CRITICAL AND CONTEXUAL STUDIES By Brittany Parker
Intentions For my personal project I want to researching the different symbols within a variety of historical paintings. I will start by researching ‘The Arnolfini Portrait�, which is known for its symbolism. From this I will go on to analyse other relevant paintings, including still life's and portraits Symbols can have all different meaning, in paintings these usually include life, death, religion and power, they can be used to convey something very obvious or a deep and meaningful story. Based on the paintings I analyse I want to create an exhibition, this will include a poster, leaflet and digital plan of the exhibition.
Jan van Eyck The Arnolfini Portrait 1434 818x597cm Oil paint
Arnolfini It is believed that ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’ includes Giovanna Di Arrigo Arnolfini and his wife, Giovanna Cenami, however it was said that the couple were married thirteen years after the painting was created. The painting shows a rich couple, who are both from the largest banking families in Lucca. It is evident that they are wealthy because they are finely dressed with fur. Besides the woman's plain necklace and rings, she does not wear a lot of jewelry which would have been kept for the aristocrats. The painting has a variety of interpretations such as: A wedding or an agreement of marriage of some sort, a memorial for a dead wife, a gift for the Arnolfini that had the purpose of showing their wealth, that the painting shows a betrothal and not a marriage, grant of legal authority from husband to wife to claim business in his name, to show Giovanni's good personality and promote business relations, the signature on the back wall is a legal document of a marriage
The Northern Renaissance ‘Renaissance’ comes from the term ‘rebirth’, it was a period of time from the 14th to the 17th century in Europe. The Era connected the time between the Middle Ages and the era of Modern times. Bursting out the Middle ages, where the Roman Empire coming to an end, the Northern Renaissance was when science, art and government which was developed by the Rreeks and romans were lost. This era was described as ‘coming out of the dark’ and part of the middle ages was described as the dark ages because of this. It was a revolution for education, science, art, literature, music, and this time enabled better life for people in general. The cultural movement ‘Humanism’, was a big part of the Northen Renaissance, and it was a philosophy that all people should strive to be educated and learned in the classical arts, literature, and science. This movement was all about realism and human emotion within art and it was said that it was now okay for people to pursue comfort, riches, and beauty.
To begin my research I wanted to look a painting from 1434 by Jan van Eyck named ‘The Anolfini Portrait’ It was created from Oil paints on canvas at 818x597cm. Paintings this size would be significant and feature important people. Eyck has used both direct and indirect light. The light from the window provides the direct light in to the scene which is seen on the shading of the oranges and reflection on the chandelier. The painting includes two people positioned in a room however the use of reflection enables us to see where what is behind the viewers point of view. The achievement of light rendered in this painting, again, is largely due to the minimalistic use of oil and degree of shading obtained by layering the paint.
The joining of hands is thought to represent marriage this is supported by his other hand being raised which could suggest an oath in marriage. However, It has also been argued that the joined hands mean equal hands in business deals, and he is giving her the power to act in business.
More evidence that could indicate marriage could be that, a woman in this time would wear her hair down if she was not married, where as this woman has her hair up. There is also a pair of clogs thrown aside. After marriage husbands usually presented their wives with clogs. Here, I lightened the area of the painting where is shows the mirror. The mirror gives the viewer the most encompassing visual perspective in the paintings. In the mirror are two figures in the doorway possibly to represent witnesses for the marriage to make it legal. Note, we also have van Eyck's signature here which could act of that of a notary's. Around the mirror small scenes of Jesus are shown. On the wife's side of mirror, only pictures of his death and resurrection are shown while on the husband's only those of Christ's life.
The position of the individuals suggests a representation of gender roles. With the woman standing next to the bed this could suggest she is the caretaker, and the man by the window as his work is outside of the home. She looks at him head on which indicates equality, especially in this time.
With one candle in the chandelier this could suggest the presence of god
Another reason to believe they are wealthy is that there are oranges (which would be expensive) in the painting, this suggest it is warm however they are wearing there best fur-lined clothes Van Eyck used several layers of thin glaze to achieve his deep, rich colors. Working with oil paints, he had to layer the paint on top of itself many times until he reached the preferred tone, hence the painting is thicker where dark colors are present and thinner in lighter areas, which is evident in real life. They both style fur, have exotic fruit, a large chandelier , an oriental rug and glass windows. All of these depict how wealthy they would have been as this was not something the middle class would have. Van Eyck signs the painting, in Latin it translates as 'Jan van Eyck was here 1434 '.
The woman in the painting is holding her dress in a way that could make up believe she is pregnant. The dog could represent the couples desire to have a child or a symbol of fidelity. There is also a carved statue of Saint Margaret on the bed post who is the patron saint of pregnancy and child birth. Many people believe she is pregnant however others believe that she is simply holding a lot of fabric in this area as it would have been the fashion at the time. The more fabric you had, or more clothes worn showed wealth.
Harmen Steenwyck, An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life 1640
Harmen Steenwyck, a painter from the 1600’s painted ‘An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life’ but also known as The “Vanitas” in 1640. I wanted to research another still life representing the vanities and mortalities of life, however this painting is oil paints on oak wood instead of the usual canvas. Painted in the revolutionary time for house paintings, it is painted on a small scale of 39x51cm. As stated before, paintings for homes were becoming popular and this one is no different. The photograph includes light which comes from the upper left corner as we can see a clear beam of light. It seems as if this is the only light in the room as this creates deep shadows. Steenwyck has painted the highlights and shadows in such a way that it makes the objects look real, as if this was a photograph. Light like this is known as raking light. We can see the objects are highlighted on one side, and dark on the other, commonly known chiaroscuro. The back ground of this image I black; this leads our eyes away from the background and in to the foreground, making the colours more evident and seem brighter.
The foregound homes a skull, a momento mori which Is a reminder of death. It is clear the painter is trying to express vanitas as he has made the reminder so evident. In the seventeenth century shells would be a luxury item, indicating wealth. In the Netherlands, where this painting is from, a shell would be a rare possession, associated with travel and with travel, come knowledge. Another analogy for the shell would be that we can see its empty, a memento mori, telling up that the empty shell will become our body, and although we are beautiful, we will soon be empty inside. The far right of the painting shows a stoneware jar, these are commonly used to contain water and oil, this shows the basics needed in daily life and how we reply on them. Over time, a faint outline of a head inside the jar has become evident. This shows that the artist had changed his mine on what to place in that area as if would take the views eye away from the skull and shell. Others believe it is the emperors
Behind the samurai sword, this shows power and is associated with war and the loss using the sword. It could also associate its self with us as it’s a beautiful weapon but can kill, like humans. The top left corner is left free, this brings the beam of light to our attention and guides our eye on to the objects
The painting also includes a watch or chronometer. This tells us that our time is limited, and that it runs out quickly.. The fact that is is a stand alone object, in the foreground of the painting. It’s also set to time, which could be considered the end or start of time. Central of this painting hold a extinguished lamp with some trace of smoke coming from it. This could show the passing of time and how can just be gone, like smoke. The golden colour of the lamp further indicates luxury, how it is pointless and doesn’t account for anything when we are gone.
