1) Oil on wood, “After the Duel” by Eugene Isabey (1875)
“After the Duel” with its clear nostalgia for the bygone past of chivalrous virtues of the Ancien Regime, carries with each brushstroke the same atmosphere of every page in a murder mystery novel. The dreary colours of the grey bricks, the flickering red lantern coating the wall behind in blood red, the faceless widow and children, and the hazy capture of the escaping murderer.
After seeing this painting first, I did my tour of the Romanticism collection and ending it back on the same painting. After having already seen it and read the first half of its corresponding informative plaque, I thought I had seen all the painting had to offer. I was wrong as on my first viewing I didn’t notice two things of interest, the statue of the virgin Mary illuminated by the blood toned lantern and the murderer escaping in a Bigfoot like manner up the staircase.
A painting that I would compare Eugene Isabey’s “After the Duel” is Joseph Mallord William Turner’s “Snowstorm: Steamboat off a Harbour’s Mouth” from 1842. They both use arguably dreary colours for the majority of their respective paintings while still managing to covey a story that evokes a plethora of emotions. However, while Isabey’s evokes sadness and loss with its depiction of a grieving family, Turner’s evokes excitement and fear with its representation of a man’s view from the mast of a ship during a storm.
“After the Duel” with its clear nostalgia for the bygone past of chivalrous virtues of the Ancien Regime, carries with each brushstroke the same atmosphere of every page in a murder mystery novel. The dreary colours of the grey bricks, the flickering red lantern coating the wall behind in blood red, the faceless widow and children, and the hazy capture of the escaping murderer.
After seeing this painting first, I did my tour of the Romanticism collection and ending it back on the same painting. After having already seen it and read the first half of its corresponding informative plaque, I thought I had seen all the painting had to offer. I was wrong as on my first viewing I didn’t notice two things of interest, the statue of the virgin Mary illuminated by the blood toned lantern and the murderer escaping in a Bigfoot like manner up the staircase.
A painting that I would compare Eugene Isabey’s “After the Duel” is Joseph Mallord William Turner’s “Snowstorm: Steamboat off a Harbour’s Mouth” from 1842. They both use arguably dreary colours for the majority of their respective paintings while still managing to covey a story that evokes a plethora of emotions. However, while Isabey’s evokes sadness and loss with its depiction of a grieving family, Turner’s evokes excitement and fear with its representation of a man’s view from the mast of a ship during a storm.
2) Oil on canvas, “Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo” by Alberto Pasini (1880-1890)
“Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo” clearly inspired by Alberto Pasini’s trips in the east, has a pleasant mix of saturated blues and reds and the vibrant colours of furnished bark (mahogany and dark oak).
Antoine-Jean Gros’ “Napoleon Visiting the Plague Victims at Jaffa” from 1804 shares more than a handful of similarities with Alberto Pasini’s “Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo”. The use of saturated reds in the arch ways to convey aged city walls as well as the use of more vibrant colours in the clothing of the people to help give them a story of their own are two techniques both use. In terms of a contrast between the two their choice of moments in time to depict could not be more far apart. “Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo” depicts the day to day life of a bustling market hidden beneath the shadows, while “Napoleon Visiting the Plague Victims at Jaffa” depicts a specific moment in time.
“Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo” clearly inspired by Alberto Pasini’s trips in the east, has a pleasant mix of saturated blues and reds and the vibrant colours of furnished bark (mahogany and dark oak).
Antoine-Jean Gros’ “Napoleon Visiting the Plague Victims at Jaffa” from 1804 shares more than a handful of similarities with Alberto Pasini’s “Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo”. The use of saturated reds in the arch ways to convey aged city walls as well as the use of more vibrant colours in the clothing of the people to help give them a story of their own are two techniques both use. In terms of a contrast between the two their choice of moments in time to depict could not be more far apart. “Entrance to the Bazaar, Cairo” depicts the day to day life of a bustling market hidden beneath the shadows, while “Napoleon Visiting the Plague Victims at Jaffa” depicts a specific moment in time.
3) Oil on canvas, “The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” by Eugene Isabey (1836)
“The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” is my personal favourite of the entire Romanticism collection of the museum for two primary reasons, one it’s unlike any other painting from the Romanticism era I have ever seen and secondly the technique to paint the clouds as well as their reflections is something truly remarkable.
