Revolution through Art

 

Massacre of the unfortunate French King, with a view of la guillotine, or the modern French beheading machine, (English) artist unknown, 1793

Louis XVI in Sacred Costume. By Antoine Francois Callet. Created in 1779. Palace of Versailles, France.

Marie Antoinette Being Taken to her Execution. By William Hamilton. Produced in 1794 in France. Oil on Canvas.

            My three chosen pieces are Massacre of the Unfortunate French King (1793), Louis XVI in Sacred Costume (1779), and Marie Antoinette Being Taken to her execution (1793). These three art pieces constructed by various artists highlights the French Revolution. Louis XVI in Sacred Costume creates a contrast between the king’s adornments and the background with soft textures and circular shapes. The softness this painting represents can elicit a proud feeling, as if to serve as propaganda during the upcoming times of the French Revolution. Both paintings depicting the execution of the King and Marie Antoinette create a contrast that highlights the monarchy being executed against the populace. The white gowns contrast against the dark backgrounds that can help to suggest a sense of rebirth that was going to arise from beheading the monarchy. Both execution art pieces emphasize a facial expression that appear to lack empathy. Furthermore, a picture of the King in adornments versus execution highlights the differences in priorities that the heart of the French Revolution was striving for.

            There is no argument that can deny that death by guillotine is a brutal means to an end. However, execution is depicted (through tone, contrast, color), the brutality is defined the mechanism itself. Paris Musees states, “Pro-revolutionary depictures of Louis’ execution were, if anything, more gruesome than anti-revolutionary ones. Only the rhetoric of the captions distinguished them”. The only way propaganda can be distinguished through paintings is by understanding the context of the captions that were passed along with the artwork. Cartoons such as The Massacre of the Unfortunate King suggests there was much to be celebrated about the brutal end to French monarchy. Of course, in our point in history we understand the French Revolution and future revolutions went well beyond the execution dates.  The king’s execution in contrast to his sacred costume are the difference between the inspiration of the French Revolution and the beginning of the French Revolution. Ja-Ae Kim dictates, “France had a great influence in costumes of Europe as they represented European culture in the early 18th century”. Louis XVI in Sacred Costume represents the French Monarchy and the means they were willing to impress the rich and other royals. These paintings were made for royals and commissioned by royals. The attitude behind the inspiration of the French Revolution is found at the heart of the painting’s creation.

            Lastly, Marie Antoinette being Taken to her Execution shows the woman married to the “unfortunate French King” walking to be beheaded. Marie Antoinette was one of the royal’s executions that marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette was rumored to have stated, “let them [the peasants] eat cake” without official record or proof to support this claim. The mentality that the rich and royal blood were better than the peasants was common amongst most monarchies of this time. The wage game and quality of life between the working class (the peasants) and the royals were wide enough to create mass hunger that eventually erected the French Revolution.

            In conclusion, both execution artworks display a strong sense of security that can be found in the rebirth of a country that it is not structured around a monarchy. You can sense a feeling of proudness and relief as many French citizens felt it was necessary to meet their goals at this time. I would not own these paintings, but I would visit them in a museum display. King Louis’ sacred costume helps to showcase the ignorance behind the royal family’s consideration for the working class. I would not own this piece as well as this is not a painting, I would be proud of. However, I can appreciate the well-structured art that creates colorful contrast between the adornments and the background. When discussing the French Revolution, it is important to discuss what inspired the event and what helped to create the event. 

References

Google Arts. “Louis XVI in Sacred Costume.” Google, Google,         https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/louis-xvi-in-sacred-costume-antoine-fran%C3%A7ois-    callet/8QH8TKMDlNfQMA.

Kim, Ju-Ae. “The Symbolic Meanings of Louis XVI’s Costumes in the Portraits.” Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, vol. 35, no. 12, The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 31 Dec. 2011, pp. 1409–1417. Crossref, doi:10.5850/jksct.2011.35.12.1409.

Paris Musees. “'A Slight Freshness on the Neck’: Prints Depicting the Execution of Louis XVI (Ca. 1793).” The Public Domain Review, Bibliothèque Nationale De France, https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/execution-by-guillotine-of-louis-xvi. 

Wikipedia. Marie Antoinette Being Taken to Her Execution, 1794. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marie_Antoinette_being_taken_to_her_Execution,_1794.jpg.

The Hand of a Woman; The Baroque Perspective

 

Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi. Oil on Canvas. 1620. Rome/Naples.

            Judith Beheading Holofernes is the second version of a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi. The dark background sets the tone that highlights women taking their own power back from a man. The tone is a dark background to make the graphic murder the sole talking point. The contrast between the dark background and bright red blood help to symbolize a victory of sorts for the women. Judith Beheads Holofernes is a female curated painting that shows women working together to fight for Christianity. The bright red blood trickles down the white sheets before it fades away into the dark abyss of the background. The negative space (the dark background) helps to highlight the biblical story behind Judith. Uffizi Gallery states, “‘The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman’. So says Judith, a young Jew from Bethulia” (2022). Judith was a woman empowered by Christianity. This biblical image serves as a visage for Christian story telling.

This is a powerful painting that I could not pass the opportunity to discuss. Dr Esperanca Camara stipulates, “Rivulets of blood run down the white sheets, as Judith, a pious young widow from the Jewish city of Bethulia, beheads Holofernes, general of the Assyrian army that had besieged her city” (2015). Judith, despite being a woman was defending herself against the aggressor in this story. The dark tone of the painting is created by the painter, as she constructed the visceral image of women claiming their power through religion. Judith uses a large cross to behead Holofernes while the maid holds him down. The Christian symbolism was like several works of Artemisia, where she depicted biblical scenes and figures.

This biblical art relates to the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent shaped the Baroque Art Period to depict biblical matters as they are written. This suggests that biblical art cannot be paired with the Old Gods and must depict the written word. Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank remarks the council of Trent influence as such, “Most people at this time were illiterate, so the educational role of images was of paramount importance for teaching the Catholic faithful – a significant role” (2021). The statement that individuals were illiterate was due to minimal access to education, which stresses the significance of art during the baroque period. The Council of Trent taking charge of biblical images sets the stage of how critical biblical art was to influencing Christian ideologies. Art is its own language that helpsdifferent people speak universally. The abrasiveness of the cross-beheading Holofernes represents the desire to expand and colonize Christian ideas beyond Europe.

            Artemisia Gentileschi was a unique artist during the Baroque period, as a woman she was an outlier creating myriad art pieces. Angelica Frey writes, “[Judith Beheads Holofernes] has been interpreted by historians to convey the artist’s female rage, both as a rape victim and as a woman in a male-dominated field” (2019). Artemisia was a rape survivor who was using a medium to tell her story through biblical verses, as a testament to her personal strength. We can see this strength in Judith as she thrusts a cross through a man’s neck and entirely passes through all the blood and guts. The brute strength needed to perform such a maneuver would be the rage Artemisia identifies in herself, and in Judith. Judith, although dressed like a lady of her time, is an outlier, as she fights against men hat challenge her ideologies and town’s safety. This painting feels personal as we look at the brutality of the blood trail and how gore is depicted by the female hand (through a brush stroke, and through Judith’s weapon).

            In conclusion, Artemisia Gentileschi was a bold artist who followed The Council of Trent doctrine through her art mediums. Artemisia used art to express herself and her biblical interpretations. Dr. Esperanca Camara stated, “One of the cameos on Judith’s bracelet appears to depict Artemis, the ancient goddess of both chastity and the hunt” (2015). The plausible connection to the Greek goddess, Artemis, implies a strong connection to women who challenge men for harming then. Women acting against men during this time is unique, as it was not revered to speak above the men they were expected to serve. I would not personally own this piece of art, but I can appreciate the strength and life that crafted into it. I typically do not have Christian images in my home as I am pagan myself. The contrast behind Judith Beheads Holofernes inspired me to choose this piece of art for my analysis.

 

References

 

Dr. Esperança Camara, "Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes," in Smarthistory, July 19, 2015, accessed October 13, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/gentileschi-judith-slaying-holofernes/.

 

Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, "The Council of Trent and the call to reform art," in Smarthistory, May 20, 2021, accessed October 13, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/the-council-of-trent-and-the-call-to-reform-art/.

