, and the choice of color for the clothing seems very lifelike. The coloring of the silver or gold helmets looks shiny where you would expect it to be because of the position of the direction of the light. Everything is perfectly colored and shaded to make each character more prominent or less prominent, as the women and the children are in the shadow of the men. The artist boldly lined the men and the two women into the light while the woman with the children is shunned in the shadows of the men.

Eugène Delacroix, “Liberty Leading the People” 

History

    In this painting, Delacroix depicts women representing Liberty, leading soldiers to victory while holding the french white, blue and white flag. In July of 1789, a protest called the Storming of the Bastille sparked the French Revolution. This protest took place on the streets of Paris because you can see Notre Dame Cathedral in the background.

     "Delacroix was living in Paris at the time, enabling him to experience the chaos firsthand. "Three days amid gunfire and bullets, as there was fighting all around," he wrote in 1830. "A simple stroller like myself ran the same risk of stopping a bullet as the impromptu heroes who advanced on the enemy with pieces of iron fixed to broom handles."-Tribe, Yugan

    Because he experienced this firsthand, it gave him the emotions and right to paint this elegant piece of a woman leading the revolutionaries to victory. Women did not lead, but she was a symbol of Liberty. 

Elements

    This piece is not as vivid as the last piece of art by Jacques-Louis David, but the artist has a good coloration of how smoke can make a picture hazy. Liberty lady clothing has many lines that create the illusion of wrinkles and ripples in the fabric. The waist belt looks like it is flowing in the air from her running or the chaos. The lines on the flag of the voluntaries, which is now France today, make the illusion of it free-flowing in the wind. You can almost hear the flag snap and flap by the illusion of the lines of the flag, with Liberty holding a gun in her left and the flag in her right, the emotion of pride in one's right to fight to have freedom. This painting is a patriotic piece of art that Delacroix made out of his experience in Paris and how he saw the French Revolution from his point of view. 

Citations

A Scholarly Skater. “American Artists and the American Revolution.” A Scholarly Skater, 30 Sept. 2021, https://ascholarlyskater.com/2019/01/04/american-artists-and-the-american-revolution/.

Tribe, Yugen. “7 Spirited Works of Art Sparked by Revolution.” My Modern Met, 26 June 2020, https://mymodernmet.com/revolution-art/.

Unknown. “David, Oath of the Horatii (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/enlightenment-revolution/a/david-oath-of-the-horatii.

Unknown. “The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.” The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, | Yale University Art Gallery, https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/69.

Unknown. “Neo-Classicism and the French Revolution.” Oxford Art Online, https://www.oxfordartonline.com/page/neo-classicism-and-the-french-revolution/neoclassicism-and-the-french-revolution.

Abduction of the Sabine Women by Nicolas Poussin Baroque Art Analysis

 

Abduction of the Sabine Women
Louvre Museum, Paris.
By Nicolas Poussin.

Introduction

The Abduction of the Sabine Women by Nicolas Poussin was painted around 1634-1635. The location of which the painting was created is unknown but based on where he lived, and it was likely painted in France. The theme of the painting is based on a Roman myth. It depicts a scene where the Sabines were invited to a festival where they planned to abduct their women and force them to become their wives. The myth says that the group leader raised his cloak, and the men started raiding and grabbing young women. 

Influence by The Thirty-Year War 

The painting was created during the time of the thirty-year war. Also, it was when France and Spain were at war. The theme represents the betrayal and scandalous scene where they were invited to a festival, yet they planned a horrible thing. The painting has gruesome violet acts of blasphemy. Everyone in the 1635 people of France was all thinking of war. This painting was a perfect example of what type of things they were facing and why famous were painting this type of 

Evaluation 

The art has many emotional scenes of murders and men grabbing women. You get a heavy heart when looking at such gruesome things. At one moment in the painting, a man protects his woman from their kidnapper. If someone were to take me away from my boyfriend, it would be devastating and heartbreaking. Overall the painting is very detailed and has many scenes where it would make you cry. Two ladies in the painting were being taken away, looking as if reaching for the heavens and praying for help. Children were being thrown down to the ground seeing their mothers being taken. I can feel the emotion come through. It pulls at you. Many events are going on, which makes it almost overwhelming. The act of abducting their women as their own is a disgraceful move that brought shame to the people they attacked.

