Unit 2, Exam Unit, Development Book Megan Lowe 1862
Storytelling is typical of the work of the following artists: Paula Rego, Marc Chagall, Richard Dadd, William Morris, Arthur Rackham and Thomas Ralph Spence. Either
Make several studies in a medium of your own choice, which explores this theme. You should include a written commentary of your influences and techniques. Or Compare works by three different artists and make a written evaluation in an illustrated essay, which explores this theme.
I have chosen to complete question 20 on section 4. This question asks about storytelling within art. My final outcome will be to complete an illustrated essay which compares works by three different artists.
The Marriage Settlement is the first in the series. The story starts in the elaborate home of the Earl Squander who is arranging to marry his son to the daughter of a wealthy but mean city merchant. The merchant is fairly plainly dressed for the time and his financial, he stands holding the marriage contract whilst his daughter stands behind him speaking to a solicitor-perhaps about her rights in the marriage or how this marriage is going to benefit her. We can see the Earl’s son who is not engaging with the other figures but looking at himself in a mirror. There are two dogs chained together in the bottom left corner-this is perhaps symbolic of the marriage they are about to enter into. The two main characters of the story (bride and groom) are pushed to the mid ground on the left hand side, this is symbolic that there thoughts and feelings were pushed aside for the good of others.
The Earl of Squander is having a house built in the grounds of the house they are in, this again boasts his wealth and power The bride and groom being pushed aside, despite being the center of this arrangement
The dogs symbolic of the marriage proposal
The merchant
The Earl of Squander, he is sat with his food on a gout stool, this is symbolic of his wealth and him having money to spend on rich foods
The second in the series is called The Tête à Tête and painted in 1743. We can see already that the marriage behind the two characters was proving disastrous. The wife appears to have held a card party the previous night is sitting to eat breakfast in the couples now disordered house. The husband sits exhausted having just returned home from an evening away-probably to visit a brothel. The dog sniffs a lady’s cap in his pocket. Their steward leaves the room, with his left hand raised in despair, carrying bills and receipts. There is a picture hanging over the mantelpiece which depicts Cupid among ruins, in front of the picture is a bust with a broken nose, symbolising impotence.
This art work we see if very symbolic of problems hanging above the couple heads. The painting is off cupid in ruins, showing that the marriage is disastrous and already in ruins.
The Steward leaves the room facing away from the couple, looking distressed carrying bills and reciepts, showing their quick decline after this arranged marriage
We see the dog sniffing at a ladies cap in the husbands pocket, symbolising being unfaithful and potentially visiting a brothel
The third is the series is called The Inspection. This takes place in the room of a French doctor. The husband is sat with his child mistress beside him. We can see he has contracted a venereal disease, we see this by the black dot on his neck (this was Hogarth’s symbol for those taking the mercurial pillswhich were only known treatments for this ailment.) He pushes a box of pills towards the doctor, probably asking for an alternative remedy. An older woman holds a clasp knife, she appears to be the young mistresses mother.
There is a skeleton in the closet, this is a pun regarding keeping secrets and ruining lives
Memento Mori-to insinuate that you can die from these kind of venereal diseases
We can see that the husband has contracted a veneral disease by the black dot on his neck
The husband is pushing some tablets towards the doctor probably asking for a different remedy to fasten his recovery or to help him further
The forth is named The Toilette. The wife has now become the countess after the death of the old Earl. We see this with the coronet set above her bed and her dressing table. She has always become a mother as we see a child’s teething coral hanging from her chair. On the left wall is a portrait of the Rape of Ganymede, this gives an unsettling insight into how the countess might of conceived. The lawyer from the first painting is back and is inviting the countess to a masquerade like the one to which he points. There is a group of visitors on the left hand side listening to an opera singer accompanied by a flautist.
