Artwork in France in the Nineteenth Century - Essay Example

Artwork in France in the Nineteenth Century Name Institution Date Artwork in France in the Nineteenth Century In the nineteenth century, France was experiencing several political regimes including the Napoleon Bonaparte’s, Consulate and Empire, Restoration, the July Monarchy, the Second Republic, the second empire and the Third Republic. During these political periods, there were many developments in French artwork1. Romantism and impressionism were among the many developments of art in France in the nineteenth century. The Massacre at Chios Romantism is well depicted in the artwork of Eugene Delacroix known as The Massacre at Chios. The artist came up with this painting during the historical event of Chios Massacre in the year 18242. It is the second oil painting that was done by the French artist. It is characterised by political terror represented by horrors that took place at the time of war. The painting demonstrates the destruction that was experienced on the Chios Island. Suffering characters are displayed in a friezing way. The military are demonstrated as wearing ornate as well as costumes that are colourful. The presence of political unrest is represented in the painting by a desolation that is widespread that shows the presence of terror, diseases as well as death. 3Paintings that represent or demonstrate civil ruin usually have heroic figure. This is for the purpose of counterbalancing the victims who were crushed. In the artistic work of the French Artsit, Eugene Delacroix, there is no figure representing a heroic person in The Massacre at Chios painting. Pictures of artwork that demonstrates political unrest are required to demonstrate an expected hope for the victims who are in despair. On this artwork painted by Eugene Delacroix, there is no demonstration to suggest that hope is expected among the ruin as well as the despairing victims. In this painting, there is a contradiction between the victims’ rendition who are miserable and the painted aggressor. Those who criticized this painting argue that, Eugene Delacroix could have sympathised with the brutal people who occupied the place4. The painting of Eugene Delacroix was influenced by the artwork of Theodore Gericaults known as The Raft of the Medusa. This painting is similar to the Massacre at Chios because its foreground has figures that are arranged in a pyramidal method. The characters in the painting are not natural and the less natural they are, the more beautiful they are. The painting lacks the demonstration of perspective laws because of the rendered clouds5. 6The composition of the painting done by Eugene comprises of land and sea which are demonstrated by painting light and shade that appear as colours that are drifting towards each other. The background suggests an opening out which is constant, dissolution as well as centrelessness. The painting shows the presence of civilians who are thirteen in number who are set for enslavement. The civilians are painted to express harshness of how they are treated, slumped, disorder and uneven distribution of the civilians. Compared to The Raft of the Medusa painting, Theodore also used two pyramids to present his artwork of people who were dying and others who survived7. The painting presented hope for the despairing civilians represented by a rescue ship whereby one of the surviving figures is waving at the rescue ship. The colours used in the painting of Theodore are murky representing the clothes of the people who survived. Compared to the painting of Eugene, Theodore used brown pigments and a palette to express the presence of pain and tragedy. The sea is muted with the use of dark green colour instead of the dark blue used by Eugene to provide a contrast between the raft as well as the people. Eugene started painting the picture on massacre in the year 1823. His influence was to make himself a reputation by painting one of the scenes of war that occurred between the Greek and the Ottomans. The painting was completed in the year 1824 and was hung at the Salon as an exhibit of war represented by English scenes of Massacres at Chios. Theodore was influenced to do the painting by the need to achieve natural colours by directly observing. He started painting in the year 1818 and completed in the year 1819. The painting wrongly presents the suffering people who were hungry, sick and tortured as healthy and muscular. The painting done by Eugene represents Classicism work where most of the people have clothes. The work of Theodore lacks Classicism whereby the figures are seen to be almost naked. There is also very little academic relation in the figures represented by the painting of Eugene like in Theodore’s painting whereby the figures are not weakened due to privation, illness and struggle with death. Workmen on the Street: Artwork by Daumier Honore Impressionism was artwork that involved use of different colours for the purpose of transiting light effects when captured outside. 8Impressionism is a direct sensation and all great painters in France in the nineteenth century were less or more impressionists. It is mainly a question of instinct. The artwork of Daumier Honore, a painting known as Workmen on the Street presents impressionism9. It demonstrates most of the tensions that occurred during the overthrow of King Charles X during the July Revolution in the year 1830 that led to Monarchy of Louis Phillippe in July. The Monarchy of Louis Phillippe was ousted in the year 1848 during the Revolution of the second republic that gave every person the right of voting with promises of democracy. During the Revolution, workers were brutally suppressed as a result of rebelling and this demonstrated the frustration that was existed during that time. The painting of Daumier, The Workmen on the Street presents imagery that criticises class distinctions that were continuing10. Daumier started working on the painting in the year 1838 and completed in the year 1840. This painting by Daumier focuses on a workman who is in a shadow; the workman is seen to smoke a pipe and has a pick on his shoulder. The workman is painted as if he is facing down on his nose. He is looking towards a gentleman who looks wealthy with a hat on top. Since Daumier was a realist who was relentless and a social commentator, his painting was influenced by the tensions that were experienced during the Revolution. The painting, Workmen on the Street is a good reflection of the uneasiness that existed at that time between the bourgeoisie who were wealthier and the low class people who were labouring11. The painting done by Daumier is compared to the work of Millet Jean Francois whose artwork was The Sower and The Gust of Wind. These paintings have similar characteristics as those of Daumier, Workmen on the Street. A demonstration of labour in the rural areas and the life of peasants are evident in the painting of The Sower. The French people were identified with agriculture and Millet in his painting presented his sorrows while mourning for the migration of masses from the rural areas to the cities. Millet started painting The Sower in the year 1847 and completed in the year 184812. The artwork of Millet supports the painting done by Daumier in representing a class of people who were oppressed. The peasant on the painting is a representation of a figure that is faltered and enclosed by his surroundings. Comparing the painting Workmen on the Street and Millet’s painting The Gust of Wind, Millet was more focused on demonstrating the change that occurred as a result of war and violence. This is represented by the power and strength of the storm on the painting, The Gust of the Wind. This painting symbolizes the traditional life in the rural areas that was destroyed by the change in the modern world resulting from political revolution. The painting of Daumier is criticized for its non implied hope for the oppressed people. This is also supported by the artwork of Millet, The Sower andThe Gust of Wind. The artwork of Eugene is more convincing when it comes to demonstrating the political revolution that occurred in French in the nineteenth century. The reason is that, The Massacre at Chios painting demonstrates expressions of political terror that are represented by horrified people. Destruction as well as suffering of people is clearly laid out by people who are hungry and others are dying. There is also the presence of military in the painting of Eugene that represents how the people were tortured. Political revolution is clearly shown by terror, illnesses as well as death of people. The artwork of Daumier is less described since there are no presentations of terror and how people suffered in the hands of military during that time. It only shows class distinctions between the rich and the poor. The poor are shown as suffering in the hands of the reach by working on the streets. Notes Read More