Another luxury item in the painting is to the right in the foreground. During this time books would be expensive as not many people would par-take in reading as a hobby. We can see that the book is open which would make it now useless. It also represents knowledge and information from the bible has no meaning. Along with the books, there are musical instrument s which represent knowledge and luxury. We can see various instruments including lute, cornet and recorder, some of which are hiding behind other objects. Overall, the message says that none of item like this and other luxury items do not matter and although they seem important when we are alive, when we pass they will be gone and won’t mean anything.
Henrick Andriessen Still Life with Mask 1650’s
Sometime in the 1650’s, Henrick Andriessen painted ‘Still Life with Mask’. To do this he used oil paint on a 480 x 430mm canvas. It features a delightful golden tone, with the light coming from the top left, creating a raking light. Chiaroscuro is used in this painting, as there is parts that a very dark contrasting against the bright highlights, by doing this, Henrick Andriessen has created more depth and a real life effect. From my research I know that he was interested in light and how reflections showed on smooth surfaces. The 17th century around the Netherlands area was know as the ‘Dutch Golden Age’ This was the age where the trade, science and art are the most up to date in the world, the Dutch would use these scientific discoveries to influence and inspire their art, which would be a change from previous religious influences. As a wealthy middle class emerged, art in this era became varied, with smaller pieces to be displayed in homes instead of churches. Churches went from bursting the seams with art to snow-white, blank walls. As the church, at this time, wasn’t acting as patrons, they preferred the white walls, just like the one shown here which is the Church of St Odulphus 1649 by Pieter Saenredam.
Most of the object are in a golden colour, represent wealth and material things. Having material things is bad enough, however I feel Henrick Andriessen exaggerated this by using golden objects that most of the vain, materialistic and wealthy people of this time would have. A memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning ‘remember you must die’. The basic message of this painting is that Andriessen presents us with a memento money, appearance and precious things mori as he includes a skull, This is a are useless when life is over so there is no reminder that our lives are not eternal, point having or worrying about these and we will be a skull at one point things. The globe is yet another symbol of knowledge as having a globe would inform you about the world, and not In the far left of the many people could afford this. It is also a painting we can see a presentation of travel, another luxury frame, t as this was a time which the artist proves to be pointless. when science was taking over and there became more art in the home. We In the foreground we can clearly see a mask. can see this in the As this painting is all about vanity, it makes painting. sense that there would be a mask as vain The painting also includes people we essentially wear masks to cover a violin, this would be like our true selves and present a different self. our televison in their day, Overall the mask stands for deceit. Behind it was seen as something but like Usually in these types of paintings the mask is laurel wreath, as flowers live beautiful, and die so easily, this is a perfect symbol to everything else in the there is a black background to bring Towards the right side of the it is more attention ,to the foreground show our temporary life's. Like us, flowers painting, or important subject, however the painting we can see a cup, the are beautiful and then die, human life is as meaningless. background is somewhat light, this cover shows worldly power, transient as the withering flowers. Is actually people there is smoke displaying a solider, a symbol for Most of the painting includes some light, except the bottom, not only there. This is associated with the war. The gold colour of the up is does this create some sense of depth and perception, but it also blocks tobacco ‘going up in smoke’, just also important as gold is a colour out the bottom of the painting, taking our eyes up, where the objects of wealth. like life. are. The bottom left corner holds a clock, this would represent the passing of time and how you can ‘watch’ you time pass away.
This painting is a vanitas, meaning its still-life painting of impermanent things, such as the bubble. The bubble shows the artists use of light and reflections stunningly, exaggerating the light. They represent life, how its beautiful but in a split second it can disappear.
Hiding behind other objects we can see a book. This indicates knowledge, meaning that it is important, rather than wealth or appearance.
Vanitas quiet life
Hendrick Andriessen, born in the 17th century, was a Baroque still-life painter. He would be known as a Flemish, this is another word which artists were given if from the 17th century near Holland/Belgium. As well as ‘still life with mask’ he more widely known for ‘Vanitas quiet life’ (left) which is another still-life made from oil on canvas. It is believed to be a reference to the death of King Charles I, who passed through decapitation. This is thought because of the skull, crown and other related objects. There is also a globe, clock and bubbles, similar to ‘still life with mask’
The middle class expanded in the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, and buying paintings was no longer an just a hobby reserved for the higher class. The middle class could now afford to place them around houses, instead of the church. Familiar subjects of daily life like this were as popular as biblical paintings were before, especially in public exhibitions like the French Salon. However they still kept a deep meaning or narrative.
Vanitas still life
Rembrandt The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp 1632
The way the figures are set up is as if they're part of some sort of narrative and we are meant to be looking in as we can see all of their faces and the main subject is in the foreground.
Continuing on from the last 17th century painting I wanted to research a piece by Rembrandt called ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp’, painted in 1632 using oil paints on canvas. It is now on display in a museum in the Netherlands, where it was painted. It includes monotone colours, with the most light being at the centre of the piece. The scale of the painting is 2165 × 1695mm which is quite large, proving it to be an important piece.
It includes the use of chiaroscuro, with deep tones and contrasts, which is heightened by the use of dark backgrounds and clothing, but the figures faces and main subject being bright. This draws us in to the people in the painting and informs us which parts of the painting are significant.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon was a Dutch artist from the 17th century. He has been considered to be the greatest visual and narrative artist in Dutch art history. He painted portraits, self portraits, landscapes, historical scene as well as allegorical scenes about religion and science.
The event that this painting is based on would be the guild of surgeons in Amsterdam, 31st January 1632. The guild of surgeons were allowed one public dissection a year and Tulp was the City Anatomist. The corpse in the painting was a man named Aris Kindt, a criminal who would have been hanged that day. We can see that his face – unlike his body – is in the shadows, this is called Umbra Mortis, meaning shadow of death; Rembrandt would use this in his other paintings too. This experiment would be seen by students and the general public, unlike the painting where it is seen as a private event.
If this were true to life you would not be able to see everyone however the figures are seen as a pyramid , and almost look stacked upon each other. The pyramid is slightly off to the left, giving Tulp more space; showing his importance
The man in the foreground is much paler than everyone else, proving he is deceased, this also draws attention to the corpse than anyone else in the painting. Rembradnt has painted Dr. Tulp hands brighter than other parts of the image, which also leads us to the corpse.