We can see the wife has now become the countess by the coronet set above her bed
This is the painting “Rape of Ganymede� this implies what happens in this room
The lawyer from the first painting returns in this painting asking the countess to a masquerade ball, this is an omen for things to come
The fifth episode is a slightly darker image called The Bagnio. Bagnio was originally a word used to describe coffee houses which offered Turkish baths but by 1740 it signified a place where rooms could be provided for the night with no questions asked. The countess is shown here with the lawyer after the masquerade ball. The young Earl had followed them and the lawyer has killed him out of vengeance. Whilst the countess pleads forgiveness over her lifeless husband, Silvertongue (the lawyer) makes an exit through the window. The master of the house stands at the door after being awoken by the fight.
Here is the lawyer and the countess we can assume that are having an affair
The young lawyer followed the wife and lawyer and the lawyer ended up killing the husband out of vengeance.
The sixth and final episode is fittingly called The Lady’s Death. This final scene takes place in the house of the Countess’s father. The vulnerable countess has recently found out that Silvertongue has been hanged for the murder of her husband. In the death of both her lover and her husband, the Countess has drunk poison to kill herself. Her child grip hold of her limp face and her possessions (such as wedding ring) are being taken off of her. This was because a suicide’s possessions were forfeit. A dog seizes his chance to grab a meal off the table, this is perhaps symbolic of the dogs in the first episode and there being nothing left and having to scavenge and steal.
There is a whole book in the Bible dedicated to Judith. This was because as a woman she embodies the power of people of Israel to defeat the enemy. The story that is depicted the most is Judith beheading the General Holofernes. Judith used her femme fatal and seduced Holofernes, then got him drunk and went on to behead him. Many different artists have depicted this scene in different ways. There is always a drunk Holofernes, with Judith and her maid that helped her.
Gentilleschi was one of the only women in the history of art to depict this biblical scene of Judith Beheading Holofernes. She created several versions of this composition which suggests a deeper connection to the subject matter. We know that previously Gentilleschi, was sexually assaulted by her art teacher. When she pressed rape charges, it got acquitted brought shame and embarrassment on Gentilleschi. This ordeal scarred Gentilleschi and becomes evident in his art works.
Judith beheading Holofernes, was painted in 1620. What we can see new in this painting is the realistic merciless interpretation of the story, which is not played down by the introduction of moralizing or religious tone. Judith acts with a determined, unemotional expression. The two women work with such strength and skill. They act as though they are butchering Holofernes. The colours are all rich and jewel like which was typical of the time.
Carravagio also depicted this scene but shows Judith in a more vulnerable tone and as a less sadistic murderer. The composition is very similar to that of Gentilleschi, with the General lead on the bed with Judith and her maid on the right hand side. Carravagio has used chiaroscuro go highlight the important parts of the painting, such as the generals facial expression and the hands used to
behead him.
Carravaggio was an Italian painter who was active in Rome in the 17th Century. He is most well known for his use of chiaroscuro.
The Divine Comedy was a poem written by Dante Aligheri in 1308 and finished in 1320. It is widely known as the preeminent work of Italian literature and is considered to be one of the greatest works of world literature of all time. The poem tells of Dantes journey into hell to get back his lover. His representation of travelling through the afterlife is typical of the medieval world thinking. On the surface it tells of Dante moving through the different stages of the afterlife such as, Hell, Purgatory and Heaven but when you read deeper you can see that it represents a deeper allegorical journey that the soul undertakes to become closer to God.
The Divine Comedy is composed of 14,233 lines that are divided into three canticas (Inferno/Hell, Purgatorio/Purgartory and Paradiso/Paradise. Each of these three canticas consists of 33 cantos. The number three remains prominent in the work, represented in part by the number canticas and their lengths.
Stories can also be told through sculptures as we can see here in Ugolino and his Sons from 1861. Dante tells how he saw Ugolino in his journey through the afterlife. The story of Ugolion and his imprisonment galvanized peoples fantasies and fears during the second half of the nineteenth century and appears in the Divine Comedy in Canto 33. The story tells of the imprisonment of Ugolio in 1288 and his death too follow. Carpeaux depcits the exact moment when Ugolino, condemned to die of starvation, is try to resist the temptation to devour his children and grandchild who are begging him to take their lives.
