Edward Jolley
Professor Bomboy
Humanities 101
1 November 2015
Narrative Art Critique
Narrative art is unique in the way that it’s not just a
plain static image but actually reveals a story to the viewer. My example of
this will be a known classic, Washington Crossing the Delaware”. This oil
canvas painting was created in the year 1851 by the Artist Emanuel Leutze and
is now displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This painting
contains many elements and principles of art that give it a rich and detailed
atmosphere. The painting reenacts the famous event of George Washington
crossing the Delaware River with his Continental troops which appeals to the viewer’s
imagination and emotions while also capturing a cultural and historic moment.
This piece of narrative art captures a historical event
that happened December 25th in 1776. General George Washington, at
the time of the American Revolution, crossed the Delaware River with “5,400
troops hoping to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter
quarters in Trenton, New Jersey.”(Washington Crosses) The accompanying story,
along with the fine details of the painting, helps one to grasp the emotion
that Washington or the soldiers might have been feeling at that moment. I try
to imagine early morning, rowing across a half frozen river while preparing for
battle. I think the artist was trying to accomplish a sense of heroics and apprehension
at the same time.
When critiquing this painting I found myself using a
Marxist critical viewpoint. General George Washington is displaying a very
powerful presence among his troops which is displayed in numerous ways. Washington
is equipped with his military uniform, saber, tricorn hat, showing that is he a
great military leader and warrior. Also he “holds a brass telescope symbolizing
his visionary leadership”. (Emanuel) While the rest of the troops are manning
the rowboats and preparing for the battle, Washington has his leg up with his
gaze upon the upcoming battle that awaits him. To accentuate his presence of
power, a “not yet created” American flag design follows behind him to add an
overkill of supremacy to this painting.
“Washington crossing the Delaware” is filled of elements
of art. I’ve analyzed some of the most prominent. The first element I noticed
was the value of color, particularly the intensity, in the morning sunlight. It
almost solely surrounds Washington and the American flag in a way that forces
the viewer to draw their eyes to the main aspects of the historical event. (Explore) Next,
I would like to examine the element of form. On the boat, both men with oars
have their faces painted with light and shadow. Even though the painting is of
course flat, the painter used this technique of “light and shadow to give them
a three-dimensional form.”(Explore) Another element worth mentioning is
that of depth. The perspective of the boats used in this painting gives a flat
surface the illusion that the larger boat, carrying Washington, is closer to
the viewer and makes you feel that the painting has a sense of depth.
Along with elements, there are also many
principles of art included in this piece. Proportion is a very important
feature in this painting. The most interesting use of proportion found is that
of the boat. In comparison to the men, the boat is smaller in contrast. “Leutze
exaggerates proportion to build up our emotion toward the painting and the
event it represents”. (Explore). This is done so the viewer can
focus on the physical struggle the troops endured when crossing the river.
Another very strong principle is the artist’s use of movement. The water is
splashing up against the boat while the rest of the river contains numerous small
waves. Movement that isn’t as noticeable can be found within the troops who are
using the oars. They are placed in different positions to show a struggle
against the waters to keep their boat on their desired course.
Emanuel Leutze was inspired to create such a work
of art due to his “strong belief in liberal democracy.”(Explore) In response to
German politics, Leutze created this painting to motivate German reformers. The
artist did a great job in capturing that patriotic essence that many proud
Americans are determined to represent for their Country. The accuracy of the
painting in relation to the actual event does present some imprecise details
but overall his vision of a proud fight for liberty was evident in the end. The
larger version was shipped to the United States in 1851 and “became an instant success
with more than fifty thousand people coming to see it.
Overall I believe the painting presents a very interesting
story with important historical background and at the same time being beautiful
in itself. The use of elements and principles of art really bring the flat
painting to life by giving it a wide array of depth and perception. For you to truly understand what an original piece
of art this is, you must have knowledge of its background. I like to think
there isn’t any American who hasn’t seen this painting or recall this occurrence.
My Marxist viewpoint involving the painting’s display of power wasn’t hard to
decipher considering the painting depicting such a famous event in American
culture. If you take all the aspects which I’ve covered along with the historical
event, there shouldn’t be much debate on why this is one of the most famous and
recognizable paintings in American History.
Works Cited
“Emanuel
Leutze’s Symbolic Scene.” Edsitement.neh.gov.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
“Washington
crosses the Delaware.” History.com. A&E
Television Networks, LLC., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
“Explore
and Learn.” Metmuseum.org. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment