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The portrayal of women in literature
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In the novella of "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland, it has many short stories that talk about a painting by J. Vermeer of Delft, and in each story, it talks about the painting and the impact that it has on different people's lives for better or for worse. In explaining this painting in the first short story of "Love Enough," the author explains it as "A most extraordinary painting in which a young girl wearing a short blue smock over a rust-colored skirt sat in profile at a table by an open window." (page 4) In the last story "Magdalena Looking," Magdalena herself explained how her father drew her for this painting and how she thought that she was ugly and that no one would want to look at her or even want the painting of her. All …show more content…
until the end of the novella where in an auction her portrait was bought for forty-seven guilders. Although Magdalena thought that the painting of her would be insignificant, it had impacted lives just like in the short stories of "A Night Different from All Other Nights," and "From the Personal Papers of Adriaan Kuypers" and made the statements that Magdalena said about herself and the painting untrue. In the short story of "A Night Different from Other Nights" the painting of J.
Vermeer of Delft, impacted a little girl named Hannah that was around the same age as Magdalena when it was painted. It affected Hannah because her father bought the painting for her just before her eleventh birthday at an auction that supported refugees. She viewed the girls face in the art as almost glowed, her blue eyes, cheeks, the corners of her mouth all bright and glossy, and the right amount of light coming right at her across the space between them. She felt that the girl in the painting "seemed more real than the people in the room." (page 41) Hannah felt that her father buying this painting for her appeared to honor her in a way that made her feel worthy. She loved the art because it showed her quietness by nature just like she was. It displayed to her that the girl in the painting wanted something so profound or something so remote that she never dared breathe it but was thinking about it there by the window. Furthermore, Hannah felt the same as the little girl in the painting which had a slight impact on her life because she thought that someone else besides her had the same feelings and thoughts that she did herself and that she wasn't …show more content…
alone. In the next short story of "From the Personal Papers of Adriaan Kuypers," it talked about a young couple Aletta and Adriaan that were first friends and then turned intimate and the love that the Aletta had for the painting.
Aletta was a wash girl for Adriaan's aunt that despised her because the town thought she was a witch because she got caught yelling curses. Aletta was always looking at the painting of the young girl wearing a short blue smock over a rust-colored skirt sat in profile at a table by an open window and crying; Adriaan could not understand this. He could not understand why she was looking at such a beautiful painting and that it could grieve her so. He stated that "the tenderness of expression on the girl's face showed it was painted with intimacy and love"—qualities missing he assumed in Aletta's life. He too thought just like in "A Night Different from Other Nights" just like Hannah that the girl in the painting looked astoundingly real. The painting upset Aletta because her father always told her that her mother had had eyes, the pale blue moons, and hair that golden-brown color like the girl in the painting did only in braids. Aletta thought that when the painting fell that something bad was going to happen like a curse. When Aletta got pregnant and had Adriaan's twins, one was deformed; a little girl, but the boy was perfect and healthy. Aletta ended up smothering their little girl, and the town hung her for it. Adriaan was forced to hide and get rid of
the baby boy, but his aunt knew and gave him the painting that Aletta loved so much to go with the baby. He ended up waiting for the flood and wrapping the baby in Aletta's shawl and found a mother that could mother him. He put in a note to "Sell the painting. Feed the child." In the end, the author helps bring the reader to an understanding of all the short stories throughout the novella. It proves that everything that Magdalena mused about herself and of the painting was not right. It did, in fact, get looked at and was cherished by many people even though one person didn't know one from the next. The painting was viewed by everyone differently but also in the same way. The young girls and gentlemen in the novella and the short stories of "A Night Different from All Other Nights," and "From the Personal Papers of Adriaan Kuypers" all felt the same way and envisioned the girl in the painting as the same as them or of someone who they remembered. Magdalena never thought anyone would want to look at her or want the art, but they did for their reasons.