Delacroix, The Braque of Dante, 1822 also depicts a story from the Divine Comedy. This one shows Dante being guided by Virgil and his lover Beatrice through the blazing city of the Dead. This piece illustrates a shift of narrative painting from Neo-Classicism towards.
Giotti’s depiction of The Adoration of the Magi is one in a series that hang on the interior of the Arena Chapen at Padua in northern Italy. The series all depict the life and death of Jesus Christ. In this piece Giotto celebrates one of the most joyful of Christian events, and a central event in the Chirstmas story. This shows the three wise men coming to adore the baby Jesus and bring their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Giotto introduced a new way of working in which he foreshortened figures and gave the paintings perspective. He also starting using real models and was able to create real recognisable human emotions. All of the paintings in this series are fresco paintings. This means that they were painted directly onto the wall of the chapel while the plaster was still wet, this allows it to become an integral part of the building.
Shooting Star Here is the shooting star that lead the Magi to the birth place of Jesus Christ. It is said that Giotto studied the Halley comet.
Exotic Animals The camels are delightful animals. They symbolise the exotic origins of the three wise men. It is likely however that Giottio had never seen a real life camel and this is evident in the ears and feet looking uncharacteristically similar to a donkey or horse.
Mountainous Scenery Giotto regularly used these backdrops to create a stage for his narrative to takes place. The mountains often echo the forms of the figure used, however here the rocks reach higher than the Higher family (which are the focal point in this painting.)
Casper’s Crown Giotto emphasises Christ’s role as “King of kings” by stressing Caspar’s humilty. He has placed his crown at the feet of the angel, while he bows to kiss Jesus’s feet.
Giovanni Boccaccio once said about Giotto that “Giotto was a man of such outstanding genius that there was nothing in the whole creation he could not depict.”
The blue areas have the most damaged because they are not fresco. It was impossible to paint the lapis lazuli into the fresco. It therefore had to be added onto dry plaster and, sadly it has not lasted as well as well as the fresco.
Giotto shows an angel standing solemnly by the Virgin’s side, holding an incense box containing frankincense, one of the Magi’s precious gifts presented to Christ. The gifts brought by the kings were gold, symbolising purity; frankincense symbolising divinity and myrrh- an embalming ointment referring to Christ’s eventual suffering and death
One of the most celebrated pieces of Akkadian sculpture is the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin. A stele is a stone slab erected as a monument (like a modern day tombstone) and decorated with relief carvings and sometimes inscribed. Naram-Sin was the grandson of King Sargon I of Akkad. The stele depicts the king standing in triumph over his defeated enemies, mountain dwellers called the Lullubi. The stele is made of pink limestone, which was widely accessible at the time. Limestone is also fairly soft, which makes it easy to carve. The image was achieved by chipping away the surface of the stone so the picture slightly projects in a relief from the background. The sun is shining down on Naram-Sin, this symbolises his godlike status Naram-Sin is depicted much larger than any other figure, this shows his status and importance.
Naram-Sin claimed he was a God-king, wearing a horned helmet-this was a symbol of the Gods.
A famous wall painting, dating to around 1500BCE. It appears to depict the sport of bull-leaping. Bulls have historically been seen as sacred animal and this dangerous sport could have been related to a religious ritual. Athletes would grab the bull’s horns, somersault onto its back and then somersault again to land behind the bull. The painting has all the lively charm and vigor that is typical of Minoan art.
It is suggested that the picture depicts the same athlete in all three stages of the leap between take off and landing. Like a modern day comic strip.
A lot of the fresco has been heavily restored. Here we can see the original dark colours used.
A distinctive characteristic of Minoan art is the use of flat areas of colour without shading.
This is Trajan’s Column 113AD. Trajan’s Column boasts 200 meters of decoration around the outside. Spiraling up the monumental column are 155 scenes carved in relief.
