The Puzzle of the Classical Era
Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe 1770.
Artist Benjamin West painted The Death of General Wolfe in 1770. This oil painting depicts the death of British General, James Wolfe, during the Battle of Quebec in 1759. Wolfe was shot numerous times and eventually died due to his injuries.
You can see him in the middle of the painting wearing a red uniform, lying down in a fashion similar to Lamentation of Christ paintings. This causes the viewer to see Wolfe as of great importance. We also see the body language of those around him, all of which are believed to be of high status. Captain Hervey Smythe, the man wearing a red suit with brown hair is shown holding his arm during Wolfe's final moments. This painting does a great job at showcasing the tragedy that is Wolfe’s death.
Jacques-Louis David, The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons 1789.
The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons is an oil painting completed by Jacques-Louis David. David worked on this painting for two years until it was completed in 1789.
The inspiration for this painting was a historical event. If you turn your attention to the focal point, the man stretching out his arm, his name was Brutus. Brutus was known as the man who founded the Roman Republic, and this painting depicts the moment when he decided to sentence his sons to death for trying to reestablish the monarchy by overthrowing the republic their father had established. Brutus was applauded for protecting the republic, even at the cost of his children. You can see someone, presumably his son(s) being carried away after their demise. The sadness you can see in everyone's posture, even the man sitting in the front left, is something most classical artists mastered.
John Singleton Copley, The Death of Major Peirson 1783.
The Death of Major Peirson was painted in 1783 by artist John Singleton Copley. This painting portrays the death of Major Peirson in the Battle of Jersey in 1781. The Death of Major Peirson was a commission piece paid for by John Boydell, the Alderman of London. It is very similar to the Death of General Wolfe painting, where the artist used their interpretation to change the feeling and look of the moment in history. Major Peirson died early in the battle, but in this painting, he is depicted dying in the middle of said battle with many to accompany him and showcase a great loss.
Connecting the Pieces
The world saw a lot of war and carnage during the classical era. With the American and French revolutions taking place during the mid-to-late 1700s, there was a shift in artistic themes. The main themes I wanted to spotlight were patriotism and artistic interpretation.
Each piece of art I chose today, and most historical pieces, were made with the artists’ own interpretation. As mentioned before, in The Death of Major Peirson, Peirson did not die like this. He died early in battle when many of his peers were busy fighting. This is the same case for The Death of General Wolfe. Wolfe died during the middle of battle, and though depicted in this painting, there is no evidence any of the peers shown were there at the time. (Most of them were high-ranking officials who would have been elsewhere) But, that doesn't matter. What matters is that they both died and the artists wanted to showcase the feelings of those around them when they found out someone they cared about or depended on was dead. You feel what they felt when you look at these pieces. That is something all three artworks executed wonderfully, alongside many others found within the classical era.
The 1700s were a time of fighting for what was believed to be right. We saw this with both revolutions and within The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons. Brutus sentenced his sons to death because they threatened the Republic he fought for, which he believed his people deserved. The same can be said about the Peirson or Wolfe paintings, both men died fighting a battle they believed would bring a better future. This patriotism portrayed in paint became more important as time continued. More artists were commissioned to do pieces, using their artistic interpretation to paint the scene the buyer wanted. When people feel, they believe. And when they believe, they fight for their beliefs. Patriotism is a strong feeling, one that can influence people to do things they would never do otherwise. It is something that helped fuel the classical art era, among many others.
Bibliography:
“Benjamin West The Death of General Wolfe.” National Gallery of Canada, Accessed July 7, 2024. https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/the-death-of-general-wolfe-0
Zygmont, Bryan. “Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe.” Smart History, Accessed July 7, 2024. https://smarthistory.org/benjamin-wests-the-death-of-general-wolfe/
“The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons.” The Met Museum, Accessed July 6, 2024. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/371418
“Art: Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons.” Annenberg Learner, Accessed July 7, 2024. https://www.learner.org/series/art-through-time-a-global-view/history-and-memory/lictors-returning-to-brutus-the-bodies-of-his-sons/
“The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781.” Age of Revolution, Accessed July 7, 2024.
https://ageofrevolution.org/200-object/the-death-of-major-peirson-6-january-1781/
Hi Mariah!
ReplyDeleteI really love the connection you made between the individual pieces of art and how they all depict the artist's interpretations rather than reality! I’m sure there’s a degree of effort to be historically accurate, but it sounds like the birth of propaganda as we know it in the modern world! It’s interesting to see historical events and figures depicted in contextually accurate but situationally altered images to invoke feelings of heroism and patriotism. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Mariah, the connection of war among the pieces you chose is very strong. It is the intention of portraying these events in this way that makes these paintings stand out. These paintings carry meaning; they tell a story, and the artists tell these stories in a way that, although might not be entirely accurate to the actual events, they are told in a way to invoke a message. As you have stated, the patriotism portrayed in these paintings is very much in the spotlight and is a driving point for how the audience interprets the image. Out of the three paintings you have shown, my favorite is the "The Death of Major Peirson 1783." The sense of urgency in this piece. It's almost as if I can hear the crowd's screams and yells as the smoke starts to engulf the street. It's intense, and that emotion is evident.
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