Cindy's Classical Blog Exhibit
Jacques-Louis David: Oath of the Horatii
This oil painting was made in France in 1784, and is currently in Louvre, Paris, in the Toledo Museum of Art.
In this painting, there are three brothers saluting to their father who is holding three swords. The brothers are holding out their right hand, signifying they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the war. In the background, there are a group of women who are grieving the war and what is happening to everyone they know and love.
The men in this painting have sharp muscle outlines showing their masculinity, willing, and able ness to go and fight. The middle brother puts his had around the brother on the right, which is telling the viewer that they are bonded together and will fight in this war as a team. The father stands tall with the swords in his hands representing that he is proud of his sons and their abilities. The back of the painting is dark and the women are weeping which is giving the sense of grieving and sadness. The men have on uniforms with bright and neutral colors as well as sandals because most people either would wear no shoes at all or the sandals that are shown. They three boys also have on helmets which was a common article of clothing all men wore when fighting. The brother on the right has a spear in his left hand which is indicating that he is the leader of the pack because he gets a sword and a spear in the war.
In this work of art, the revolution is being represented. I chose this specific piece because it shows all of the brave people who fought and the sadness that came with it. This painting is one of the most famous French Revolutionary War pieces because of how much is signifies and really gives a good example of everything that people felt.
I don't relate to the men in this picture, if I were in their situation I believe I would be weeping with the women on the ground. I don't think I would own this piece because it's not a happy piece of art and it would bring me down more than anything seeing it everyday.
John Trumbull: The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill
This painting was made in 1786 in Hartford, Connecticut and is currently located in The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.
In this painting, the main thing to notice is General Warren, in white on the ground. He was wounded badly and one of the other soldiers are holding him and defending him while a British solider holds a sword over him trying to end him completely. The ground is covered in dead bodies and soldiers trying to fight one last time before general Warren is dead.
The sky is blue and filled with black smoke with bodies everywhere, immediately giving everyone the idea that this is a war setting and something terrible has happened. You can tell the difference between the British and American soldiers from their uniforms and the slave on the right as well. The attention to detail in this painting is good but also bad. For instance, the General doesn't even have blood on him, however it is very apparent that he is wounded badly. The details like the black smoke and flags waving in the air are very good and I think helps everyone understand what is happening, also this picture is what most people imagine when taking about the American Revolutionary War.
I chose this painting because it's a classic and it's a piece I feel everyone understands and is able to interpret in their own way. The meaning is the same usually, however, it makes everyone feel a little different and imagine what life would've been like.
I don't really relate to this painting because my life is nothing like any of these mens lives were, and I am not sure I would put it in my house because seeing a picture of war everyday does not sound appealing to me.
Benjamin West: Treaty of Paris
This painting was made in 1783 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and is currently located The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
This painting was made to remember the negotiated treaty between American and Britain which was signed in Paris on November 30, 1782. In this painting, there are five American men, John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. On the right were supposed to be Richard Oswald and his secretary Caleb Whitefoord. However, it is said that Oswald never intended to sit for the painting anyway. Therefore, it is left blank in symbol of the division between the American colonies and Great Britain.
I picked this painting because very rarely do you see such conflict in a piece of art. However, in this piece I feel there is a lot of tension just by looking at it and seeing the absence of the Britains that were supposed to be in this painting. It's like their absence says more than their presence in the painting would have anyway.
I really like this painting, I like the white that is used as well as the mens faces. It's a clean piece of art which I appreciate. I don't think I would ever own it though because it's just not my taste, but if I saw it in someone else's house or in a museum I would take a moment to really look at it.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Sources:
“Artistic Trends during the French Revolution.” Beaumaris Art Group, “Artistic Trends during the French Revolution.” Beaumaris Art Group, www.beaumarisartgroup.org.au/a-artist/artistic-trends-during-the-french-revolution.html.
David, Jacques-Louis. “The Oath of the Horatii.” – Works – Toledo Museum of Art, 1 Jan. 1786, http://emuseum.toledomuseum.org/objects/55069/the-oath-of-the-horatii?ctx=739d11b7-2f63-4ad0-9596-69dcd5791a3e&idx=0
“Adams Papers Digital Edition.” Adams Papers Digital Edition - Massachusetts Historical Society, 2021, http://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/index.php/volume/AFC07/pageid/AFC07pR12
Zygmont, Dr. Bryan. “John Trumbull, the Declaration of Independence (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-3/developing-an-american-identity/a/trumbull-declaration-of-independence
Trumbull, John. “The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, 17 June, 1775.” The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, 17 June, 1775 – Works – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2003, https://collections.mfa.org/objects/34260/the-death-of-general-warren-at-the-battle-of-bunkers-hill?ctx=8d90315c-5370-4266-9cda-40c483ab6153&idx=0
West, Benjamin. “American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Negotiations with Great Britain.” https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/656864
West, Benjamin. “Peace Treaty Commissioners: The Monticello Classroom.” The Monticello Classroom | Teaching Resources about Thomas Jefferson & Monticello, 28 Jan. 2017, West, Benjamin. “Peace https://classroom.monticello.org/media-item/peace-treaty-commissioners/
West, Benjamin. The Maryland State House - the Peace Commissioners, 2007, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/stairwellrm-treaty-of-paris-wall-peace-commissioners.html
I like your assessment and the back story of the Oath of the Horatii painting. I didn’t realize that there were so many significant meanings to the things that they were holding within the painting. I also like how honest you are about your feelings about the painting and what your emotional state would be like if you were in this situation. I think I would probably have the same reaction.
ReplyDeleteI also like your analysis of “The Death of General Warren in the Battle of Bunker’s Hill”. I thought about presenting this one but in the end, it was not as appealing to me as the ones I did. I like how you point out that even though he is obviously wounded there is no blood on him. I hadn’t noticed that. I think this painting does a good job depicting situations that happen during war and I agree that I would not want this constant reminder in my house.
I saw this painting when I was researching which ones I wanted to blog about and wasn’t sure what was going on but didn’t give it much thought. Now that I have seen your blog, I understand a bit better, and I agree with you that it does a great job of showing the tensions involved in the situation. I think West really hit the nail on the head, so to speak in this one.
I feel like the theme presented has something to do with battle. Each piece of work presented here has something to do with conflict. With the first two paintings the both showed a battle, while the last one shows the treaty to end the conflict going on at that time. I do wish that you made the third painting a war one just to follow the theme of your exhibit. I do see the tension between the men sitting at that table. So it is kind of like a battle in itself but I do think that it should be like the other two paintings. Overall, I think this exhibit is wonderful and it gave me some new information I did not know. I had never seen the first painting before so it was pretty interesting to get some new knowledge on it.
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at the paintings you chose to present for this blog exhibit. I noticed you chose paintings that represent some battle and war. I would also not own any of the paintings, but they are very detailed with a great use of color and shade.
The first painting is interesting; showcasing the warriors and the swords as a signification of sacrifice. The second painting represents a very powerful image. I also agree, the second painting is a classic. I remember seeing this painting in a previous history class I’ve taken. And the third painting, the Treaty of Paris. It does look as if there is a lot of tension and strain. Thank you for sharing these wonderful paintings!