Trajan’s column depicts two battles the Roman Emperor Trajan had with the Dacians. The Dacian people were a tribe from what we know now as Romania. The column celebrates the Emperors succession and power in these battles. There are 155 scenes of the battles running the whole way up the column in much sometimes graphic detail. There are 2639 figures, in which Trajan appears 59 times. We have never seen anything like this before in the history of art so it was new and modern in its time.
Here is a cast of Trajan’s column that is in the V and A Museum in London. The column is spilt into 2 halves as it would be impossible to house otherwise. When I viewed this monumental column I was shocked by how tall it would stand together, it really shows the power and strength of the Roman empire. The detail spiraling round the column is phenomenal and tells a story that you can easily follow. You can see the impressive level of undercutting used around the column here.
During the early Christian and Byzantine time there was a set of nine plates produced. These plates illustrated scene from the Old testament story of King David. It is thought these plates were made in Constantinople in 629-630CE. They were found in Cyprus amongst other treasures in 1902. The plates are thought to have been commissioned by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius to celebrate his recent victory over the Persians and the recapture of Jerusalem. This campaign ended in a one-on-one battle between Heraclius and the Persian general Rhahzadh. This battle may of inspired the scene on this plate. The design of the embossed, low relief images in the style of classical Roman and Greek art. Roman and Greek art was considered to be of a higher form and art that created a perfect society.
The soldiers are wearing Roman-style weapons and armor. This heightens the status of the soldiers and instantly turns them into heroic warriors.
The composition is divided into three bands telling the story of the young David ‘s unlikely victory over the mighty Philistine champion Goliath.
The top band shows David challenging Goliath, the mid shows the battle (this was considered the most important part of the storytherefore it is given the most room on the plate.) and the lower band shows David triumphantly chopping off Goliaths head.
The Normans were descended from Vikings who settled in northern France. In 1066 Duke William of Normandy conquered England in pursuit of his claim to the throne. The story of the critical battle of Hastings is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, made shortly after 1066. Despite being called a tapestry it isn't strictly a tapestry more a piece of embroidered linen. It measures 230cm long and for centuries it has hung in the Bayeux cathedral in Normandy. The story is told in 79 different scenes. Eight different colour threads were used; three blue, two greens, yellow, red and grey. The top band is decorated with animals, both real and mythological.
Here the English infantry comes under attack from the French cavalry, close to the start of the battle.
The lower band shows the dead, injured and the fallen from the battle.
Fra Angelico was an Italian renaissance painter born in the 15th Century. He was described by Vasari in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects as having “a rare and perfect talent.” In modern day Italy he is known as “il Beato Angelico” which translates to “Blessed Angelic One” Vasari wrote of Fra Angelico “But it is impossible to bestow too much praise on his holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety.”
Fra Angelico was an Italian renaissance painter, who pioneered in Florence in the 15th century. In this magnificent altarpiece he depicts the scene of the annunciation. The rediscovery of classical architecture at the time has influenced the backdrop for this painting, as we can see there are doric collumns which were used typically in ancient roman buildings. It is likely that Fra Angelico studied animal wings to create these life like wings on Gabriel We can see in Adam and Eve are being expelled from the garden of Eden into barren land. They have clothed their nakedness with the skins of animals. This story contrasts with the happy and fertile scene of the annunciation.
We can see white roses (this is symbol of virginity, purity and innocence) The angels that were depicted by Fra Angelico are all non sexually specific. They are instead sorted into categories and ranks like the modern day army.
Angel Gabriel does not hold a white peace lily (which is usually an attribution to point to Gabriel) this slightly lowers the tone of painting, as this is to show of the Virgin Mary’s purity and innocence. However, we can see in the door that the curtain is pulled around her bed-this often denotes Virginity.
