Formal Analysis: Death of General Wolfe The title of the painting is Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West and is figure 11-10 on page 221. It was created in 1771 and gifted to National Gallery of Art in Ottowa, Canada in 1918. After reviewing the title, it is reasonable to assume that the painting is about a high ranking military officer. By looking at the painting, it appears that a British General, who resembles many previous paintings of Christ's’ death, is surrounded by high ranking officers while a large battle, most likely during the French and Indian war, is going on in the background both on land and by sea. This is an oil painting on canvas that depicts the Death of General Wolfe as given in the title. The work of art uses a painterly …show more content…
rather than linear style as he uses shadow, color, and space to portray an interation. The artist, Benjamin West, uses a different hue when painting the different colors of uniforms. The figures on the left have a dark red colored uniform, the center is a very bright red, and the left hand side is shown with a much more dull shade of red on his coat. The intensity of the color in the foreground figures decreases as you move left. The multitude of people surrounding the general who has died, as suggested by the title, appear to be high ranking based on what they are wearing. The uniforms that the surrounding soldiers are wearing are much more decorated than what can be seen in the background. These uniforms appearing on the figures in the foreground look more pleasing to the eye, and have a blue, white, or gold trim that runs along the torso. On most of these uniform coats are a striped pattern with a holster for a sword inside the coat. One of the soldiers that is depicted on the right of the painting is wearing some sort of jewelry, which makes him look more prestigious. This painting portrays General Wolfe like Christ when he died. General wolfe is lying dead in the arms of his soldiers while others look on with sad expressions, or no expressions at all. Another aspect that resembles that of the Christ paintings are all of the figures are facing and looking at the dying General. The General, which is the central figure in the painting, appears to be much brighter than the rest of the figures in the painting. After looking at the painting it’s easy to assume there is a battle going on in the background. There is what appears to be smoke that is covering the horizon which would suggest there have been cannons fired or buildings are burning. More supporting evidence that there is a battle going on is the large amount of soldiers in the background. Another piece of evidence that would point toward a battle being fought is the fact the the General has died and a gun lies in front of him. The Indian, or Native American, depicted on the ground, along with the date of the painting (1771,) suggests this painting is of the French and Indian war. It is also suggested that the General is British due to the color of their jackets but also the flag that is depicted above him. The lighting appears to be coming from the left hand side of the painting which is shown by the shadow on the lower portion of some of the figures who have some standing in front of them, while their upper torso is lit up.
The painting is very humanistic and portrays a very real and anatomically correct portrayal of the men in the painting. There are several elements in this painting which may be difficult to interpret but may have meaning, such as; the headdress on the ground, the horse on the flag, the two men in different style and colored clothing, the smoke that appears much darker, and the two men pointing away from the scene, the wind direction being portrayed differently. The headdress that is seen on the ground in front of all the men looks like it resembles the style the Pope wears. It does not look like it belongs on the battlefield or that it would belong to any specific person in the painting. The man on the left has hair that looks to be blowing toward the others in the painting, which is opposite of the smoke, which is blowing toward the boats and gathering in a dark cloud above the water. The two men in green are also interesting in the piece of work as they are the only two who are in this color uniform and do not resemble a
soldier. In conclusion, I find that the death of the General is a very sad, and traumatic event for the soldiers which is shown in the way he is depicted in the painting. He is centered in the painting and much brighter. He has a mass of people looking on while others are fighting behind him. I believe that the dark clouds that have been painted are representational of the feelings the people are feeling. The darkness in the clouds represents the sadness the soldiers are experiencing as their superior officer is dying in front of them.
The double Portrait ( Happy Birthday, Dear Eshter) was created by Abraham Rattner in1974. It’s an oil paint on Masonite and the size of artwork is 29.5 x 28 in. This painting has two figures who are Rattner’s second wife, Eshter and Rattner himself. The scene is Rattner is painting the portrait of Eshter and Rattner, himself is half of the paining. Rattner is stadning foreground. He is holding paint pallet by left hand and he is facing sideway. Eshter is painted in the painting frame, thus she is a kind of slightly background position. This was a part of her birthday gift from Rattner. The year painted for this double portrait was their 25th wedding anniversary after they married in 1949 and he was 81 years old. He painted on Masonite which is made from a mixture of wood fibers that have been broken down and molded into a board using heat, pressure and the natural adhesion
The image of the chief is the initial focal point in the painting,Adoption of the Human Race.The chief's image evokes a great sense of sadness for the mass of people. You get a sense of concern regarding the future of the people. The image of the lightning bolt, eclipse of the moon ,the explosion and rainbow behind the foreboding image of the chief solidifies his role as a protector . The two images combined defines the complete role of the chief ,an unknown ,ethereal source watching over the human race.
