Mr. and Mrs. Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough - Essay Example

The author states that the woman is seated on a bench while the man leans on the bench, holding a rifle. Next to the man is a dog. The couple is posing next to a wheat farm. The skies are gray and the picture is dark. The man and woman appear to be composed. A flock of sheep can be seen in the far background. Analysis. Careful inspection of the woman reveals that this painting may be incomplete. It looks as if there is a space where she was supposed to be holding a baby (ITP 276: Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough, 14 August 2005).

The dark clouds and bright foreground of the painting indicate that the painting was done when it was about to rain. The rifle and dog could possibly mean that the manhunts for sport. The dog seems to be tugging at the man’s clothes. The couple is wearing fine clothes, an indication that they could be wealthy. Interpretation. The painting makes me feel calm, because the countryside imagery is fresh and inviting. If I were in the picture, I would have felt relaxed and free. Looking at it, I can hear the bleating of sheep.

Gainsborough chose this setting probably because he was a painter of sceneries and nature. The location also enables him to capture the distant features of the countryside. The artist was probably most impressed by the sheep in the background, because he seems to have painted the subjects in such a way as to leave ample space for the sheep to be drawn.