Embarkation Of The Pilgrims Analysis

Embarkation of the Pilgrims

I chose to write about a painting. It is Embarkation of the Pilgrims by American artist Robert W. Weir in 1843. It is oil on canvas and the size is 12’ by 18’. It is about people who seek for religious freedom. The painting takes place on the desk of a ship, gathering for a prayer. There are men, women, and children pictured in this painting. Everything is laid out asymmetrically. People in the painting look in different directions, has different facial emotions, and body gestures. The focal point of this composition is the armor, musket, and the helmet is the primary objects. They lie in the foreground beside a screw and a man holding the Bible and looking up to the sky surrounded by people. The color of the sky and rainbow is warm and bright, driving the feeling of relaxation and the appearance of natural beauty. There are also men and women pledging to the man that is holding the book.
Robert R. Weir of Houston, Texas credits his earliest art education to drawing customers at his mother's

lunchroom (Wimpy's Grill) in Detroit, Michigan. This was a small place that attracted a broad and diverse group of people (vice presidents to beer truck drivers with a few con men and mobsters thrown in). Observing these varied characters triggered an early interest in human nature and art in the face and human form. He was educated formally as an engineer. His work career started in process design and later in management. He took early retirement from a major oil company to pursue his interest in art. He studied art at the Art Students League in New York City, the Art League in Houston, and the Glassell School of Art also in Houston.
The painting, Embarkation of the Pilgrims (1843) is considered to be Robert Weir’s (1803-1889) most famous work. It depicts the Pilgrims on the deck of the ship Speedwell on July 22, 1620 before they departed from Delfs Haven, Holland for North America, where they sought religious freedom (Architect of the Capitol website). This journey must have been one of the many that populated the new land in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The message in the painting portrays fear, hope, and new beginnings. In the painting, the people are in prayer and looking upward. This makes me believe that they were entrusting God with whatever was next for them, or wherever their path was taking them. The article paired with the painting points out the city on the right side that the Pilgrims are leaving. This city is the Pilgrims’ home; it was all they knew. The fact that is included in the picture could show that the Pilgrims feared the change, or represent the significance of the change. The fear of such a big move could explain the armor that was included in the painting. The Pilgrims had a need for protection from the unknown in the New World they were journeying to. The rainbow in the picture depicts their faith in God and His promise. They were leaving everything behind in search of religious freedom. Though they were in never ending prayer with a strong need of protection, their faith needed to be strong in order to actually go through with the journey.
Other aspects are the actions of people praying and looking toward the sky, which takes up most of the composition. The painting is very bright and colorful. Different colors were made by blending colors right on the canvas. These techniques combine to make this painting a vivid image of nature. Some parts are bright and some are subdued. Many people are demonstrated in traditional attire while others wear more bright and extravagant costumes. On the left side of the painting, there is a display of a rainbow behind the ship and open sky, which makes the left side of the painting brighter. Also the painter used the shadow to show the realism and to connect to the back of the painting, where it is darker than the front of the picture. It also leads the viewer’s eyes around the picture. Robert Weir used horizontal and vertical lines in combination to make the painting more solid and stable.
People are demonstrated in a horizontal line as an important aspect of the painting. The illusion of space is accomplished through objectivity drawing techniques and casts of shadows. Left side and the right side of the painting reflect each other, but at the same time it has opposite themes and mood. Mood of the painting is peaceful. People are calm, in anticipation of a miracle. The picture is divided in three levels. A couple of people demonstrated in the foreground as a beginning of the picture which leads our eyes to the second level with a few more people with important action. Then, in its background of the painting which is full of important elements such as people praying, a rainbow, and the city.
This painting has several oranges and red discoloration, meanwhile the most of the painting is made in traditional and calm blush.

The artist uses different colors and brightness to describe different mood. The brushwork is amazingly done. He used short strokes, cross weaves, and wave very thinly. The painting in whole is full of effects and historical moods, religious symbols such as a bible, logo on the top “God with us”. The embarkation of the pilgrims is a famous elaboration of Robert Weir; the painting clearly depicts the way of the Mayflower followed by the pilgrims. The very similar view was also defined by an artist Samuel F.B. Morse. The painting has been repaired, and restored various times. In addition, the painting was completely damaged due to the falling of a beam while a construction project. The art department asked Robert Weir to repair the painting accordingly. In this regard, the painting was repaired, cleaned and

restored.
This well-known painting can be found on the reverse of the United States $10,000 bill. In the romantic mode of 19th century history painting, the artist has employed symbolism, sentimentality, and theatrical devices for his effect. Arms and armor, for use against the dangers of the New World, lie in the foreground beside a screw that later saved the Mayflower from disaster in a storm at sea. A rainbow, signifying hope, shines brightly through the clouds.