This painting includes Dr Tulp, he was focused on anatomy. From the painting we can see he is doing a lesson on anatomy, which includes the movements of the arm. Using some sort of equipment he is touching the corpse, using his other hand he is showing the other figures what happens when he does this, explaining how tendons work. Dr. Tulp is the most important man, and the teacher, this is evident as he is the only man wearing a hat. The other figures are all looking at him, which leads our eyes to him.
There is seven other men in the painting, all on lookers of the experiment and Tulp. Rembradnt has taken a genre of paintings where men's faces are aligned, which was often done to show some sort of story or documentation. He has then used this inspire his work, as we can see they are all doing the same things, looking at the experiment, but just slightly different parts of it. We can tell that these men were successful as they are clothed in bright white collars. These are a sign of the welth of these people as back in the 17th century on the rich would be able to keep them so clean and ironed,
In the bottom right corner of the painting we can see a book on anatomy, furthermore probing that the work was changing, directing towards science.
Antonio De Pereda Allegory of Vanity 1632–1636
I wanted to analyses painting by Antonio De Pereda called ‘Allegory of Vanity’, painted between 1632-1636, which is during the baroque period. It is 1740 X 1395mm which is fairly large for a painting of this subject type. The painting is made of mainly duller colours as we can not see many bright colours except the white, this draws attention to the contrasts. Despite including an angel, this painting could be described as depressing. It includes skulls, weapons and highlights the passing of time.
The paint has been applied by oil paints to a canvas, oil paint is done in layers to build up colour, depth and texture, which we can see, Pereda has done well. Antonio has painted so realistically by using shade and light. This includes raking light which enhances shadows and depth. We can see the figure has bright pale skin, this is brought to our attention by the pure black background. The reflections and colours are enhanced because of this. Chiaroscuro Is an Italian term which means ‘light-dark’, It is used to describe paintings like this which include a lot of contrast.
The Overall message of this painting is that its important to enjoy your life without worrying about material things. An Allegory Is a story with a hidden meaning, and Vanity is to do with being vain and wanting things that will make you temporarily happy, but you do not need. The Allegory of Vanity includes a androgynous looking figure. From the wings we can assume that this figure is an angel. The angelic character is looking straight at the viewer which radiates an unsettling feeling. Holding a portrait in their left hand and pointing to a globe with the right. This could represent travel and the knowledge and wisdom you gain from travel, which it more important that the photograph in the figure other hand, that represent vanity. War is another obvious theme which is portrayed through objects of armor, skulls and a gun. These items insinuate that war and fighting is pointless. The foreground includes a hour glass with all the sand at the bottoms, meaning the time on the hourglass is up. The overall mood of the painting is very mysterious. The skulls immediately raise thoughts of life and death. The skulls are placed on books which we can see the binder has been opened, from the time period this would tell us that the books would be a luxury item.
As we can see, the right shows a variation of jewels, photograph and coins all in silver or gold. This represents wealth. We can see a large gold clock which is know for showing the passing of time. To the right side of the painting we can see a few portraits. Painting these in to the still life would warn us of the passing of time, and unlike a portrait – we get older. Everything on the right side of the painting is shown on a red drape. Reds like this usually relate to royalty and wealth. Death is a prominent feature in this painting. A candle which has been blown out out suggests that something that was once so bright and outstanding can look diminish.
Antonio De Pereda Antonio De Pereda was a Spanish artist born in 17th century, Valladolid. He was Born into a family of painter. Later in his life he moved to Madrid, where he was highly influenced by two men that taught him and acted as mentors. Pedro de las Cuevas who was a Spanish painter, born and raised in Madrid and Giovanni Battista Crescenzi who was wan Italian painter and architect. Pereda is best know of his still life paintings, he even creates other still life’s within portraits, for example: The knights dream, which is also knows as ‘the dream of life’ or ‘life is a dream’ painted in 1655. Another still life painting of his is Still life with an ebony chest (1652), both of these and Allegory of vanity include objects which symbolize many things, such as death, knowledge, travel and of course, vanity. Christ, Man of sorrows, is yet another painting by Pereda, its religious allegory is more obvious but still has a strong memento mori message. All of his work includes amazingly painted details. He has taken the events which have happened in Spain in his era and turned it in to a art form, using skulls, guns, globes, candles and Jesus throughout.
17Th
century Spain
The knights dream Christ, man of sorrows
Spain was coming to the end of its golden ages at this time which resulting to a lot of change. In art, this era had been all about large scale religious paintings, however science was becoming bigger, which made the paintings become smaller and for homes as art was not needed for churches anymore. The name of the painting is also significant. Allegory meaning a narrative, which Pereda shows. Vanity meaning admiration and obsessiveness over appearance and material things, which is also shown in the painting.
Still life with a ebony chest
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Judith Beheading Holofernes 1598-1599
After looking at paintings such as ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp’, I wanted to research ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’ by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, painted in 15981599. It is painted with oil on a 145 x 195 cm canvas. This is a large painting, nearly life size. Back in this era a large painting would indicate importance. And would be placed placed in a church as this was a time where catholic churches would be filled with large, important paintings. We can see that the light source is coming from the top right corner, shinning down upon the character’s faces and the woman's arms. The intense use of light and shadows creates the effect of chiaroscuro, bringing the brighter parts to attention. The background being mostly black accentuates this, bringing the highlights forward and making the painting look more real life overall.
One of the main figures of the painting is Holofernes, this is supported by the way the other figures are looking at him and have their bodies and arms pointed towards him. He is also in the foreground and middle of the painting.
The painting shows three figures of various ages which stand out against the dark background. There is one youthful figure who is juxtaposed to the old woman next to her. The painting also features Holofernes - the man on the left who is being beheaded. To the right of the painting we have a older woman who is on looking the event. She is looking determined to receive Holoferne's head. Although she looks old, in reality she would have been around the same age as Judith; We can see she has darker grey toned skin, grey hair which is hidden and off-white clothing's, Caravaggio has represented her like this to highlight Judith's beauty, but also to remind that beauty is not eternal. The older woman seems to be holding a bag which would later be filled with Holofernes’ head.
In this painting Caravaggio uses a variation of pictorial devices, this includes dramatic spot-light action, shallow picture spaces which push the characters further forward, dramatic foreshortening creating movement and bringing the action towards us. Caravaggio has also used oil paints in a way to create a highly saturated pigment. From viewing the painting we can that Judith's clothing is bright white, not only does this show wealth, as white would be expensive to keep clean, but also importance. The bright white dress and pale skin brings the viewers attention straight to her, the black background allows her to pop out of the image.