Rossetti, painted the Annuciation, his shows the Virgin cowering away and looking scared. This would have been realistic. The PRB, painted on white backgrounds, as white is the primary colour in this painting. Rossetti’s brother and sister sat in for the models of the Virgin and the angel, this was unconventional. The angel Gabriel presents the Virgin Mary with a peace lily, this was what was expected to be in an Annunciation painting. The Virgin and the Angel both have 2D golden haloes around there heads this was very typical of the time period. Rossetti signed this with the date in March, that is when the Christians celebrate the immaculate conception and it unlikely to be when the painting was finished.
My intention is now‌ In what ways have artists depicted the Annunciation?
Kiki Smith was born in1954 in Nuremberg. Her father was a sculptor (it appears that almost all the female artists I have looked at have an artistic father) Smith often says the death of her father marking her “real birth as an artist.” She started her career producing sculptures made of various materials that represented fragments of the human body. Her first picture of an entire body was called Untitled she created it in 1987, shortly after the death of her sister, who died of AIDS. Many of Kiki’s works show the human existence in all its vulnerability, this is juxtaposed by the delicate materials she uses such as; paper, wax, porcelain, glass and polyester. Kiki Smith looked at the Virgin Mary in several of her works, for example her 1992 piece; Virgin Mary is a true to life representation of the female form made of wax. This model has skin missing in numerous places. Critics questioned Smiths choice to depict such a shocking image of the Madonna. Smith replied “ It is not my work that is problematic, but the history of our bodies, our love-hate relationship with our own bodies.”
Kiki Smith created an equally untraditional depiction of the Annunciation. This piece continues Smiths long exploration and experimentation of the female form. It deals with both physical and physiological aspect of the human form. The figure, is sat on a small stool and sits in a suit. The figure has a bald head and is gender-neutral. The figure is sat on a small wooden stool, the stool appears oversized for the small figure and her feet dangle down, this creates a sense of vulnerability.
Works of art often tell stories and artists can present narrative in many ways. This can include using a series of images each capturing a moment in the story or by selecting and depicting a central moment in the story. Storytelling in art often works better if the story is a well known historical, religious, legendary or mythological story. Sometimes however the artist invent their own stories or retell personal ones, leaving the viewer to imagine the narrative, this often helps engage the viewer as they can inject their own experiences onto the depiction.
The Annuciation (Story behind it) The Annunciation is one the most well known biblical stories. Throughout history it was been depicted in many different ways. The story tells of Angel Gabriel coming to tell the Virgin Mary that she will born the son of God. In the Christian religion this date is celebrated on the 25th March as that is when they believe that Gabriel visited. The Angels greeting to Mary is traditionally translated as “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” This translates in Latin to “Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum” which is the opening of the Ave Maria and a part of the Rosary prayers. Many people have disagreed with the Annunciation and do not accept that the Angel visited Mary. One group of people who are particularly against it is Feminists. In the early years of Christianity feminists believed that the Annunciation was a form of rape as Mary was not given a choice but to have the baby Jesus. Others believe that the story portrays women as unacceptably submissive and as colluding with the idea that “women's only claim to fame is the capacity to have babies.” Some interpret Mary’s behavior as demonstrating passive subordination to male power. Simone de Beauvior wrote: “For the first time in human history the mother kneels before her son: she freely accepts her inferiority. This is the supreme masculine victory, consummated in the cult of the Virgin.” (The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvior, 1952) Other writers suggest, however, that the story of the Annunciation only emphasises the status of women, since God had chosen a woman to fulfill his incarnation. God enlists the help of a woman with man having no important role in the story.
In what ways have different artists portrayed the story of the Annunciation and how has the medium used helped to make this effective?
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christian ity/holydays/annunciation.shtml • Paula Rego's Map of Memory: National and Sexual Politics,Maria Manuel Lisboa, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2003 - Art - 218 pages • Lives of the Artists, Volume 1 • • Giorgio Vasari • Penguin Books, 1993 - Art - 478 pages
• Jon Bird (ed.) Otherworlds; The Art of Nancy Spero and Kiki Smith, Reaktion London 2003