Museum project
While visiting The National Gallery of Art on Friday, March 30th. I viewed so many stunning works of art, but out of the pieces I had the chance to see that day. The three that caught my eye were Antoine Watteau’s Ceres (Summer) oil on canvas, c. 1717/ 1718, Jean Honoré Fragonard’s Diana and Endymion oil on canvas, c. 1753/1756, and finally François Boucher’s The Bath of Venus, 1751. These painting are not only connected by the same medium, They also contain similar themes of Roman mythology (fantasy), and they all happen to be created during the same period which was Rococo. In addition to fantasy the pieces I chose had erotic undertones, and were made to be decorative pieces for their buyers. The first painting …show more content…
While to her left are the two animals from the zodiac: Leo (Lion) and Cancer (crayfish) and they represent the season. Going back to her attire, what I found interesting is that pink wasn’t considered a feminine color like it is today, instead it was predominantly masculine, and I believe this was used to signify her strength as the goddess of harvest, and to also to hint that the harvesting season was near and men would go out to work on the crops. Much like the other two paintings I will discuss, this painting reflects the time period where it comes from, which is the Rococo period. Comparing it to paintings made during the neoclassic period, Rococo paintings are much less stern and serious and rather playful and light in style, and the reason for this, is because the patrons who would buy these paintings ( mainly Aristocrats) wanted decorative, pastels painting that would lighten the mood of say their homes or place of work. What’s unfortunate about this piece, is that it was originally part of a set of four, each depicting a different season, but due to thieves and multiple wars the other three were lost in the past two …show more content…
We can tell this is a product of the Rococo period as it has a sensual aspect with the curves of the naked Venus, and the color palette the artist chose to use for her skin, as she has porcelain white skin with pastel pink undertone. It appears almost dream like in the sense their skin almost glows in the sunlight. This is due to the rich greens and blues from the vibrant forest in the background. Because Venus is the physical representation of beauty and lust, and cupid also connected to the idea of love, part of me believes the expressions shown have a deeper meaning than just the typical depictions the two have had in the past. Cupid appears to be trying to get away, mischievous in a way, while Venus tries to hold him back. This can symbolize sexual frustration in the character and in society, as he pushes her away. while he is doing that Venus looks like she knows what’s best for him and pulls him in, not allowing him to be free to do what he wishes. He has this curiosity and determination in his eyes for something that is just out of the viewers site, and we are left to wonder what he’s trying to get a hold
While visiting The National Gallery of Art on Friday, March 30th. I viewed so many stunning works of art, but out of the pieces I had the chance to see that day. The three that caught my eye were Antoine Watteau’s Ceres (Summer) oil on canvas, c. 1717/ 1718, Jean Honoré Fragonard’s Diana and Endymion oil on canvas, c. 1753/1756, and finally François Boucher’s The Bath of Venus, 1751. These painting are not only connected by the same medium, They also contain similar themes of Roman mythology (fantasy), and they all happen to be created during the same period which was Rococo. In addition to fantasy the pieces I chose had erotic undertones, and were made to be decorative pieces for their buyers. The first painting …show more content…
While to her left are the two animals from the zodiac: Leo (Lion) and Cancer (crayfish) and they represent the season. Going back to her attire, what I found interesting is that pink wasn’t considered a feminine color like it is today, instead it was predominantly masculine, and I believe this was used to signify her strength as the goddess of harvest, and to also to hint that the harvesting season was near and men would go out to work on the crops. Much like the other two paintings I will discuss, this painting reflects the time period where it comes from, which is the Rococo period. Comparing it to paintings made during the neoclassic period, Rococo paintings are much less stern and serious and rather playful and light in style, and the reason for this, is because the patrons who would buy these paintings ( mainly Aristocrats) wanted decorative, pastels painting that would lighten the mood of say their homes or place of work. What’s unfortunate about this piece, is that it was originally part of a set of four, each depicting a different season, but due to thieves and multiple wars the other three were lost in the past two …show more content…
We can tell this is a product of the Rococo period as it has a sensual aspect with the curves of the naked Venus, and the color palette the artist chose to use for her skin, as she has porcelain white skin with pastel pink undertone. It appears almost dream like in the sense their skin almost glows in the sunlight. This is due to the rich greens and blues from the vibrant forest in the background. Because Venus is the physical representation of beauty and lust, and cupid also connected to the idea of love, part of me believes the expressions shown have a deeper meaning than just the typical depictions the two have had in the past. Cupid appears to be trying to get away, mischievous in a way, while Venus tries to hold him back. This can symbolize sexual frustration in the character and in society, as he pushes her away. while he is doing that Venus looks like she knows what’s best for him and pulls him in, not allowing him to be free to do what he wishes. He has this curiosity and determination in his eyes for something that is just out of the viewers site, and we are left to wonder what he’s trying to get a hold