On the right side of the painting is Judith. Her face in disgust, she almost looks fearful while beheading Holofernes.
The middle of the painting shows Holofernes in distress as he looks up at Judith and where the light is coming from. The continuous use of the vibrant red colour could represent death as well as showing the blood and gore. The intense colour and shadows exaggerates the drama in the painting.
Artworks from the Baroque time period (1500-1600) tend to show the most dramatic point of a narrative.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian painter from the 15-1600s. He was formerly from Rome, where he worked for the church depicting old biblical narratives in different ways. Although he would have been recognised at church, it became evident he had a dark personality. Eventually, He had to flee Rome as he was accused of murdering someone. He was later accused of murdering more people later on his life while still producing paintings.
Baroque could be considered aanything with a complicated design but it can also refer to a style of art, music, and architecture from 17th Century Italy. It comes from the Portuguese word ‘barroco’,which means ‘imperfect peral’ although not all baroque is imperfect. The protestant reformation of Christianity happened after a monk -martin luther- nailed his protests against the church of Rome to a German church door in the 1500’s. This divided the Christian church in to The catholic Faith and The Protestant Faith. A press called the ‘Guttenberg Printing Press’ was created in order for the bible to be able to be read in all language, this meant less need for art. Them became the counter reformation, this was where the catholic faith was encouraged by the council to produce more art.
The tale behind Judith and Holofernes comes from the Bible. The Bible tells us that the king of Nineveh, Nebuchadnezzar, sent holofernes, his general, to vanquish his enemies, which was the Jews. The Jewish people are encircled in Bethania and rapidly lose all hope of triumph. Judith, whose name means "Jewish woman", was a beautiful widow. Judith overheard plans for surrender and decided to "deliver the city". Using her beauty she seduced Holofernes and waited until he was inebriated, to cut off his head. She returns victorious, holding up his severed head as a trophy. The Jewish people regain their courage, and drive the enemy away.
The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David 1793
The Death of Marat The death of Marat is described as an idealized painting of an assignation; David represents Marat as a young innocent man which is writing a check to charity when in reality, this is not the case, it is such a controversial painting that it no longer allowed to be displayed in France. French Message This painting is of a man
called
David Marat , who is represented slumped in a bath tub, the room is gloomy
and
in the foreground there are checks to charity placed on a box. In marah’s right hand there is a quill and his left hand holds a letter from Charlotte Corday; this letter reads “ill suffit que je sois bien malheureuse pour avoir droit a votre
The main colours are very muted and dull, the oil paint has been applied smoothly on canvas which makes the painting appear realistic. The light source coming from above and use of chiaroscuro in this painting portrays purity and an angelic ambiance. Jean-Paul Marat saw himself as a friend of the people, He was editor of the magazine Ami du Peuple. He suffered from a skin disease and had to stay in a soothing bath. This is where David shows him, in the moment after the murder by Charlotte Corday. Symbols Iconography includes the study of elements within a work of art that act as clues or symbols to meaning. In this painting the use of iconography is shown thrown Marats trailing arm, It is reminiscent of Jesus’ position is commonly portrayed as when being removed from the cross.
Misconception David used his painting as a way to show people what had happened, however he did not always tell the truth. He often painted what he wanted people to see, not what had really happened. This is his self portrait when he was in prison for the painting, which portrays him as an innocent painter. Jacobins David had joined the Jacobins, a political club. During the Revolution. The Jacobins assembled a group of people against the monarchy who were known as the National Convention. controlled by Maximilien Robespierre, the Jacobins (including David) and the National Convention would eventually vote to have Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette killed; France then became a republic. neoclassicism Neoclassicism was a dominant art movement from the late 18th –mid 19th century, I was a recreation of heroic spirit of classical Greece and Rome. The poses and figures in art were copied from classical sources, the narratives have a strong moral tone and include stories of grandeur.
David opted to exclude Marat's physical imperfections. In depicting Marat final bath, David decided to portray his friend as an attractive young man -free of flaws -which was not the case as Marat would have been old and would not look like this The painting’s background is dull; the walls are undecorated and scant of any color. In reality the walls of Marat’s were supposedly decorated with elegant wallpaper and decorations to beautify the interior however the dullness of the walls in the painting draw attention to the foreground It is clear to depict what has happened to Marat as there is a blooded knife in the lower left corner its said that Marat had betrayed the spirit of the great causeof the Girondists (which corday belonged to) you can sea the knife unmistakebly on the ground beside the tub, painted, smear reddened.
Fransico Goya The 3rd of May 1808 1814
Francisco Goya (1746 – 1828)
SECOND OF MAY 1808
THIRD OF MAY 1808
Goya was 62 years old when the French invasion of Spain began, which subjected Spain to six years of war and revolution. Goya was in Madrid during the tragic events of 2nd and 3rd May 1808 when the population rose against the French. However, It was not until 1814, that Goya actually painted these events. The first painting is about the confusion of battle; the second is anti-heroic and emphasises the brutality of war. Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter who was initially employed by Charles IV and the Spanish Royal Family to paint them throughout their time in power. In the period France occupied Spain as he was working for the new French leader – Napoleon and his armies. Goya would not have been permitted to paint the horrifying scenes he witnessed until Napoleon was defeated.
Compared to Picasso's Guernica for its fearless depiction of the brutality of war, The Third of May 1808's estimation has only grown in the art world. Once sneered at for its departures from convention, today its blend of Christian iconography, its emotional chiaroscuro, and its influence on fine art and popular art have helped establish its reputation as a groundbreaking masterpiece.
Under the rule of the weak Charles IV, Spain fell into political and social corruption, which ended with the Napoleon and his French Army invading Spain. The second of may and the third of may were both oil on canvas on a large scale (266 cm x 347 cm), this tells us that Goya was ambitions about This painting and water It to bécote important and seen by man
Man in white Its very clear that Goya wanted our eye to look at the man in the white shirt first, His hand our outstretched as he surrenders to the gun men in front of him. He is also placed in front of a hillside, this forces the eye to look directly at this man with nothing distracting from him. Iconography The central figure of the painting, who is clearly a poor laborer, takes the place of the crucified Christ; he is sacrificing himself for the good of his nation. The lantern that sits between him and the firing squad is the only source of light in the painting, and dazzlingly illuminates his body, bathing him in what can be perceived as spiritual light. His expressive face, which shows an emotion of anguish that is more sad than terrified, echoes Christ’s prayer on the cross, “Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.” Close inspection of the victim’s right hand also shows stigmata, referencing the marks made on Christ’s body during the Crucifixion
From the hillside our attention goes down the hill straight at the gun men, then back at the man in white.
