The Deposition by Jean-Baptiste Regnault - Essay Example

Number and “The Deposition” by Jean-Baptiste Regnault “The Deposition” painted by Jean-Baptiste Regnault in 1789 is a work in oil on panel. Painted during the neoclassical period it is heavily influenced by the dominating thought of the time. Regnault studied in both Rome and Paris and later went on to win the Prix de Rome and gain notoriety for his painting. He joined the studio of the painter Jean Bardin, and in 1768 accompanied him to Rome where he met with early neoclassical theorists and artists. This influenced his painting of “The Deposition” in ways that Neoclassicists attempted to recreate the Renaissance ideals. While in Rome he would have encountered the great works of the masters of the Renaissance. The paintings and sculptures of Michaelangelo, and the paintings of DaVinci and Raphael imbued him with a sense of the religious subject as a theme in art and the fine examples of the human form may have influenced his style of portraying the figure. In Italy during the Renaissance in the later part of the fifteenth century the artists of the time were intrigued with the visual effects they could achieve with perspective. In “The Deposition” Regnault uses an unusual angle in which to position the central figure. The perspective would have been very difficult to accomplish but adds interest to the composition overall. In the sixteenth century the Renaissance painters developed a fascination with the primacy of color and used it as a guiding principle. (Bayer 1) Regnault imparts a rich texture and feel with his use of a classical palette adding drama as he employs a dark color scheme with dramatic lighting. His use of the three primaries, one figure clothed in each, adds a feeling of luminosity to the otherwise somber palette. Here we see the use of color as a guiding principle. All of these ideas during the Renaissance influenced the neoclassical painters and Regnault learned and utilized the principles well. “The Deposition” is a painting about Christ after the crucifixion. By his side are his mother Mary and two or three other people close to him. It is easily recognizable by the partial view of the cross and the crown of thorns Jesus wore at the time given to him mockingly as a tribute. We also see the Blessed Virgin Mary clothed in blue as she is so often depicted. All of these symbols would have been common to the people of Paris and throughout Europe when the painting was created. The story of the suffering of Christ was widely known among the educated, the same group that would have studied the classics and attained to higher levels of understanding in the arts and sciences. The Enlightenment shed new light on many areas, one of them being classical thought. Religion and theology were often studied even by children of a young age. The painting would have had special meaning due to the subject and as an artistic and intellectual achievement it would have been praised and widely celebrated. “The Deposition” painted during the Neoclassical period late in the 18th century is very representative of painting at that time. It is similar in style and subject matter to work created then. The paintings of Gericault, David and Delacroix are all heroic in nature and epic in meaning. The story of Christ’s crucifixion is no less important. All of them painted in a realistic style with the restraint of the Classical ideas, following the voluptuousness and extravagance of the Baroque and Rococo periods; embody the somberness of the stories portrayed on the canvas. They believed that art should be cerebral, not sensual (Gontar 1). The Enlightenment brought about a passion for all things in the ancient past. The story of Christ would have been part of these teachings. “The style of painting was defined by an emphasis on formal composition, historic subject matter the spirit of the classical revival. French painter Jacques-Louis Davis (1748–1825) was a student of Vien. In 1774 he won the Prix de Rome enabling him to study at the French Academy. In sympathy with the French Revolution, his paintings such as The Death of Socrates gave expression to self-sacrifice, devotion to duty, honesty, and stoic austerity” Gontar 1). During the Enlightenment, often known as The Age of Reason, there was a major upheaval in contemporary thought. Thinkers of the time hoped to achieve ideas with thought and pure reason rather than attaching any religious significance to them. The arts and sciences flourished, as did philosophy. Descartes, Hume and Newton were all popular theorists at the time. The arts were less responsive to scientific thought and were more inspired by feeling “Because they were largely affected by tradition, individual feeling, and patronage, the arts were less responsive to scientific influence. They were, nevertheless, quite rich and varied, reflecting the increasing wealth, widening perspectives, and rising technical proficiency of European life “ (Hackett 1). The French Revolution also occurred in the latter half of the Enlightenment period. As a contradiction to the aristocratic, social and political thought of the Enlightenment, Romanticism arose. It stressed strong emotion and a call to the tempests of nature rather than the control of Classicism and scientific rationalization. They aspired to heightened ideals of intense emotion, preferring the “sublime” to the “beautiful”. Still there are paintings that are both Neoclassical and Romantic in style. Beginning in 1673, the government of France sponsored “The Exhibition of Living Artists,” which became popularly known as the Salon. It was the most esteemed artistic competition in Paris and inclusion in it could make an artist’s reputation or ruin it. The Salon reflected the conservative views of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and historical and mythological paintings were often chosen as part of the exhibitions. Here Regnault’s work would have been widely accepted with its’ historical theme portraying Christ’s crucifixion. He was also a member of the Academy and widely hailed for his painting in France. Pasinelli’s “Salome Receiving The Head of John the Baptist” was painted one hundred years earlier than Regnault’s “The Deposition” at the beginning of the Enlightenment period. Much more rich in style than the classical work of Regnault, it was probably influenced by the late Rococo and Baroque periods that exhibited a much more rich and ornate style and treatment. We see this in his use of texture and detail, the more natural treatment of the people and the decorative elements in their clothing and hair. They both have a religious theme with Pasinelli’s subject coming from a story in the Bible. Although not as important a figure as Christ the painting has just as great an impact on the viewer, perhaps even more because of the vivid portrayal of John the Baptist’s severed head being delivered to Salome on a platter. The composition is quite cluttered as opposed to Regnault’s open air one and both use atmospheric perspective with dark shadowing in the background with brighter tones accentuating the figures in the foreground. In both we see the figure as the most important elements. Both of these paintings were influenced by the popular ideas of the Enlightenment and both artists are very widely known. We see the transformation in art during this period by studying them. At first more embellished and voluptuous then more austere and restrained, we see the Age of Reason come to fruition and the heights modern thought soared to. Although religion was not given as much importance as the natural sciences and the ability to logically explain things, the historical and classical themes were praised and the inspiration for a great deal of the arts at this time in painting. Works Cited 1. Bayer, Andrea. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. n.d. Web. Nov. 18, 2011. 2. Gontar, Cybele. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. n.d. Web. Nov. 18, 2011. 3. Hackett, Lewis. The Age of the Enlightenment. 1992. Web. Nov. 18, 2011 Read More