Citations

Unkown. “Abduction of the Sabine Women (1634-5).” Abduction of the Sabine Women, Nicolas Poussin: Analysis, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/abduction-of-the-sabine-women.htm#:~:text=Abduction%20of%20the%20Sabine%20Women%20(1634%2D5),-Contents&text=Louvre%20Museum%2C%20Paris.,By%20Nicolas%20Poussin.

Unkown. “The Abduction of the Sabine Women Probably 1633–34.” Metmuseum.org, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search.

The Calumny of Apelles

Sandro Botticelli, Calumny of Apelles, 1494–95, tempera on panel, 62 x 91 cm (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence)

History

Botticelli painted Calumny of Apelles. He repainted the theme that originally Apelles created by following a classical description of it. It was made in 1495-95. (Apelles) It is unknown where the painting was created, but it is now kept in Uffizi, Florence. He did many remakes of famous artists before him. Little was known of Apelles' life, and all of his art did not survive. Apelles produced his painting after being unjustly slandered by a Antiphilos, who accused him in front of Ptolemy of being an accomplice in treason. (Graham)

Appearance

Although Apelles influenced the painting, the backdrop was not part of his original artwork. Botticelli painted just as the classical description described. There is much stuff going on in the painting. The figures in the painting are not named people but are personifications of virtues. They are named left to right, Truth, Repentance, Conspiracy, Slander, Fraud, Envy, Ignorance, and Suspiousion. Each figure has a different pose and different ways how it is portrayed. Truth is naked, which infers that Truth is constantly exposed. Repentance looked as if they were a dark person who would infer that the innocent people accused were reluctant to forgive. Conspiracy was a female with fiery red and yellow clothing, indicating that she was bold and fierce. The conspiracy of the innocent man was probably very bold as well. Slander was seen whispering in the king's big ears, which gives a good representation of gossip. Fraud is playing with slander's hair because the conspiracy is a lie. Envy is trying to hold his hand up to the King's face to cloud his view of the situation. Near the king, Ignorance and Suspicion seem to be crowding the King. (3) The King has too many things going on, making him ignorant and suspicious of the innocent because everything is pointing fingers at this poor man. The innocent man looks as if begging forgiveness regardless of his innocence. According to my observation, most of the figure's personation considered flawed are women. The only other lousy figure, envy is a man, which makes sense because it represents the King's jealousness. (Kren)

Color

Choice of color for each figure is critical. Color pictures emotions, and they do have meaning. The color of Truth's skin is ashen, making him look sick, which infers that sometimes the truth is ugly. Repentance is wearing dark black clothing because she is in mourning. After all, the innocent man does not need forgiveness. Conspiracy is wearing red and yellow, which shows that she is dangerous. Slander is dressed in blue and white. White represents purity and innocence. Blue represents freedom like the blue sky. The color is an illusion because slander may seem reasonable to the listeners, but it is not. Also, slander can run free with a perfect combination of colors for slander. Fraud is wearing what looks like brown. Brown is bland compared to other colors, but it is intense. Strength can make one feel safe, which fraud can also make one feel. Envy is also wearing dark clothes, which infers that envy is destructive. Ignorance is wearing red and blue, which means the King can be free to stay in a dangerous position because of his ignorance. Suspension is wearing dark green, which can mean ambition. The king's ambition for more power makes him suspicious of his loyal followers. The King is wearing Red, a royal color in the artists' time. (Apelles)

Citation

Dr. Heather Graham, "Humanism in Italian renaissance art," in Smarthistory, August 1, 2021, accessed June 11, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/humanism-italian-renaissance-art/. (Graham)