The background of the painting shows a darkened Madrid
The people who have already been shoot have casually been tossed aside to make room for the next victims. The monk preys over their dead bodies, perhaps in an effort to give them some peace. The man with his arms spread in a "V" looks pained, even in death. He, too, is asking for peace from the troops
During this occupation of Spain Goya created another print series called The Disasters of War, begun 1809/10. Goya’s own title of these prints was; The Fatal consequences of Spain’s bloody war with Bonaparte. And other emphatic caprices. ( a caprice means to suddenly desire something )
The Raft of The Medusa by Théodore Géricault 1818-19
Romanticism Romanticism featured from late 18th to the middle 19th century and came after neoclassicism, it was a movement across all the arts for artists to express emotion and feeling, romanticism was a way for Artists such as Gericault and Henry Fuseli to paint what they were feeling. However, there is no definitive Romantic style.
Details The raft of medusa (1818-19) by Gericault is a oil on canvas painting sized at 491 x 716 cm, The vast size of this painting is surprising as usually such large paintings are of important people whereas the people in this image are ordinary; furthermore making this image more important. The story The Raft of the Medusa reveals the moment after 13 days of directionless floating on the raft. The painting includes the remaining 15 survivors whom view a ship approaching from a distance. The MĂŠduse was originally shipping 400 people, however there was only room for 250 in the boats. Ultimately over 146 men and one woman were loaded onto impulsively built raft which partly sunk once everyone was aboard. The captain of the ship and crew aboard the other boats intended to tow the raft, but after only a few miles the raft was turned loose. For sustenance the crew of the raft had only a bag of ship's biscuit (consumed on the first day), two casks of water (lost overboard during fighting) and six casks of wine. Out of the 15 rescued a further 5 passengers died shortly after. Fault Although the event was a political outrage, the farce was blamed on the stupidity of the captain who was hired by the new Bourbon King Louis XVIII. Gericault painted an impressive representation of the disaster.
Research Gericault has signs of a neoclassical and romanticism in his painting, there are studies of the survivors as well Gericault visiting the morgues to paint dead flesh, he did this In order to get the detail of drowned flesh correct. Gericault wanted the involvement to his research to be accurate so he even remade the raft himself.
Metaphor Gericault did some extensive research on the sinking of the medusa, he interviewed the survivors and found out that they had ate each other in order to survive so he included a bloodied axe in his painting. Theodore blamed the tragedy on the captain so he included a torn French officers uniform.
Hope The men toward the right of the painting look desperate for attention of a potential rescue boat so far in the distance its almost challenging to comprehend. This boat could suggest useless hope, since the boat is very far in to the horizon, there's no way a ship could see their distress signal, it is also believed it was the ship Argus on the approach of help. Positioning of the Raft Gericault did a number of sketches before The raft of medusa however one key change from the sketches to the final canvas is where the raft is positioned in the frame. An early sketch shows the raft higher up, while The Raft of the Medusa has the rafter lower, in the viewer's space. It's practically as if you could step right through the painting and be on the raft with the crew.
Positioning of the people The crew members in the painting and positioned in a ‘pyramid of hope’, with the dead and dismembered at the bottom on the triangular shape, moving on to an old man holding his dying son in his hand, further more transitioning in to survivors helplessly reaching to the top of the pyramid where a youthful man is beckoning for help with a flag.
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix 1830
Liberty In the centre figure we have a personification of Liberty, a semi-nude muscular female. Who wears the red Phrygian cap of liberty. Which was worn during the first French Revolution. She also holds a flag in her left hand, which Charles X banned; delacoix has applied the colour with pure pigment tor create powerful colours. In her right hand she holds an infantry musket. Overall she is an unmissable symbol of the struggle of freedom.
Freedom The Liberty figure would not have actually been seen on the streets of Paris which tells us that Delacroix has used a mixture of reality and idealism to create this masterpiece. The woman in the center of the painting should not be recognized as an individual, however more as an idea- the idea od freedom. Background ‘Liberty Leading the People’ was about an monarchy being reestablished in France that was was politically despotic. The French revolution in July 1830 was against that king Charles the tenth and brought into power a constitutional dominion, doubtlessly, a king that would be more friendly to the middle class. This painting expresses one of the three days of beyond protest and endless conflict in the narrow streets of Paris. Eventually Charles the tenth leaves France and Louis Phillippe is put on the throne.
The painting shows the revolution of 1830 on the streets on Paris, what we can witness is a barricade which would have been their makeshift blockade The figure on the lower left of the painting is inhumanely left, its clear to see the man is in his night shirt with only one sock. A common tradition of the government was to enter the oppositions homes, beat them to death and drag them in to the streets as warning to others. Kings force On the right of The painting lies A member of the Kings forces. A Dead or wounded Solider in the Foreground is Important as it Remins that even Royal troops are not invincible and that liberty can strike forward.
Showing the range of people who participated in the revolution of 1830 Delacroix has include very different types of figures in his painting intentionally, showing a middle class man and next to him is a workman who probably cant afford a nice rifle like the member of the bourgeoisie can. This shows a strong message as they are together opposing the monarchy and that the power of the people can overthrow the government.
Idealism Idealism is seen in this painting as Delacroix would not have been able to look out of his window to see this. The figures are composed in the shape of a pyramid, just like ‘The raft of Medusa� this suggests hope for the people. Positioning The background of this painting contains very dull colours, as well as the foreground being gloomy as well as unsettling. However in the center of the image stand Liberty in bright yellow/off-white clothing, this persuades the eyes to focus on her first.
On the right of the image, you can make out the two towers of notre dame Rising above the smoke. You can also see the tricolor on that symbol of the kingdom And this is why the painting was deemed so radical and basically ended up going in to storage
Delacroix has painted Liberty in ancient tradition with a perfect profile just like a roman coin. He also shows us a great used of chiaroscuro with the light beaming on Liberty's face, coming from about with insinuates hope
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche 1833
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey The execution of Lady Jane Grey (1833) is a painting by Paul Delaroche. The painting includes a woman in the centre called Lady Jane Grey. The painting was based in the 16th century when England had a choice in 1553 of who should take the Crown. Lady Jane grey was crowned, however, this didn't work because Jane's claim to the crown was much weaker than the more legitimate person who was Mary, the half sister to Edward VI. Mary and her officials had her tried for treason and was sent to the tower of London and sentenced to death. Lady Jane Grey was executed at Tower Green on 12 February 1554 when she was just 16 years old.
