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Identification: Jacques-Louis David, Death of Marat, 1793. Oil on cancas, 5'5"x4'2 1/2". Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels.
Visual Imagery: Within this painting by David, there is a single figure. The figure is of a man named Marat, as David had signed the painting on the box within the picture. The man in the portrait is in his bathtub, where he seemed to be writing a letter. The letter is angled, for the viewer to read it. The light source is emanating from the front left, clearly showing the figure's face. He almost looks angel-like. The vibrant colors within the painting help create an idealized figure. There is also blood on the figure, the letter, and in the bath, making the viewer aware of the knife below the man's arm. This would imply he either killed himself, or was murdered.
Significance: David is an artist from the Neoclassical period. In this painting, he "...depicted the revolutionary Marat as a tragic martyr, stabbed to death in his bath. Although the painting displays severe Neoclassical spareness, its convincing realism conveys pain and outrage"(Gardner's 336). David painted this picture of his friend, Marat. Both Marat and David were advocates for no monarchy. Marat was given a letter by a woman, to switch to pro-monarchy. However, he did not do so, and she murdered him. David saw Marat as an antique virtue, idealizing the image of his friend in death. |
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Identification: Francisco Goya, Third of May, oil on canvas, 1814, 268 × 347 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid
Visual Evidence: The focal point of the painting is the figure in white. All of the figures in the piece are focused on him drawing your attention towards him. The dimly lit, helping the focus to be directed towards the figure. There is a light box on the right side of the picture which the colors mirror the color that the figure is wearing to create a diagonal acrossed the image. The man in the white shirt is in a stance similar to Christ on the cross. He is a martyr for the rest of the town, which is why his white clothes are not a mess.
Significance: "Goya encouraged empathy for the massacred Spanish peasants by portraying horrified expressions on their faces, endowing them with a humanity lacking in the French firing squad" (Gardner 346). On May 2, 1808, Spaniards attacked Napoleon's soldiers in a chaotic and violent clash. In retaliation and as a show of force, the French responded the next day by rounding up and executing Spanish citizens. |
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Identificiation: Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830, oil on canvas, 260cm x 325 cm, Louvre-Lens
Visual Evidence: In this painting the central focus is the woman at the center holding the french flag. She show a strong amount of movement in the piece. She is the only female figure in the piece. There is a stong directional light coming from the lower left hand corner. It is emphisizing the lower skirt of her dress. There is also a pile of bodies which she is standing on top of. It shows depth in a stong way.
Significance: "In a balanced mix of history and poetic allegory. Delacroix captured the passion and energy of the 1830 revolution in this painting of Liberty leading the Parisian uprising against Charels X" (Gardner 349). Arrayed around Liberty are bold Parisian types- the street boy brandishing his pistold, the menacing worker.. They are all taking part in this uprising. |
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Identificiation: John Constable, The Hay Wain, 1821, oil on canvas, 130 cm x 185 cm, National Gallery, London
Visual Evidience: This piece is a typical landscape paiting from the time period. The colors a vibrant and make the piece stand out as a whole. The blue of the sky is extremely realistic. There is a large amount of texture present in the piece. The water as well as the leaves. The way the artist capture this moment is breathless and elegant. The scale of the painting is relivant to the natural size.
Significance: "The Haywain is a nostalgic view of the disappearing English countryside during the Industrial Revolution. Constable has a special gift for capturing the texture that climate and weather give to landscape" (Gardner 351). The Haywain is also significant for precisely what it does not show- civil unrest of the agrarian working class. |
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Identification: Gustave Courbet, The Stone Breakers, 1850, oil on canvas, 165 cm X 257 cm
Visual Evidence: There are two figures in this piece. It seems as if it is a transition from present to future and shows their progression in life. There is little depth in this piece. There is only really a shallow foreground. There is a strong amount of light focused on the two figures. Both of their faces are shielded from the viewer creating a unknowing sense.
Significance: "Courbet was the leading figure in the Realist movement. Using a palette of dirty browns and grays, he conveyed the dreary and dismal nature of menial labor in mid-19th century France" (Gardner 353). He take the realist movment to the next level by capturing everyday workers in their everyday actions. |
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