In ordered to do that, he organized the left and the right side of his painting with figures that have comparable sizes. For example, the two human figures have the same height which is shown by extending them from the same floor to the same top level. They have comparable facial size and nose. They also have very similar body size. This whole similarity can be interpreted as the two figures are indeed only one person at different time. If we look closely on both sides of the picture, we see figures of building on the left side and a comparable size nomad’s house on the right. However, the building and the tepee are very small compared them the human figures. This can be interpreted in two ways. The first and obvious one is that the artist may be trying to show that the distance to the man’s destination. The second one is by making the houses almost invisible, he is trying to tell the viewer that there is mysterious relationship between the man and those places. Generally, the artist used size and objects to show that both the indigenous people culture and European cultures are
Over the years many artist have viewed sensitive subjects within their work. Sex is one of the sensitive subjects that has been viewed in a positive and negative way. Before and during the 19th century, most paintings, sculptures, and art pieces focused on the features of a human's body. During this time, most artist believed that showing these features of a human could show the role a woman and man had in life. Sculptures in early times focused on the body of a man and showed distinctive features from head to toe. Most sculptures were representations of Greek Gods, which showed their strength and power throughout their body. Showing the sexual side of men in art, lead to showing the sexual features of a woman. The sexual features of a woman was shown throughout paintings and sculptures that mostly represented fertility. suppose to symbolize the sexual union between him and the woman. The idea of showing sex in art has been shaped and formed into various perspectives.
This sculpture seems to epitomize the ideal male human form. All of the body parts seem perfectly proportioned and the muscles are beautifully defined as if the image were of an athlete. The image is youthful with a calm demeanor. The right missing forearm looks as if it used to be resting at his side, while the left elbow was probably at a 90 degree angle, with the hand holding something. The slight bend in the left leg gives the impression of movement, as if the image was frozen while walking. The counterpoised stance adds an air of nobility to the "man".
own painting. He sees some figures, along with a castle and somewhat of a landscape. The artist
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
From the piece of artwork “Rain at the Auvers”. I can see roofs of houses that are tucked into a valley, trees hiding the town, black birds, clouds upon the horizon, hills, vegetation, a dark stormy sky and rain.
No artist could understand human emotion as well as Rembrandt, a well-known artist who lived in the 17th century. He had a skill that very few artists had. That skill was being able to show real human emotion in art and his paintings. Throughout his lifetime he had experienced many tragedies in his family such as, death of his family, separation from his children, and rejection from the world of art. He was also a very religious man and often, if not almost always, used biblical scenes in his art. Because of his tragedies and the understanding of his religion, it helped him to fully understand emotion and helped him express it in his art. The detail and in-depth works that portray his understanding include The Feast of Belshazzar: The Writing on the Wall, The Blinding of Samson, and The Stoning of St. Stephen. Many artists can paint what is on the outside and what the eye can see, but because Rembrandt was so connected to his religion and had experienced terrible tragedies in his life, he was able to portray the state
The characters in the painting appear to have no faces, except for the man standing in the booth, which is quite a symbolic portrayal of a subway station. There are constant floods of people coming in from the city streets, many who appear only for short periods of time, whereas, the man in the booth remains there for a long time, therefore his face becomes familiar. The people also appear to be wearing hats, this could suggest that it takes place during winter.
This painting by Vincent Van Gogh is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, in the Impressionism exhibit. There are many things going on in this painting that catch the viewer’s eye. The first is the piece’s vibrant colors, light blues and browns, bright greens, and more. The brush strokes that are very visible and can easily be identified as very thick some might even say bold. The furniture, the objects, and the setting are easy to identify and are proportioned to each other. There is so much to see in this piece to attempt to explain in only a few simple sentences.
The title of the painting, “The Face of War” gives a very clear understanding of what this painting is supposed to represent. When looking at the deeper meaning however, one has to consider the context of the painting. Because it was made during both a civil war-capital letters?? and the Second World War, many aspects of these wars are reflected upon in this piece.
One such painting of his which left a lasting impact on me is the Skat players. It is the most detailed and horrifying depiction of injuries caused by artillery fire. It is the only painting located indoors, away from the brutality of street life. Three war veterans play cards at a café located in Dresden, as it is indicated by the newspapers’ headlines on the background. Their bodies are thoroughly destroyed and their wooden legs are hardly discernible from the legs of the chairs and table. One holds his cards with his toes, another with his teeth, and the third one with his only remaining
That really is a lovely painting (too bad the whole painting isn't shown), deserving of a proper citation. "Slave Auction" was painted in 1866 by French painter and sculptor Jean-Léon Gérôme. It is currently at the Hermitage (St Petersburg, Russian Federation). Having traveled in the Middle East, Gérôme was familiar with the contemporary Arab slave trade and depicted slave markets in six paintings, set in either ancient Rome or 19th century Istanbul. For Gérôme, painting was a search for truth rather than a means of subjective emotional manipulation; he favored realistic, academic depictions of classical yet current topics, and decried the "decadent fashion" of the rising trend of feel-good impressionism.
Many artists started experimenting with new styles of art throughout the Baroque Ages to the present time. These paintings and sculptures were famous for the detailed work and the beauty of art. To define male beauty, these arts have simplified the creativity in masculinity. For centuries, the art of male beauty has been constantly changing and the portrayal of men has become more feminine in many artworks. These changes in these artworks were caused by the increase of time that has passed and the occurrences that had influenced people to associate these experiences through their masterpieces. It is known that mainly known that artists like to express their emotions and show their imaginations that can easily show the meanings in a visual display. By having a representation of each masterpiece, the work to provide the visual views of male beauty can mostly be found through paintings and sculptures that revolves during each era.