Who? The painting shows 5 people: Lady Jane Grey, who glows in the center of the painting. To the left of the painting shows figures who seem to be grieving, these figures emphasize the solemn mood of the painting. Holding Lady Jane `Grey is a significantly older man, Sir John Bydges who highlights Jane's youthfulness, to the right of the image we can see the executioner who is standing in an almost classical contrapposto stance. This stance is usually seen in sculptures of heroic figures from ancient classical art the room is dark and in the foreground there is a woman in white clothing the mood is depressing Classical catrapposto stance
Appearance The colours in the painting are very dull and dark except the main focus point – Lady Jane Grey – She is wearing white, which glows compared to the other dark figures, this suggests purity and innocence. The oil paints in the painting have been applied smoothly on canvas which adds naturalism making the painting look realistic and additionally shocking. The painting is sized at 246 x 297 making the people life size, painting this size suggests that it is an important image. The light is coming from the top left of the painting, the use of chiaroscuro highlights and adds drama to Lady Jane Grey Further.
Lady Jane Lady Jane wears a blindfold and is about to kneel with her arms anxiously fumbling for the block on which she is about to rest her head. She is depicted with porcelain pale skin and is dressed in crisp white silk. She appears almost doll like. Below her lies straw which would have been intended to soak up the blood.
The salon ‘The execution of Lady Jane Grey’ has a aspects of both Neo-classical and romantic styles of art. These styles were favoured by The Salon. The Salon was an annual French exhibition of art that was open to all people and was a form of entertainment. To be considered a skilled artist you needed to be included in the Salon, however your art would be selected by judges. Delaroche Delaroche was one the most celebrated artists of his time, and was one of the greatest student of another artist –Gross. His paintings also combine his desire for the theatre, hence why this painting appears to be on a stage.
Paint The smoothly applied oil paint on canvas composes a realistic painting for observers. Size The size of the painting (246 x 297cm) suggests that this incident was exceedingly influential of that era.
Clothing Lady Jane stands out strikingly form her surrounds due to Delaroches brilliant use of chiaroscuro. It is unknown if she was dressed like this at the time, however it seems unlikely as she was married. Instead of purity the white clothing would have been used to suggest innocence
Background The dark background compared to the bright white foreground creates an unnerving mood and accentuates Lady Jane further
Orphan Girl at the Cemetery By Eugène Delacroix 1823–1824
Eugene Delacroix, who was a French painter, created the Orphan Girl at the Cemetery in 1824. The painting in French is known as ‘Jeune orpheline au cimetière’. It is considered as one of Delacroix’s greatest pieces as well a famous outcome from the time of romanticism. As we can clearly see, the young girl is the main focus of the painting, she is looking upwards towards the sky. Delacriox has used oil on canvas to create a wet look to the girls eyes, which corresponds with the sad graveyard background. We can see through her eyes that she is crying, but wonder what or who she thinks about. The painter induces negative emotions upon the viewer, such as grief or distress. This almost makes you want to help the girl. In the background we can see headstones. Like the foreground, the background uses muted colours too. The ground that surrounds her looks to be abandoned and in disrepair.
The use of dull looking colours are of much significance in Delacroix's Orphan Girl at the Cemetery. The participation of colour in the painting, and how it is exemplified on a canvas was one of Delacroix's many talents, and what he was most famously praised for - evoking emotions from pure colour.
The way the young girls body language shows vulnerability through her exposed shoulder, hand laid weakly on her thigh and shadows around her neck. Her muted clothing resembles the same, the harsh cold colour accentuates her struggle of loss. The sky of this painting is mostly white and cloudy, this connotes misery, however there is some blue sky, this could suggests hope
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog By Caspar David Friedrich 1818
Unlike the more conventional way of the horizontal positon of most landscapes, Friedrich has painted this in vertically instead.
For this composition Friedrich uses a slightly brighter palette than usual. He mixes blues and pinks across the sky with the mountain and rock in the distance echoing these colors. He paints the figure in a dark green coat - typical German attire.
Similarly to Ruckenfugen, Friedrich has used the technique of the figure with his back towards the viewer. This creates mystery around the figure as people wonder who it is. They are unsure what he is doing or thinking or even why he is there alone. By not showing the figures face this helps us focus on the gorgeous landscape. Rather than the figure. His stance creates a heroic sense; it’s the type of stance you would imagine after a battle. Fridrich mostly painted landscapes which hardly included people, Figures started appearing in his work more and more around the time he painted this. It is believed that Freidrich got married around this time, which may be the reason why he started including people in his work. Much like Friedrichs other paintings, the overall romanticism aura seems to fit perfectly as the forms stands still. It seems as though the man has been standing there for a while as he is poised and no movement is shown. He seems confident as he leans on his cane, and a relaxed hand rests in his pocket. The shear light is coming up from beneath the rocks, somehow illuminating the fog. Although this oil painting doesn’t show intense chiaroscuro like the other painting's I have analysed. The figure is mostly a silhouette, with little detailing compared to the background.
Guernica By Pablo Picasso 1937
The top of the image shows a woman who appears to be floating through a window with an oil lamp, to lighten the disorderly scene. Her face appears to be in a state of shock and bewilderment. She has been considered to be a ghostly representation of the Spanish Republic.
Size 'Guernica' is a very large painting, measuring 3.5 metres in height and 7.8 metres in width. The painting is painted in oil and in monochrome colours of black, grey and white. The picture is full of symbols yet its overall theme is one of suffering. Suffering of innocent people and animals alike Cubism Style is also a large component of the message in the painting. Picasso, along with Georges Braque, is considered to be the father of cubism (Picasso's Life). Cubism is a style of art that displays many geometric shapes incorporated into abstract designs. One of Picasso's most famous cubist works is Guernica.
Lighting The main light source comes from middle of picture with light bulb and woman holding oil lamp this is shown from the use of shadows in the painting
Mother Picasso wanted to show how immoral the German Nazis and Franco were for aiming the bombs at innocent civilians. In the image we can see a mother is holding the lifeless body of her child. She has splayed fingers, has her mouth open wailing with her head arched back and her tear shaped eyes are looking upward to heighten the emotional impact, this could suggest she is asking God why the circumstances of her life are so miserable.
This woman on the far right of the image is look upwards like the mother, however, Her hands are reaching up as if she is pulled down by some force. The triangles around and above her, this could suggest fire created by the German bombs and that the fire is devouring the woman.
Guernica was painted in 1937 and first exhibited in Paris before being placed in the care of the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, as it was Picasso's expressed desire that the painting should not be delivered to Spain until liberty and democracy had been established in the country.