A painting you could compare Eugene Isabey’s “The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” is John Constabel’s “Wivenhoe Park, Essex” from 1816. The the technique to create thick fluffy clouds that make you almost feel the breeze they are carried on and the choice to have a spotlight of natural light shining onto the main focus are the two primary similarities. The differences between the two are fairly obvious; while Eugene Isabey depicts the final pages of a marine’s life, John Constabel depicts the stangnet and pastoral life of a park. The techniques used for reflection on water are also very different, “The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” has near perfect copy of the sky above as if the fired cannon caused no disturbance in the water and “Wivenhoe Park, Essex” has a reflection that's been distorted by all kinds of movement in the water from the Swans and the travelling winds.
“The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” is my personal favourite of the entire Romanticism collection of the museum for two primary reasons, one it’s unlike any other painting from the Romanticism era I have ever seen and secondly the technique to paint the clouds as well as their reflections is something truly remarkable.
A painting you could compare Eugene Isabey’s “The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” is John Constabel’s “Wivenhoe Park, Essex” from 1816. The the technique to create thick fluffy clouds that make you almost feel the breeze they are carried on and the choice to have a spotlight of natural light shining onto the main focus are the two primary similarities. The differences between the two are fairly obvious; while Eugene Isabey depicts the final pages of a marine’s life, John Constabel depicts the stangnet and pastoral life of a park. The techniques used for reflection on water are also very different, “The Burial at Sea of a Marine Officer Serving under Louis XVI” has near perfect copy of the sky above as if the fired cannon caused no disturbance in the water and “Wivenhoe Park, Essex” has a reflection that's been distorted by all kinds of movement in the water from the Swans and the travelling winds.
4) Oil on canvas, “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” by John Mac Whirter (1876)
“The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” is my second favourite for its different choice of subject (rather than focusing on a grassy knoll he chose to represent the structure beneath) and for its strange three-dimensional plane created by the winding roots of the surrounding mountains. Possibly because of the roundness of the lens on my phone, the photo I took created an emphasis on the three dimensionality of the central mountain soon to be covered by raging winds.
A comparable painting to “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” is Frederic Edwin Church’s “Niagara” from 1857. Both have this sense of never ending movement with “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” having the movement of rolling clouds and “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” having the movement of falling water, and both feature zero humans (perfect examples of the shift in subject with the entrance of Romanticism). The three-dimensionality I get with “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” is however not to be seen in “Niagara”.
“The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” is my second favourite for its different choice of subject (rather than focusing on a grassy knoll he chose to represent the structure beneath) and for its strange three-dimensional plane created by the winding roots of the surrounding mountains. Possibly because of the roundness of the lens on my phone, the photo I took created an emphasis on the three dimensionality of the central mountain soon to be covered by raging winds.
A comparable painting to “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” is Frederic Edwin Church’s “Niagara” from 1857. Both have this sense of never ending movement with “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” having the movement of rolling clouds and “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” having the movement of falling water, and both feature zero humans (perfect examples of the shift in subject with the entrance of Romanticism). The three-dimensionality I get with “The Valley of Slaughter, Skye” is however not to be seen in “Niagara”.
5) Oil on canvas, “Landscape (with Sea)” by Georges Michel (1820-1830)
“Landscape (with Sea)”, with both its title and depiction, in my opinion is a perfect example of the shift in subject of painters of the time.
The shift in subject brought by the era of Romanticism can also be seen in J.M.W Turner’s “Interior of Tintern Abbey” from 1794. Both “Landscape (with Sea)” and “Interior of Tintern Abbey” have their focus on the landscape and not the people around them The difference between the two is that while Georges Michel depicts solely the beauty of mother nature in her natural environment, Turner depicts mother nature’s reclamation of a man made structure (the abbey itself).
“Landscape (with Sea)”, with both its title and depiction, in my opinion is a perfect example of the shift in subject of painters of the time.
The shift in subject brought by the era of Romanticism can also be seen in J.M.W Turner’s “Interior of Tintern Abbey” from 1794. Both “Landscape (with Sea)” and “Interior of Tintern Abbey” have their focus on the landscape and not the people around them The difference between the two is that while Georges Michel depicts solely the beauty of mother nature in her natural environment, Turner depicts mother nature’s reclamation of a man made structure (the abbey itself).