Art/Evaluation of Paintings
"Mill on a River," is indicative of this thesis. Men loading smallboats alongside the river occupy the foreground. Behind the men trees riseup to dominant the middle ground while the mill itself and the sky aboveare splashed in the golden light of dusk. Lorrain was known as an artist The works examined for this paper carry within them a common theme.In both, humans are rendered small, insignificant entities in contrast towho exemplified the ideal-landscape art form, one that seeks to present aview of nature more beautiful and harmonious than nature itself. Thequality of that beauty is governed by classical concepts, and the landscapeoften contains classical ruins and pastoral figures in classical dress. Joachim yon Sandraft, a contemporary of Lorrain's once noted that,"...he on the other hand only painted, on a smaller scale, the view from themiddle to the greatest distance, facing away towards the horizon and thesky, a type to which he was a master," (Merrill 9) Sandraft's descriptionof Lorrain's work is evident in "Mill on a River." The ideal-landscapesought to portray and idealized version of nature, and man's relationship
org/wm/paint/auth/lorrain/) and "PortScene with the Embarkation of St Ursula" 1641(http://www. (Sullivan 12) "The Fog Warning" uses strong geometric patterns to enhance the menaceof the scene. What is striking about his work is his mastery of the use of sunlight. For Lorrain, and others who painted in the ideal landscape tradition,the goal was not to accurately portray landscape but rather take elementsfrom various locations in order to coordinate a composition of a harmoniousideal. The fisherman is alone, apparently unseen by the passing schooner in thedistance, rowing into the wind, angry waves buffeting his boat. Many of his painting's compositions make use of the quality of light fromeither the dawn or dusk. The waves are angular with sharp peaks at their tops. In the background the fog is approaching, and the fog appears to reachingout with menacing fingers as can be scene on the upper right hand side ofthe picture. " Attimes, his work was derided as merely illustrational, in part because ofhis background in the field. Ursula," and "Seaport" to emphasize the and draw the eye towards thevastness of the sky, and in nature itself. Alonein a small dory the fisherman rows towards some unknown point, his boatweighed down by his catch. Themast of a boat in the distance is triangular, rather then billowing.
Common topics in this essay:
Fog Warning,
Mill River,
St Ursula,
Ursula Seaport,
Mount Helicon,
mill river,
relationship nature,
relationship nature lorrain's,
scene embarkation st,
Port Scene,
Embarkation St,
Scene Embarkation,
embarkation st ursula,
st ursula,
middle ground,
man's relationship,
port scene,
port scene embarkation,
background fog,
man's relationship nature,
view nature,
embarkation st,
fog warning,
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Acceptance Essays