 

Frey, Angelica. “How Judith Beheading Holofernes Became an Art Historical Icon of Female Rage.” Artsy, 4 Apr. 2019, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-judith-beheading-holofernes-art-historys-favorite-icon-female-rage.

 

Uffizi. “Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi: Artworks: Uffizi Galleries.” By Artemisia Gentileschi | Artworks | Uffizi Galleries, 2022, https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holofernes.

 

Humanism, Medici, and Pagan Archetypes!

         

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (c. 1484-1486). Tempera on canvas. 172.5 cm x 278.9 cm (67.9 in x 109.6 in). Uffizi, Florence

 

Humanism, Medici, and Pagan Archetypes!

              Sandro Botticelli’s, The Birth of Venus, gives me a delight as an ode to pagan subject matter. The round curves of the waves and Venus’ body create a calming effect that welcomes the goddess of love. The painting celebrates woman’s beauty by centering Venus, a female goddess celebrating her own body and having autonomy to project her nude body as she wishes. This was painted by Botticelli as it was commissioned by the Medici family to display in their home. The goddess of love painted in a Christian world during the renaissance could be viewed as the birth of love, in place of accepting Venus as a true deity. 

The Birth of Venus represents the personification of love as BYU stipulates:  

This commission reflects the Florentine custom among the wealthy of preparing a chamber for the newly married couple in the family palace of the groom, adorned with art that contained either romantic themes of love or heroines famous for their exemplary virtues. While these paintings reference classical mythology, the scenes do not represent any known story, but instead serve as allegories of the various stages of love. (2009) 

Love can be the birth, intimacy, romance, infidelity, and/or platonic. Love has various stages that can elicit joy or extreme anguish during times of grief. The freedom and happiness eluded by the arrival of Venus is evident by the cool colors and curves utilized in Botticelli's work. The decorative canvas and love centered theme suggest a connection to the Medici family. The Medici family were wealthy patrons and consumers of art. Much of their collection were humanist pieces that were grounded in classic literature allegories. Many of the commissions were inspired by classical novels and poems that expanded an idea beyond the church. Venus is one of many pagan concepts and deities that are often expressed in classical works.

The painting came to life in Florence where art was flourishing during the early renaissance period. Zucker and Harris state, “Florence saw itself as the ideal city state, a place where the freedom of the individual was guaranteed, and where many citizens had the right to participate in the government” (2015). Florence’s freedom during the renaissance period inspired art to challenge boundaries and ground itself in humanism-based practices. The freedom to explore themes beyond Christian theocracy was a product of the government that was in place in Florence. Artincontext documents, "The Birth of Venus was made for home display, possible for the Villa di Castello, which belonged to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici in 1486" (2022). There is not any certified documentation on who the painting was commissioned for. However, the intricacy of the painting paired with the classical theme allude to a Medici family relation of their art consumption.

 The wealthy families that contributed to the art movement have helped birth humanist ideologies that challenged the Christian influence myriad art works have prescribed to. The freedom Venus is given to explore her identity as the archetype for love challenges the position woman were viewed as second to man (in Christian ideologies). On the contrary, using woman as a love symbol still perpetuated the idea that woman’s purpose was to be the embodiment of love and superficial adoration, but not appreciated and revered as an equal. The unique visage of Venus’ authority in The Birth of Venus helps to highlight the degree in which the female body was surveyed as entertainment. In conclusion, Venus is albeit empowering in The Birth of Venus, but serves as an allegorical contrast to the reality where women were still second to men.

References

Artincontext. (2022, February 4). "The birth of venus" botticelli - an analysis of the birth of Venus Painting. Art in Context ORG. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://artincontext.org/the-birth-of-venus-botticelli/

Botticelli, S. (n.d.). The birth of venus by Botticelli: Artworks: Uffizi galleries. The birth of Venus by Botticelli | Artworks | Uffizi Galleries. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus

BYU. (2009). Birth of Venus and Medici Venus. Digitial Collections. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/Civilization/id/730/

Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "Florence in the Early Renaissance," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed October 2, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/florence-in-the-early-renaissance/.

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus," in Smarthistory, December 5, 2015, accessed October 2, 2022, https://smarthistory.org/sandro-botticelli-the-birth-of-venus/.