Watteaus Fêtes Galantes: Style and Meaning

Watteaus FÃ ªtes Galantes: Style and Meaning Discuss the content and the possible meanings of Watteaus FÃ ªtes Galantes The FÃ ªtes Galantes is derived from a genre of paintings produced in the eighteenth century, depicting aristocratic scenes of mirth and merriment set in the mythical world of Arcadia, where humanity and nature live together in harmony. The reasons behind this deliberate juxtaposition of both the aristocratic everyday and setting it in the mythical world was twofold. First, Antoine Watteau, the chief designer of the genre, wished for his paintings to be recognised by the government appointed Academic Des Beaux Arts, who still ranked scenes of the everyday in a lower class than those depicting biblical, historical or mythological scenes with an educational theme. Secondly, the economics behind painting and commissions were changing. In Watteaus economic world, instead of commissions coming almost exclusively from either the crown or the church, as it did previously, private patrons were also commissioning works, and provided most of the revenue for artists. But they also, whether by accident or deliberately, provoke a whole series of other responses, notable insofar as they are representative of nothing, and exist purely as decorative pieces of art. Indeed the reaction at the time was to place Watteau in a category of his own, as the ambiguity of his representations tended to eschew easy categorization. David R. Marshall suggests that: Watteaus paintings were difficult for contemporaries to classify; today they can be understood in terms of spectators response to the semantic vacuum that they present.[1] So, the genre of FÃ ªtes Galantes tends to subvert traditional ways of reading, introducing ambiguity on the level, insofar that the image takes precedence over what exactly is represented. In a sense the FÃ ªtes Galantes was designed to be ambiguous. Thus, the Fete Galante, especially Watteaus work, becomes extremely difficult to read in a straightforward manner; arguably, his work could be laced with irony, his landscapes invoke an almost impressionist free dom, and his concern with the image over the message signalled that his work reveals meanings that perhaps were intentional, or else purely coincidental and decorative. FÃ ªtes Galantes (1717), is a perfect representation of the style that came to be named after the painting. In the scene, a collection of characters are assembled around a statue of an angel. The background of the image invokes impressionist works, insofar as the trees and the composition of the image seems more in tune with the way light works, rather than the simple telling of a biblical or historical tale, as was the nature of previous work. Indeed, the ambiguity of this work is exactly what makes it compelling. Julie Anne Plax suggests that: Watteau consistently applied coherent strategies of representation aimed at subverting high art.[2] Indeed, this particular piece certainly suggests a deliberate eschewing of the concepts of high art for instance, the statue is a plain, generic statue, depicting an angel. Instead of elevating the divine in the picture, Watteau reduces it to the level of the mundane, as a rather dour looking statue in the corner of the composition. Instead o f this divine element, our eye is drawn to the centre of the piece, where some aristocrats talk and lounge in the sun. The resultant effect is a displacement of our expectations, as the scene of the everyday takes precedence over the historical and mythical connotations of the surroundings. Conversation was an important facet to life for Watteau, and indeed, the congregation of people that appear in FÃ ªtes Galantes certainly encapsulates this theme that remains prevalent in his work. Watteau sought to capture the rhythms of conversation, and indeed, the ambiguity of the piece, and the way it juxtaposes the divine, the everyday, the mythical and the traditional gives the impression that the piece is stuck in a dialogue with itself over what it is supposed to be representing. The conversational theme is prevalent in all of the FÃ ªtes galantes, and it is precisely this, juxtaposition of the high-brow conceptual and representational framework, pasted over the ordinary activities of a few aristocrats that makes the work, in a subtle way, revolutionary. Michalski suggests that: Almost all FÃ ªtes galantes should be interpreted from the viewpoint of the conversational theme. Watteau [] accepted the high status of conversation within society, and he paid homage to it thoug h his artful construction of discursive situations and though the discreet but self-revealing conduct of his figures[3]. Indeed, this glorification of conversation instead of the high historical concepts of modern art could be seen in a number of ways first, as a cynical drive to make money from two differing audiences; first, to satisfy the needs of the Academie and maintain an audience, and second, to actually satirize the concept of high art by smuggling the mundaneness of the everyday into a grand, historical painting. Thus, the work can be seen as an ingenious way of making profit from two increasingly disparate groups of people, or else it could be read as a more subversive work of art seeking to destroy the sanctity of representative art from within. This ambiguity and decorousness of the art is precisely what makes the work both fascinating and prescient to an audience that would later treat a work of art as a means to represent the artists unique vision, rather than a self less depiction of biblical or narrative events. Therefore, the work could be read as anticipating the impressionists and modernist art. Indeed, this is one particular reading of the piece. The decorative aspects of FÃ ªtes Galantes certainly can be read as a prototype for the modernist art obsessed by surface representation and secularism that was to come. Overall, the genre of the FÃ ªtes Galantes was important insofar as, despite its position as a distinctly commercial genre, artists such as Watteau, arguably satirized the academy by introducing the authority of the artist into these works. Juxtaposing the everyday with the mythical setting of Arcadia, Watteau appealed to both the French Royal establishment, and also the private aristocratic patrons that wished to see themselves in paint, conversing and doing everyday things in the countryside. Thus, the piece itself exists as a decorative piece, unencumbered by the traditional trappings of biblical narrative and / or morally stimulating works from mythology or history. And, by pushing to the forefront the purely decorative, in many ways secularising high art, Watteau brought to the forefront notions about the relationship between the artist and his art, as well as being a forerunner for movements such as Impressionism and Modernism, that would revolutionize the relationship between artist and art, and also mutate the representational powers of painting from an objective depiction, to an obsession with the various forms and the subtleties of seeing objects differently. Overall, Fete Galante is open to a whole series of different meanings and readings, but perhaps it is precisely this sense of ambiguity, this mismatch of certain tenets of classical, traditional high art, and the emergent vocabulary of low art that causes the image itself to be considered over the specificities of what or who it represents. Bibliography Cowart, G., Watteaus Pilgrimage to Cythera and the Subversive Utopia of the Opera-Ballet, from The Art Bulletin, Sept 2001 Marshall, D. R., Watteau and Eighteenth Century Art Michalski, S., Watteaus Painted Conversations from The Art Bulletin, Dec 1994 Plax, J. A., Watteau and the Cultural Politics of Eighteenth Century France, University of Arizona Press, Arizona, 2000 Footnotes [1]David R. Marshall, Watteau and Eighteenth Century Art [2]Julie Anne Plax, Watteau and the Cultural Politics of Eighteenth Century France, University of Arizona Press, Arizona: 2000, p. 24 [3]Sergiusz Michalski, Watteaus Painted Conversations, from The Art Bulletin, Dec 1994, p. 2

