Formal Analysis: Watson and the Shark

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Watson and the Shark is oil painting by John Singleton Copley. This piece was made in 1778, as a depiction of a boy named Brook Watson attacking by shacks in Havana, Cuba, and his shipmates launching a valiant rescue effort. The piece’s present location is the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. While this historical painting is a snapshot of a real-life event, Copley uses low value hues and spotlight effect on Watson as well as his shipmates, giving us equal or more attention to the people saving Watson. Moreover, Copley challenges the conventional history paintings by giving all the saviors on the boat the same attention, and each one is allowed to have his individual role in the rescuing process.
Watson and the Shark is a large oil painting on canvas measuring 71 3⁄4 in × 90 1⁄2 in. While Copley decides to depict the dramatic and decisive scene where Watson is about to be attacked by a shark, the shape of each man on the boat is carefully painted, and each of the actions is detailed. Specifically, all shipmates have distinct function within the rescuing process: two are...

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