Jan Steens Wine is a Mocker painting - Essay Example

?5 page essay on Jan Steen’s "Wine is a Mocker" painting Generally, Jan Steen’s paintings carry some hidden meaning within the outer layer of humor. Within this context, the work Wine is a Mocker by Jan Steen is with hidden meaning which mocks at the hypocrisy of human beings. For instance, the title of the painting (say, Wine is a Mocker) is comical but one must go beyond the title to understand the hidden meaning. In addition, the title leads the viewer to identify it in a day to day context. At the same time, the real meaning is still hidden beneath the artist’s individual freedom to mock at the hypocrisy of human beings. Besides, the painting can be evaluated as a torn out page from real life with full of pain and grief. Thesis statement: The elements of design that can be seen in Jane Steen’s painting Wine is a Mocker prove that the work is comical but its theme, appearance, portrayal of life and message proves to be a serious work (special references to the elements of design). Theme The theme is simple because it deals with the human attempt to escape from problems in day to day life. Some people consider that consumption of alcohol is helpful to have temporary escape from the real world. But the escape is momentary and the real world is still there. In the painting, one can see a drunken lady and four children trying to help her. One of the most important elements of design made use by the artist in the painting Wine is a Mocker (see appendix -1) is point. To be specific, the artist provided ample importance to simple elements in the work. For example, the dog in the work is an unimportant element but it symbolizes life in the street. In the work, except the children, no one is ready to help the woman. So, the theme of the painting can be evaluated as a mockery at selfishness of the elders. At the same time, the children are ready to help the woman. This proves that the painting’s theme is closely related to real life situations. The theme leads the viewer to go beyond the points (say, visual statements in an art work) put forth by the artist. In the painting, the artist provides ample importance to space. For instance, the artist balances between animate and inanimate objects. To be specific, the artist makes use of animate (human beings and dog) and inanimate objects (waste particles and the slippers in the street) to use the space in the work. The crafty usage of space helps the viewer to perceive the painting as two dimensional. The appearance of women The appearance of the women in the painting proves that she belongs to the lower strata of the society. This is important because it reveals the artist’s sympathy towards the downtrodden. The texture of the painting is smooth because it is painted in oil on canvas. One can see that the drunken woman’s appearance, especially her dress, reveals her character. One can see that the value (from grey color to black color) of the art work proves that the artist gives ample importance to black color and its different shades like light black and grey. The importance given to black and its shades prove that the artist selected the same to veil the humorous theme and to unveil seriousness. The drunken woman’s dress reveals that she is so conscious about her dressing. If a drunkard is in rugged dress, none will try to laugh at him or her. When a well dressed individual is under the influence of alcohol, all the people will laugh at him or her. The dominating colors in the art work are black, grey, red and white. The combination of these colors binds the different elements of the artist’s craftsmanship to an appealing art work. The drunken woman’s dress and appearance does not help her to escape from the comments of the mass. When one considers the basic principles of design, it is evident that the drunken woman is the focal point of the art work. All the other characters in the background and foreground organizes the two dimensional structure of the art work. Besides, all the other individuals that can be seen in the art work are leaning towards or against the drunken woman and this help the viewers to perceive human behavior. Portrayal of life The artist does not try to exaggerate the incidents that can be seen in day to day life. Instead, the artist portrays life without exaggeration. Walsh opined that “Common to most of Steen’s pictures is an unusual degree of insistence on the moral of the tale” (24). Almost all the characters in the painting can be seen in real life. The harmony (combination of different parts) that can be seen in the painting is related to the connection between the foreground and the background. Some of the characters in the background are not fully visible. On the other side, almost all the characters in the foreground are fully visible. The woman in the background who is drawing water from the well is a usual element in village life. The other characters in the background are talking about the drunken woman. The children who are trying to help the woman are symbolic of childhood innocence. The dog, which is leaning towards the drunken woman, is a usual element of village life. So, one can easily identify that the artist tries to portray life without any exaggeration or artificiality. The artist tries to balance the foreground and the background by providing importance to the central character or the focal point (say, the drunken woman). Besides, the ray of light falling upon the drunken women balances darkness and light. Message The artist makes use of the painting as an innovative mode of expression to communicate with the viewers and to spread his message to the society. The message of the painting is the influence of alcohol on human beings. Moreover, the artist makes use of his work to unveil the importance of movement in art. Almost all the animate elements in the art work prove the importance of movement. For instance, the dog in the painting is not standing still, but leaning enthusiastically towards the drunken woman. The characters in the background are chatting with each other. On the other side, the children are trying to help the woman. This proves that movement is an important element of the rhythm of the painting. As pointed out earlier, the drunken woman is the focal point of the painting. The artist made use of an innovative technique to provide importance to the woman. For instance, the artist made use of bright colors to portray the women. At the same time, fusion of darkness and the ray of light in the painting help the viewers to focus their attention upon the drunken woman. The painting is one of the best examples of proportion or hierarchy of visual elements. For instance, the foreground consists of a dog, waste particles in the street, slippers and a drunken woman. This leads the viewers towards the background which consists of a number of onlookers. Analyzing the different parts of the painting, the viewers can attain a conclusion that hierarchy of visual elements in the painting is helpful to view the same as a story. In short, the artist makes use of the central character to spread his message to the society. Summing, the painting Wine is a Mocker by Jan Steen unveils the dark side of the society, with full of problems. One can see that the influence of alcohol is curbing physical efficiency of the younger generation. One who is under the influence of alcohol gradually becomes a clown in front of the onlookers. The drunken woman in the painting is a victim of alcoholism. The artist portrays the scene in a humorous way but the inherent theme is most important. The appearance of the woman in the painting, portrayal of life, and the message by the artist proves the painting as a serious artwork and an innovative medium to communicate with the viewers. Works Cited Walsh, John. Jan Steen: The drawing lesson. California: Getty Publications, 1996. Print. Appendices Appendix -1 Wine is a Mocker by Jan Steen Available at: - http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=M.1969.05.P Read More