Alice Neel’s painting Suzanne Moss was created in 1962 using oil paint on canvas. As the title suggests, the painting depicts a woman’s portrait. Now resigning in the Chazen Museum in Madison, WI, this portrait of a woman lunging is notable for the emotional intensity it provokes as well as her expressionistic use of brush strokes and color. The scene is set by a woman, presumably Suzanne Moss, dressed in dull back and blues lounging across a seat, staring off to the side, avoiding eye contact with the viewer. The unique style and technique of portraiture captures the woman’s piercing gaze and alludes to the interior emotions of the subject. In Suzanne Moss, Alice Neel uses desultory brush strokes combined with contrast of warm and cool shadows
The outstanding Simplemente Bellas by Mabel Poblet Pujols is a 2-D art piece, located in Tampa Museum of Art, in downtown Tampa. Tampa Museum of Art is free to students, and is a great home to many spectacular forms of 2-D and 3-D art. The first glance at this wonderful work of art, I quickly decided this would be the piece I would write my humanities paper on. During my first visit to this museum, Simplemente Bellas was immediately the first work of art to have caught my eye. At first, it changes your perspective, due to the fact it is a three-dimensional piece on top of a two-dimensional canvas. This piece is beyond beautiful. As it says in the title, Simplemente Bellas, is translated to Simply Beautiful. It is a great example of human expression,
Contextual Theory: This painting depicts a portrait of life during the late 1800’s. The women’s clothing and hair style represent that era. Gorgeous landscape and a leisurely moment are captured by the artist in this work of
First, as Ethan watches Mattie dance, her red scarf flying behind her symbolizing youth and energy, a bright spot in Ethan’s dark and miserable life. This is a direct contrast to the perception of Ethan’s dull and dreary wife, Zeena. The description of Ethan watching while Mattie dances is an example of imagery using color to symbolize. “He had been straining for a glimpse of the dark head under the cherry-coloured scarf…. the scarf flew off her head and stood out behind her shoulders, and Frome, at each turn, caught sight of her laughing panting lips, the cloud of dark hair about her forehead, and the dark eyes which seemed the only fixed points in a maze of flying lines.” Descriptions such as this instantly gives the reader the feeling that Ethan is infatuated with Mattie. Even Mattie’s last name is a color. Her last name, “Silver”, seems to be a symbol of brightness and energy, compared to the descriptions of Ethan’s wife Zeena, which gives the feeling that she is unattractive and sickly. Zeena is described as having "grayish tinged" skin, false teeth, and having a "puckered throat." Even though Ethan is the one longing to be unfaithful to his wife, the descriptions of Zeena cause the reader to be sympathetic toward Ethan, while portraying Zeena as the villain. The imagery also provides information on the mood and atmosphere. The dreary, cold and stark landscape symbolizing how sad and discontent Ethan feels in his
It is underlying and has to be read in between the lines to fully understand. After John Grady gets bailed out of prison he has reoccurring dreams of Alejandra, “He saw her riding with her back so straight and the black hat sat level on her head and her hair loose and the way she smiled and her eyes.” Pg.225. A heavily emphasized theme throughput the novel is romanticism vs. realism. John Grady’s perspective of Alejandra is tainted by this overly romantic, dramatized point of view that prevents a realistic portrayal of this character. Which is the reason why McCarthy uses literary devices, such as symbolism to avert the reader from looking at Alejandra through rose-tinted glasses. Alejandra uses John Grady as an act of rebellion, to take control in her life where much seems regimented by her father and great aunt. As a result, it puts John Grady in jail and leaves him heartbroken. McCarthy reveals that Alejandra may be a selfish and unintentionally cruel, but is not apathetic or without remorse for her actions, “She was crying. People were looking toward their table. She lowered her eyes and sat sobbing silently, just her shoulders moving and the tears running down her face.” Pg.251. This moment comes from a realization that occurs within Alejandra, in which she realizes that she has broken her father’s heart and will have to break John Grady’s heart if she want to repair the damage to
The painting is a large painting it is almost five feet tall and four feet wide. It is an oil painting on traditional canvass. The color choice is very dark and gloomy. It serves the purpose of putting the viewer in a somber mood. From the first glance you can tell that this is a sad setting. To some viewers Ida might bring a feeling of disgust, however, after closer inspection of the painting, the inner beauty seeps out. The black backdrop works to bring Ida out to the viewer. The fact that Albright was able to take a young and pretty model, transform her into an almost “Walking Dead” type creation from his own mind, shows that Albright had a very creative mind. The patterns of the carpet, along with a tear in the fabric beneath the chair she sits on give the carpet a life of its own, distinct, yet worn from time and abuse, much like Ida herself. The texture of the vanity behind her is duller. He gives no real definition to the outline of the lower drawers, there was nothing in there of any significance, but it works as a great background for Ida's leg.
The composition of this painting forces the eye to the woman, and specifically to her face. Although the white wedding dress is large and takes up most of the woman’s figure, the white contrasts with her face and dark hair, forcing the viewer to look more closely into the woman’s face. She smokes a cigarette and rests her chin on her hands. She does not appear to be a very young woman and her eyes are cast down and seem sad. In general, her face appears to show a sense of disillusionment with life and specifically with her own life. Although this is apparently her wedding day, she does not seem to be happy.