Kren, Emil. “Calumny of Apelles.” Calumny of Apelles by Botticelli, Sandro, https://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/botticel/90scenic/10calumn.html. (Kren)

Unknown. “Calumny of Apelles (Botticelli).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 June 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumny_of_Apelles_(Botticelli). (Apelles)

Art Analysis by Jennifer Sage

Art Analysis of Orca Sunrise

Ocra Sunrise- Karen Whitworth

Color

   The colors in this painting are cold and give the impression that the glacier is cold with a slight hint of warmth from the sunset. The hints of red in the water give off energy. The painter uses red to add contrast to the cold glacier waters. The red adds warmth to the painting. It also gives a scary feeling that implies their world is beautiful but hostile. Orange colors from the sunsets say that the orcas are youthful and very active and playful.(Lundberg) It gives that enthusiasm without overtly stating it. Just the hints of it do not cloud the overall calmness and peaceful setting of the painting. It is a very vibrant color. The yellow of the sun grabs the viewer's attention. What is the first thing I see in the painting? The first thing I saw was the bright, smiley sun. The color of the painting, in general, had a very high intensity because it was bright and intense in color. The emotion that comes into play is calmness with a hint of isolation.

Form

  This art was a form of painting on canvas. Painting is a form that allows the painter to let their emotions fall onto the canvas. The brushstrokes of this painting are soft and smooth, giving a calming view. If the brushstrokes were not silky but jagged and rigid, the painting would have looked like an angry cold setting. The softness and rounded edges made the painting have a comfortable setting. 

Line

  The line in the painting is mostly smooth. Even the ice is smooth, not jagged as would expect of ice. The places where its jagged lines are present are softened by buffering the line. The clouds are silver-lined and fluffy. There is no distinct line in the clouds, but there is lighting that indicates some lines. The ice has many cracks, which means the ice is melting and breaking off. 

Shape

  The painting had many objects that drew the viewers' attention. The glacier has cracks and features in a shape where it is not just a flat ice surface. It had a depth to the glacier and character because it was not one piece of ice. It gave the impression that it hid the more prominent side in the water. The smaller portion was visible above the water, but the painter allowed us to see the ice beneath the water. The orcas were also visible underneath the surface. One orca was smaller than the other, giving the illusion that it was a three-dimensional image of them swimming with one orca behind the other. The shapes of the color in the water were not straight lines either. Like in most paintings, when light penetrates the water, it is a straight stroke of light. Her shape for the light was hazy as if the light was having trouble penetrating the cold water. 

Space

  The painting was very balanced in positive and negative spaces. Every feature in the painting pulls the viewer in, and the spaces between those features are not dull either. The water was lovely because It was not just one color. It had multiple colors that gave the water more life and depth. Half of the painting was negative space, and most of the positive spaces were objects in the painting, such as the orcas and cracks in the glacier. 

Texture 

  In the painting, since we could not feel the painting in person, it was more of a visual texture. The choice of color and the way she did her brush strokes made the texture of the painting look smooth and silky. The skin of the orcas looked very slippery and sleek to the touch because of the way she put lines of white to give the illusion of light shining on the top of the animal. We would see these lines on ice and water in many other genuine paintings. The mountains look rough, but the choice of shapes and colors gave them a smoother look. It gives a sense of how far away the mountains might be because their not very detailed in texture. 

Value

  The value of the painting, in general, has lighter tones. We can see a few central valued such as red and yellow, but the negative spaces have lighter and darker values to add depth to the painting. Value is very balanced because it does not have a higher contrast than it needs to be—shades of the same color for highlighting and shadowing to create three-dimensional illusions. 

Works Cited

Lundberg, Anna. "Color Meanings and the Art of Using Color Symbolism." 99designs. Vista, 10 Nov. 2021. Web. 29 May 2022. (Lundberg)

Shopify. 2022 Art of Karen Whitworth. Web. 27 May 2022.