A Comparison of the Influential Role of the Chorus in Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea

A comparison of the influential role of the chorus in Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea It has been said by Napoleon Hill, â€Å"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another†. This has been put to use in the plays Antigone by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides. The chorus which was an integral part of ancient Greek drama was used in the dramas to play an influential role. However, the group they mainly influenced contrasted and thus will be explored in the essay. The chorus in Antigone is composed of Theban men who were summoned by the newly crowned king Creon. Its interaction was mainly with Creon. Sophocles has shown a relation between the chorus and Creon, both being old and wise men of Thebes. They are introduced rejoicing the victory of Thebes over Argos. As the play develops they get actively involved commenting on every action and decision of the main actors. Its support wavers from Creon to Antigone during the course of the play. The women of Corinth formed the chorus in Eurpides Medea. They chiefly served as a commentator to the play. Euripides has shown a relation between the chorus and the character they interact the most, Medea, as both belonged to the group of women living in the male-dominated society. The involvement of chorus has been minimized after Medea asks them not to interfere in her action of revenge towards Jason. The chorus feeling sympathetic towards Medea gives her their consent on the future happenings in the play, â€Å"I will. You are right to take revenge on your husband. † Being women and able to understand Medea’s miseries, the chorus was moved to such an extent that they supported Medea, a foreigner to their land in killing the daughter of their ruler. This shows them primarily as women before good subject of Creon. Both Sophocles and Euripides have used the chorus to influence the audience. They have conveyed emotions the writer wants the audience to feel for the proceedings of the play. The chorus has also been used to influence the minds of the actors. The chorus in Antigone has little role in influencing the emotions of the audience. They enter the play and introduce Creon to the audience also creating a doubt in the mind of the viewers of his immediate plans which made him call the old Theban men. The chorus is also given the responsibility of informing the viewers of the status of Ismene over her sister being caught denying the law. They introduce Ismene as, â€Å"Here comes Ismene from the palace, Shedding a fond sister’s tears. Her face is flushed† This is different from what was observed in the opening scene where Ismene besides refusing to help Antigone with the burial also warned her of the consequences of her act leading to Antigone telling her, â€Å"you will earn my hatred† . While Creon and Haemon are fighting over Creon’s decision of executing Antigone, Haemon’s fiancee, the chorus justifies both their points for the audience. The play ends with chorus’ last words with the message the writer has tried to convey through the drama. The chorus takes its responsibility of burying the dead while propagating the importance of wisdom. They also criticize Creon’s pride and arrogance associating with Zeus’ hatred towards ‘boasts of a proud tongue’ . The chorus in Medea in the first scene provokes the feeling of sympathy towards Medea from the audience when they say, â€Å"I don’t like the family suffering. I sympathise with them. † This conveys the thought to the audience that the society is sympathetic towards Medea thus she indeed has been done great wrong by Jason. Further in the play when Creon banishes Medea and her sons from the kingdom and gives them only one day in Corinth, the chorus enlightens the audience of the troubles she faces after being banished from the land which gave her refuge. This increases the sense of sympathy from the audience towards Medea. The chorus emphasizes, â€Å"What an impassable sea of troubles, Medea, God has launched on you! Later in the play when Medea confides about her plan of killing Jason’s new wife, the chorus accepts her decision and supports her completely in taking her revenge. But when Medea tells them that she is also planning to kill her sons to punish Jason, the Chorus reacts in a way the audience should have as only it, the chorus and the audience know about her plans, â€Å"Since you have confided this to us†¦ We want to help you, but we can’t reject The laws of human life. We