Bull The bull is depicted with a dark body and white head. The bull appears to be stunned or shocked at the horror surrounding him. When asked about the significance and meaning behind the animal, Pablo Picasso said it was to signify brutality and darkness
Dead soldier The soldier is made up body parts and is not a complete body. We can see his head, one of his arms and the left forearm. In one of his hands, the soldier is holding a broken sword and a flower. The flower could therefore be interpreted as a ray of hope amongst all of the destruction
Pidgeon The pigeon can be found between the bull and the horse. It is not a very clear symbol as it appears to be just a flash of white. In general, this symbol has been considered as a representation of broken peace.
Light bulb The light bulb is a particularly intriguing symbol. It has been said that it represents technological advancement, as in the technological advancement being tested during the Guernica bombings. If you were to learn Spanish in Spain, you would find that the word for bulb 'bombilla' is also very similar to the word for bomb, 'bomba'.
Kneeling woman This woman has also been described as the 'Injured woman' as her leg is clearly visible and appears to be dislocated or broken. She is bleeding from the knee although she is trying to stop the flow with her hand.
Horse Situated in the centre of the painting, it looks as though the horse is about to fall down. We can only see the head of the horse, with its mouth open. The rest of its body is overlapped by other images, which in turn form other images such as a human skull.
Intentions After exploring tone in a number of paintings, I now intend to create an exhibition based on the romanticism From this theme I will write guide to the exhibition, including themes and relevant historical and/or cultural research. I will also design plans for the display information and advertisement for example: posters, leaflets and a virtual exhibitor.
In the top left corner the poster includes the logo for the national gallery, this is important as it brands the poster insuring the viewers know where the exhibition will be taking place, as well as relating the exhibition with the famous gallery. This poster includes a segment of ‘lion hunt’ by Delacroix, this conveys what the viewers will be experience during the exhibition. This has inspired me to also relate the background to the artist of my exhibition.
Delacroix was a romantic painter and links to artists I have already looked at. The painting chosen for this relates to romanticism with reds and other warm colours.
The same font has been used throughout the title of the poster ‘Delacroix and the rise of modern art’ despite how different the two parts look. The same font used creates a continuous theme which visually reinforces the general appearance of the poster.
Analysis of Delacroix exhibition poster
Lions are associated with supremacy and importance. A lion being the main feature makes it clear that this event is important as it is the main feature of the poster. The significance of the exhibition is also shown by the frame, this would make the poster stand out when advertised. The date of the exhibition must be added to a poster so the viewers knows the correct dates, the posters date is displayed bigger and bold that the exhibition details and stands alone as this would be more noticeable to the viewer.
The foreground of the poster focuses on the exhibition title. The translucent band over the painting presenting the name forces the eyes to focus on the red ‘Delacroix’. The red font is crucial so the viewer knows exactly who the artist paintings is. The opaque white writing under the red is brought to the foreground because of the translucent band, however it is slightly less evident.
In the lower right corner of the poster there is some information about the exhibition, this allows the viewer to have some information on what will be displayed there. It is important to have this information so the viewer knows what to expect.
Exhibition Poster - Response Taking inspiration from the National Gallery poster, I used a painting which I have previously researched - ‘Allegory of Vanity’ by Antonio De Pereda. Cropping this image to focus on the angel and symbols around her. I then Added a translucent box across the center of the poster, this creates the framing for my exhibition title. Using two different fonts I altered the way the title looked, in the end, I decided that this font was the one which most suited the theme. I then the important information to the design, this includes the date and a brief description on what the exhibition is for. As the poster I researched was shown in a frame, I wanted to add framing around my poster, this gave the poster a older look, which matches the style of painting.
After analysing a exhibition poster I wanted to further explore techniques. Researching some interesting graphic posters I came across a Nocturnal Animals poster. A graphic Designer named Midnight Marauder created this by using a image of a girl, this is shown through her feminine face and long hair. Using a ‘ripped’ effect through her eyes, this unveils another image which includes tigers in a baroque/romanticism style of painting.
As the background is one block colour, the important information is placed at the top of the poster in a white colour, this makes it easy to see but not as prominent as the title. The names pf the actors being on their own at the top of the poster shows that they are significant and that the designer wants to clearly advertise who will be in the film. Although there are a lot of colours throughout the poster, they are kept quite dull, as both images would be too much if both has high saturations and would be too much of an distraction.
Nocturnal Animals Movie poster
The girl is placed central in the frame which draws attention to her. In portraits the eyes are usually the a main subject point, however hers are covered. The rip along the page is also central, which brings all of our attention in. The positioning of the two paintings is quite cleverly placed as the title of the poster is ‘nocturnal’ meaning, ‘being able to see in darkness’, and her eyes being covered by another paintings of animals, helps the poster relate to the title. The Grand Jury Prize is a Film Festival in Venice, This poster includes the logo for this, indicating that it was given the award. The grand jury prize is considered to be the Golden Lions second place award. Adding this to the poster shows the audience how good the film is, due to its award, furthermore persuading them to view/buy it. This poster inspires me to create my own, from this I will use a ripping technique on Photoshop. I want the title of my exhibition to be covering the centre of a painting I have analysed. I also want to use similar colours to this as it gives a more ‘vintage’ feel.
To create this poster I downloaded a brush from Photoshop, this makes a torn paper look. I first took Antonio De Pereda’s ‘Allegory of Vanity’ however I cropped the image so only the angels face is in frame. Taking the torn paper brush, I erased the part of the image where the angels eyes are. In this space I added the painting ‘Liberty Leading the People’ by Eugene Delacroix. To further add to the torn paper effect I used the same brush, adding white parts, which resemble the parts of the paper that wouldn’t have torn cleanly. Having both paintings in colour was too over bearing, therefore to add some contrast to my poster I edited Liberty Leading the People in to black and white/ Using curves I altered the brightness and contrast to further enhance to juxtaposition.
To develop this poster further, used different images for the background. In the beginning I used Liberty Leading the People, I then tried to use a mask which I found online, the mask is a common symbol found in still life's which I have researched. This also adds a sense of mystery to my poster as I have already erased the eyes, and adds a mask further emphasises this. Taking the Arnolfini portrait, I placed the woman on the right in my poster. These two women seem to match up perfectly and it almost looks as if it’s the same painting. As I wanted to create more juxtaposition I decided to use the mans eyes from the Arnolfini Portrait instead. To complete this poster I added a title, date and brief explanation of the exhibition.
Summer Poster analysis This poster from a American nightclub has relevant features to my project. In includes flowers on a grey toned background. There is white font in front of this, as well as other shapes, it is a simple enough poster but the outcome is effective. The colours are subtle pinks, purples and grey tones, by making the flowers in the background this colour it makes them look dead. From previous research dead flowers suggest a message of mortality, this also helps the font come forward and stand out. The images of flowers have also been reflected on to the bottom of the poster, this gives the poster more depth.
