Gustave Courbet, Young Women from the Village and John Singer Sargent, The Wyndham Sisters - Term Paper Example

Art History The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast, in detail, two significant works of art. The first piece of work is en d Young Women From the Village by: Jean-Désiré-Gustave Courbet. This work was one of several works done by Courbet which focused on women. This particular work received quite a bit of harsh criticism for its unaesthetic quality perceived by some. It was actually completed in the year 1852 in a salon and depicts a landscape backdrop with several women arranged in a manner which seems to focus on a child within the piece. The nature of this piece is extremely organic and elemental. At first glance, one can’t help but notice the greenery in the backdrop which meets a skyline that almost appears to be approaching darkness or the color of a storm. The women in the painting do not seem to notice anything about their surroundings except for the young girl who appears to be a peasant as she is not dressed as formally as the women which surround her. The painting also features several cows along with a spaniel breed of dog. There is a certain serenity in the piece somewhat akin to a still life or what is often found in landscapes. The piece is indicative of the time period as the women are dressed in floor length, casual dresses with hats and parasols. It is as though the women are caught in a perpetual moment of leisure on the outskirts of a pasture which seems to go on until the skyline begins. This piece may be compared to the piece entitled The Wyndham Sisters by John Singer Sargent primarily on the basis of it’s feminine quality. Both of these works feature several woman, all dressed indicative of the time period. The latter of the two works however, depicts three women who are dressed in much more formal attire than the piece by Courbet. Taking a closer look at Sargent’s work, one will notice the background is much more obscured than Courbet’s landscape backdrop. The Sister’s in Sargent’s piece are the complete embodiment of leisure and comfort. They are sitting but in different positions. The faces of Sargent’s women are more visible and pronounced than Courbet’s women. Sargent’s women however, appear to be looking off into the distance or looking at nothing at all. The woman in the middle however, seems to be the only one of the three who is actually aware of her audience. In looking at both works, it is relevant to assess how each is presented. Courbet’s presentation of his women among a landscape, is done so in a somewhat asymmetrical manner as the group of women are congregated to the left and center portion of the painting. This spatial layout however, is balanced out by the location of the spaniel which seems to pull the onlookers gaze back to the center of the piece. The spaniel is spatially located closer to the bottom of the canvas rather than the middle or top. This almost brings a balance to the overall piece and can be summed up by being described as an almost upside down triangle. The color choices and shading adds to this invisible, upside-down triangle. The women are afforded the most color from the brighter end of the spectrum while the cows at pasture to their left, our right, brings the color balance back to the bottom center portion of the work. Comparatively, Sargent’s piece depicts 3 woman posed in such a relaxed manner that they almost appear to be spilled onto the canvas. The woman are all in white as opposed to Courbet’s women who are wearing pastels. Courbet’s woman are also farther away than Sargent’s in relationship to the center of the canvas and the space represented overall in each work. It is certainly evident in Courbet’s outdoor backdrop that there is a great deal more space being represented than in Sargent’s. Sargent has painted the three sisters in a room, in close juxtaposition of a backdrop wall. Additionally, Sargent’s wall which is set behind the women, is clad in other paintings, incidentally, of other women. It is as though one is looking at a painting of other paintings. It possesses a mirror image of a mirror sort of quality which adds to its depth and dimension. Courbet’s brushwork can be described as tight, short strokes with heavy shading. Sargent on the other hand, seems to have used looser and more fluid brush strokes, particularly in the area of the women’s dresses. If one were to look at Sargent’s piece at a distance, the blends of whites used to give dimension to the women’s dresses, dominate the overall piece. It is as though one is looking at a heavy cloud from a distance, but at a closer glance; one can see the layered textures of the women’s gowns. This is a particularly skilled aspect of the artist’s work because it is almost as though from a distance, the various shades of white are simply undefined wisps on the canvas, but upon a closer look, there is layers of intricate detailing put into the dresses worn by the women. The artist goes on to emphasize the layers of white by painting a large vase heavily laden with white roses, to the right of the women, in the bottom corner of the canvas. The element of what is actually taking place is similar in both works. Courbet uses earthy imagery behind individuals set at a distance, to say little about what is actually taking place. This piece has a particularly stagnancy about it. In other words, it is not as though the women are really doing anything nor does it appear that they are preparing to do something. They seem to be set in an infinite and almost ethereal existence. This piece does not insight a great deal of thought or assumption as to what the women may be thinking or intending to do. In fact, the pose is a perpetual and meaningless transaction of sorts between the women and the young girl. Sargent’s work is very similar in its presentation of what the individuals in the work are doing. This particular work was done in the London home of the Wyndham sisters who were the daughters of the honorable Percy Wyndham. The point of the position of the girls was to seat them with the painting of their mother looking down on them. This painting in the backdrop however, is quite obscure. The woman are posed but almost listlessly. There is not a great deal of life likeness given to them which seems to be the point. The artist clearly is attempting to capture the aesthetics of the woman more so than their personality or purpose. From a feminist perspective, the woman of Sargent’s piece; are utilized as ornamentation or decoration. They are frozen forever in a pleasing pose so to speak as though for decoration within the room in which they are set in. There is no indication that they are involved in any sort of activity or motion. They are seated with listless limbs stuck in perpetual still frame. It can also be said to be symbolic that they are all wearing white and are set into place among flowers which are also white. In other words, they are essentially equated to flowers and other objects within the room which are serving the sole purpose of decoration or the task of being pleasing to the eyes. There is not an attempt to separate these women from other objects within the room. If the artist had meant to raise the women to a more life-like status or quality, it would have made sense to have dressed them in garments which contrasted in color to the floral arrangements in the room. Another aspect of this piece is that the three women are almost indistinguishable one from another, much like the flowers next to and behind them. The women are dressed in virtually the same apparel, with the same hair color and style. Their physical form, below the waist, is undefined. It is as though they are heads afloat layers of white. They appear neither happy nor sad, but more so exude a sentiment of waiting for a command or prompt to display some sort of emotion. Returning again to the work of Courbet affords its resident woman a bit more character and dimension. There is also a heavier element of mystery in this piece. The observer can’t really be sure what is taking place between the women and the young girl. This insights thought and curiosity which serves to capture the attention of its observers a bit more readily than the ethereal quality of Sargent’s work. There is a certain aspect of complexity within this work as well. First, the girl seems to be engaged in some sort of interaction with one of the women. They are both engaging with the other. Behind this, is two other women who both seem to be leaning backwards slightly with respect to their spatial orientation. The transaction or interaction taking place between the young girl and the first woman, is a mystery to both the onlooker to the work as well as to the two women behind the first woman, within the work. The next layer of activity which can be defined as taking place is the spaniel which appears to be preparing to engage in some way with the two cows at pasture. Works Cited: Hellbrunn Timeline of Art History, (2000), “Young Woman From the Village”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, retrieved from website at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rlsm/ho_40.175.htm Wallace, Natasha, (1998), “The Wyndham Sisters”, The Metropolitan Museum of Art , retrieved from website at: http://jssgallery.org/Paintings/The_Wyndham_Sisters.htm Read More