Gallic Chieftain Killing His Wife and Himself

Gallic Chieftain Killing his Wife and Himself is from the Roman Hellenistic era. It is actually a marble copy of the original bronze, which was made 220 BCE. It's height is a bit larger than life-size, at 6'11". The two people represented here are Gauls, which are a Celtic group of people during this time. The picture is a bit grainy, however, the figures are depicted on a pedestal, not unlike many other Roman sculptures. The detail given to these sculptures is exquisite and allows historians to achieve a great amount of information about it. For example, the hair is not kept well, therefore, historians deduce that they are considered barbarians during their time. While the Chieftain is supporting his wife, the sculpture still makes a person feel pity for the two figures. Also, a person could argue that since the man is supporting the woman, that he is dignified in his act; also, it shows that he really loves her. This special characteristic of Hellenistic art is called expressionism, which is that the artist purposely tries to make the work so that people who view it will feel a certain emotional response. Originally, this work was made with other sculptures that attached to it. However, they are now separated from each other. An example of a sculpture that was a part of the collection was Dying Gallic Trumpeter, which is speculated to have been created by an artist named Epigonos, and was found in Julius Ceasar's garden in Rome. Its qualities are similar to Gallic Chieftain Killing his Wife and Himself because of the artist's success with expressionism. Gallic Chieftain Killing his Wife and Himself is located in the National Museum in Rome, while the Dying Gallic Trumpeter is in the Capitoline Museum, also in Rome. There is no doubt that the artist of these sculptures made them detailed and dramatic in order to cause people to feel a certain way towards them, and really appreciate what the artist has created.



Sources:

Stokstad, Marilyn (2008). Art History: A View of the West. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

The Reader

"The Reader" is a French painting by Jean-Honore Fragonard and is reminiscent of the Rococo period. This painting was completely finished in 1776; it is currently housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. Before he painted this, he studied in Italy and usually painted landscapes, a personal favorite being gardens. An example of this is his painting, "The Swing." However, after he married, he changed his style a bit and began painting children, doing mundane things like reading. He found pleasure and beauty in such simplicity. Personally, I am a huge fan of this painting because of how simple and beautiful it is. The first time I saw it I was volunteering at a senior citizens home, and it captivated me. Moreover, I feel as if he gets the value and colors just right, and it does not clash. For example, the shadows in the face seem extremely realistic to me. Also, the bright yellow of the dress does not clash with the dull pink of the chair, or the dull purplish-pink of the bow in her hair and on the front of the dress. In order to get these colors, he must have had to take great care in mixing them. I would also like to point out the softness of the painting, which is a characteristic of the Rococo style of painting.In addition, the background is void of any content, creating more movement in the figure herself. "The Reader"'s pose is elegant, and she is sitting up straight. Yet, her eyes are not on the painter, but the opposite way, which is not usually custom for a painting, yet makes it a great deal more interesting. It should be noted that Fragonard won an award called the Prix de Rome, which is how he came to study in Italy. It is curious that he won this award because he was not "eligible" for it at the time. Sadly, there is not a huge amount of information on Jean-Honore Fragonard or "The Reader." This is because he was overlooked as an artist of consequence for a substantial period of time. It should be noted that his paintings after he returned from Italy to France had a different style and that he created somewhat of a scandal because of the unacceptable subjects of the painting, at least at that time.



*Note: the information on "The Reader" was widely scattered and difficult to come by. Therefore, I will not be including sources for this article because I did not use any quotes, and because snippets of information came from multiple sources. Also, I will be completing three articles this week, since the past two weeks have been lacking in articles, due to the fact that I have been sick and extremely busy.