The font of the poster includes triangular shapes, this relates back to the triangle framing previously mentioned. The boldness of the font is important as it needs to catch the viewers attention. The Title front is the most largest on the poster, the second becoming “Nightclub� which is the place the event was held. The date is also a one of the larger part of information, this is so the viewers knows when the event is. The title, date and location are all more visible to see than other parts, such as their website, this I because this information is what the designer wanted the viewer to see first so they would know the relevant information straight away. The creator has added a date at the top of the poster and the location at the bottom of the poster, although these pieces of information are smaller than the rest they are important to include in posters and this is something which I will be using as inspiration for my own poster.
Around the title we can see a triangle shape, this helps frame the and title and pulls them together. As it is in the centre of the poster, our eyes are drawn to it, the points of the triangle guide our eyes to the top left side of the poster where the date of the event it. Another point of the triangle leads to other information about the event.
Font Analysis When creating my own poster I wanted to research different fonts, I have taken inspiration from the posters which I have previously analysed, however, I also wanted to include standard fonts which I could use for my final poster.
To create a background colour I took a mix of greyish pink to a light pink and using the gradient tool I added a blend of the colours behind the flowers.
Inspired by the Summer poster, I took a copy of the flowers and reflected this image at the bottom of the poster, by lowers the transparency this created a reflective effect. To create a poster I started off with a bouquet of sunflowers, I erased the background of the image by using the selection tool
Taking a small, white brush I create a triangle around the flowers, I then erased some of the triangle to make it seem as though the triangle was partially behind the flowers.
Using the hue and saturation tool on Photoshop I lowered the amount of colour in the flowers to get rid of the yellow tones. To create the pink tones I added some pink with a brush with low transparency.
By adding some pink circles with varying brightness around the flowers, this create a glare effect.
Using the same brush I added some lines down the centre of the poster, similar to my inspiration. Using Arial bold, I added a date, which era the paintings were from and the title. I wanted to include these aspects in white as it creates attention next to the pink background. It is important that I used a flower in my poster as this is a symbolic aspect of many paintings. Flowers are known to be a symbol of death, as although they are pretty when alive, they do not last forever, and can quickly become ugly and die, this is a reminder that this can happen to us too. This is also known as a momento mori.
Double Exposure Technique
Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818
Using a layer mask I got this effect
Orphan girl at the cemetry delacroix
Using a layer mask over a duplicate of the ‘wanderer…’ I added some tone to the background
Using the magic wand tool I cropped out the background
I then filled the ‘orphan girl’ in solid black
Using the ‘wanderer above the sea of fog’ I made a clipping mask over the top of the other painting
I transformed the orphan girl in to black and white and lowered her opacity.
To complete the poster I added some artists whose work would feature in my exhibition and also some social media stamps From dafont.com I added in my chosen font title
I then added some dates and location of the exhibition
This image cannot currently be displayed.
I also created another poster using Photoshop, I created this by using a famous romantic painting by Henry Fuseli named ‘The Nightmare’ (1781). I then filled half the photograph black then using the dates/ location of the exhibition and the artists names I selected the font shapes on the black layer so that the painting would show through the black. Out of the two of these posters I wanted to use the poster on the right as I thought the effects I used made the quality of the poster much higher. The tones and hues of this poster go very well together and I want the blue/ grey tones to be throughout all my work.
This exhibition guide close up of the artists adds mystery to the and encourages the want see more.
includes a work, this exhibition reader to
The guide shows a bold white titles so they stand out, it states the artist and the exhibition location
The next 3 pages in the exhibition guide include general information about the artists and their work, it discusses the artists journey in their artwork and how it changed. I will also include this in my exhibition guide as well as information about every painting within my exhibition.
Analysis of Leaflet First page of the exhibition guide includes an introduction about what will be displayed in the exhibition. The
artists
other artwork is displayed on the first place along with the name of the painting, the year which it was painted, the materials used, the size and where the painting is now located. The artwork on pageguide 1 is includes not in the exhibition, This exhibition a lot of colourlike of the The last two pages of this exhibition guide include general gallery front page this to the exhibition. the front pageadds to mystery gain a readers attention, information, such as: other events, However the writing on the pages in the gallery talks, school programs, ‘now and exhibition design as simple, this gives the next’ at the gallery, eating and drinking, poster a clean and professional look which I shopping, pricings of exhibition and will copy in my exhibition guide guides as well as audio guides, the This guide was set out to unfold, where as my sponsors of the exhibition and the guide will be a book as I think a book would look information for the artwork on the front more professional and easier to carry around the of the guide. I will include this in my exhibition. As well as including a map, making it guide as it is important for my audience easier to move around my exhibition with the to know all the need information before information in the correct order. the exhibition
Based on my posters design, I wanted to create a similar looking leaflet. By doing research about leaflets I started my leaflet with, I used the same style as my poster, however I changed the background slightly. I similar colours so that the leaflet looked cohesive. I then include a brief explanation on some of the paintings I have researched which will be In the exhibition.
Ticket Analysis For my exhibition you will need a ticket, therefore, before designing my own ticket I wanted to research this. This ticket includes relevant information such as the name of the event, where it will be held, the date and where to enter. This is for a seated event therefore this information is on the ticket however, this would not be on mine. The ticket as includes a barcode, which I will include on my ticket. Although this ticket is minimalistic, the pop colour in the background is something I would like to use in my work.
Ticket Response
When creating my ticket in Photoshop, I used colours that are similar to my poster and leaflet. From my inspiration I included important information such as the name of my exhibition, location, date and price. I also added ‘valid from 9am’ and ’access all area’ to complete the ticket.
Gallery Layout Using an online 3d model maker I created a floor plan for my gallery. Taking inspiration from the layout of the Van Gogh Gallery where the rooms flow in a way that makes you enter every room of building. In my floor plan I also marked colours of the walls and floor, the white parts of walls are where the doors would be.
On a trip to Van Gogh Gallery I observed the layout of the building, this included studying where the paintings where in the gallery and how the correlated to each other in the order of which you saw them. I wanted the order of my paintings in my gallery to represent a story through time and each revolution. At the Gallery I noticed the walls and flooring showed pastel colours and minimalistic dÊcor (bench's), this I also what I wanted my gallery to be like as the muted colours look clean but don’t take the attention away from the art work.
Virtual Model Using a virtual 3d model maker, I designed my exhibition flor plan. Using Photoshop I edited the paintings in to the building giving a true representation of my exhibition. Using this software enabled me to choose the colour of the walls, floors, doors and frames which made my model seem more realistic.