As the German painter and sculptor, Kathe Kollwitz conveyed in her statement that the art she created held the burden of transfiguration. The fixation of sorrow and hardship that occurred while she sat huddled with the children was the driving force of her drawings. Her realization that art could not only be an escape from the horror happenings in Germany such as the rationing of food and the starving-to-death children at that time was also a way to voice her opinion of change and revolution. It was the quest, in which she enamored in her drawings and it is this feeling that I value from it. I choose this artist because she delineated the various circumstances surrounding the human individual, she took into account perspectives that involved life with its tragedies, and the lives of little angel children. Her drawings and sculptures were prepared to emulate and capture what her eyes had seen while she was in Germany and this is why I had taken a likening to her drawings. The two artworks that I am specifying in this research paper is the drawing labeled “Germany's children starve!” and”Self-Portrait, Hand at the Forehead (Selbstbildnis mit der Hand an der Stirn)”.
The background of the painting is dark with hues of browns and reds. Light enters the painting from the left and can be seen on the tiled floor. The lighting helps to create the diagonal composition as it moves across the lower half of the painting. The contrast of light also creates space between the man and the woman fainting; symbolizing a disconnect between the two figures. The use of space is also interesting, Ahsauerus is alone and is enclosed in a corner, while Esther is being held by two other woman who are physically very close to her, not allowing any space between their clothes, suggesting a nurturing characteristic that is often stereotyped among
The contrasts between depth and surface, figure and landscape, promiscuity and modesty, beauty and vulgarity all present themselves in de Kooning’s Woman and Bicycle. Although the figure is a seemingly normal woman out for an afternoon with her bike, she becomes so much more through the artist’s use of color, contrast, and composition. The exotic nature of woman presents itself in her direct stare and slick buxom breasts in spite of a nearly indiscernible figure. It is understood that, on the whole, de Kooning did not paint with a purpose in mind, but rather as an opportunity to create an experience, however, that does not go to say that there isn’t some meaning that can come of this work. Even Willem de Kooning once said that art is not everything that is in it, but what you can take out of it (Hess p.144).
...retation of the painting some aspects were surprising to how dark and heavy hearted she could speak, she took an interesting perspective. However in her interpretative poem she found a perspective of the painting that connected with her. As she used every stroke of darkness painted into the canvas an opportunity to have it symbolize this darkness and evil that resides in the world. It told her story and her experience of a starry night. Similarly Van Gogh had used every stroke of light painted into the canvas to be a symbol of beauty, and a symbol of his fascination of the night sky and its illuminating lights. He uses swift movements of his brush to depict a sky that seem to be able to sweep the mind away from the frustrations of this world in to the dreamy night light. A single painting worth a million words tells many stories through every perspective.
...ause the look of curiosity of the girl extends beyond the frame. This gives the painting a sense of curiosity.
“The Grafin von Schonfeld with her Daughter” is very interesting to look at. It shows history and context of the lives of the 1700’s. The textures of the dresses are beautiful and very alluring to the eye. The porcelain skin of the mother and daughter give the painting innocence and purity, along with the loving nature between the mother and the daughter. This is a very good piece of artwork because it draws you to it with you knowing why. Once looking at the painting you find yourself looking into the eyes of the subject being painted and seeing another life with in the portrait. The eyes can almost be eerie as well as breathtaking at the same time. The painting produces richness and a feeling of royalty that people in the 21st century do not understand but yearn just the same. I was very impressed of the classic style of the painting and my own yearning to have the same richness and “classiness” as the lives that were portrayed in Vigee-LeBrun’s painting.
The most prominent color in this painting is blue; it is used in the walls, the doors the articles of clothing hanging on the wall hook and some of the items resting on the nightstand. The other prominent color is green, used on parts of floorboards, the window, a part of one of the doorframes, parts of the hanging paintings and the empty vase on the nightstand. Brown is the only ...
The reactions to Lily’s painting represent the differing views about women and art during the time period in which the book is set. Mrs. Ramsay believes that Lily’s painting will not be noticed, either because she is a woman or because she looks Chinese - perhaps both (Woolf 17). William Bankes questioned the meaning of some of the elements of Lily’s painting, such as the use of a purple triangle to represent Mrs. Ramsay and James (Woolf 52). After Lily explained some of the elements of her painting to him, “He was interested. He took it scientifically in complete good faith” (Woolf 53).