In eighteenth-century colonial America, flowers and fruit were typically the
( I* [$ Z9 [) n- Bprovince of the botanical artist interested in scientific illustration rather than being - h. ^5 x( H" `$ M! W" ?* T( c
the subjects of fine art. Early in the nineteenth century, however, the Peale family of
& e. ]. Z5 h. ^6 g; PPhiladelphia established the still life, a picture consisting mainly of inanimate ' w) l' l2 s; e; |! ~0 k: F
(5) objects, as a valuable part of the artist's repertoire. The fruit paintings by James and
1 C& B( z# a9 oSarah Miriam Peale are simple arrangements of a few objects, handsomely colored, ' Z; j3 R: M# O* I& q( W) M
small in size, and representing little more than what they are. In contrast were the & }/ |# B0 ^0 N' I, Z& ]# A& A. C
highly symbolic, complex compositions by Charles Bird King, with their biting + ?% H" z/ y; l% ?& B6 n& b$ }
satire and critical social commentary. Each of these strains comminuted into and ( @8 u2 @& X0 z- l! m
(10) well past mid-century. 8 |7 A6 |9 n8 b2 M0 Q! p
John F. Francis (1808-86) was a part of the Pennsylvania still-life tradition that
( k% o9 a) X, `$ N9 L! xarose, at least in part, from the work of the Peales. Most of his still lifes date from
0 r( k+ t+ ~8 q. qaround 1850 to 1875. Luncheon Still Life looks like one of the Peales' pieces on a 8 \4 H/ x: |9 C' a0 }3 } z' v. w
larger scale, kits greater complexity resulting from the number of objects. It is also
1 l, [3 S2 H$ ?7 V6 M! P+ |(15) indebted to the luncheon type of still life found in seventeenth-century Dutch . D) G: d& T, _. x' i7 F9 z2 l
painting. The opened bottles of wine and the glasses of wine partially consumed 9 b2 d0 b" ]0 S% S' x& @
suggest a number of unseen guests. The appeal of the fruit and nuts to our sense of
% l& G8 t' Z) ]) G/ y: T5 Ktaste is heightened by the juicy orange, which has already been sliced. The
5 ^$ h- B) v: U' D" Earrangement is additive, that is, made up of many different parts, not always 2 i2 k& W2 Y! }* ?) j4 d6 u
(20) compositionally integrated, with all objects of essentially equal importance.
/ ~9 V, |1 A6 [, I; E* }About 1848, Severin Roesen came to the United States from Germany and
4 o8 w6 r3 `$ ~settled in New York City, where he began to paint large, lush still lifes of flowers, : W H& i: E& e+ W+ Y/ M2 p
fruit, or both, often measuring over four feet across. Still Life with Fruit and * t( l- O, }4 q1 W% M
Champagne is typical in its brilliance of color, meticulous rendering of detail, 7 Y3 b7 M+ q& k" E
(25) compact composition, and unabashed abundance. Rich in symbolic overtones, the 4 x3 _6 @- `8 G+ Y! l
beautifully painted objects carry additional meanings------butterflies or fallen buds ( M% N! D5 j8 d+ }1 X6 o
suggest the impermanence of life, a bird's nest with eggs means fertility, and so on. 9 _/ C1 d: |1 h! h `
Above all, Roesen's art expresses the abundance that America symbolized to many of its citizens. |
发表于 2012-8-14 22:34:35
楼主