say, Don’t do this! † The chorus also shows curiosity when Medea goes inside her house to kill her sons. The same feeling would have developed among the audience to know whether she is actually committing the sin. The chorus in Antigone also plays the major role of influencing the decisions of Creon and making Antigone realize her mistake. After listening to the sentry about the burial of Polyneices, the chorus, superstitious in nature proclaim suggest Creon, â€Å"Lord, all this time my thoughts have been saying that this might be the work of the gods† This was the first attempt of the chorus to influence Creon to take back his decision of not giving Polyneices a respectful burial. However, this was only responded with anger by Creon who warned the chorus that they might prove it insane and senile as the Gods will not give an honorable burial to the person who came to burn their temples and pillars. Creon had decided to prosecute Ismene along with Antigone; they was then the chorus who questioned him about Ismene who was not involved in the burial leading to a change in mind and Ismene being set free. The chorus and Antigone have a long conversation after Antigone is declared to be hanged. The chorus informs her that she departs from the world with a glorious death. When Antigone compares herself to the Gods, the chorus informs her that she has not resembled the goddess Niobe in her life but they is honorable for her to die like gods. The chorus press on her that she is at fault as she defied the royal orders and make Antigone reflect on the curse on her family regarding marriages. First, her mother married her son, followed by her death just before her marriage. The prophecy by Teiresias leaves a doubt in Creon’s mind and they are the chorus who give her the advice to â€Å"Go and free the girl from her cell of rock, and set up a tomb for him who lies unburied. Creon takes this advice and he rushes to the place of Antigone’s assassination. Hence, a strong influence of the Theban men can be seen on the main characters of the play Antigone. The influence of the chorus in Medea over the characters is negligible as the women only serve as commentators over every action and decision. The chorus attempts to influence Medea not to kill her sons when she confides her plan to them. However, Medea turns down their advice without much consideration. This shows the negligible impact of the chorus on the character. Both the plays were written in ancient Greek times when the society was dominated by men. As the chorus of Antigone consisted of men, they had an active role in the play, their advice was sought, their opinions were heard and they were respected. On the other hand, the chorus of Medea consisting women played a passive role talking to itself and the audience most of the times. Their interruptions in conversations were ignored by the other characters. They also portrays the feministic views of Euripides. They sympathized with Medea and supported her in her decision to avenge Jason for betraying her. They condemned men, who are unfaithful to the wives, a thought common in most women. Therefore, while in Antigone, the chorus has a major influence on the actors, the chorus of Medea mainly influences the audience. Sources referred http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/greekliterature/a/GreekTheater_4. htm http://www. sparknotes. com/drama/antigone/characters. html http://www. shmoop. com/medea/themes. html http://www. shmoop. com/antigone-sophocles/themes. html

What You Dont Know About Counter Argument Essay Topics May Shock You

What You Don't Know About Counter Argument Essay Topics May Shock You Presenting a counter argument offers you a chance to react to criticism in your essay. When you are requested to decide on a great topic for your argument, start with something you're acquainted with. In practice I. Introduction there's some compelling reason specific to the specific argument being made, it doesn't make sense to place the counter-argument in the center of the case for the thesis. Writing a superb counter argument can be an incredibly important element in your argumentative paper to create your own argument stronger. When it has to do with writing an argumentative essay, the main point to do is to select a topic and an argument which you can really get behind. Just be sure that it is something which you require, not just something that you want in the brief term. Let's look at the subject of helicopter parenting. Everything looks uncertain. There are lots of aspects about a sport that may be argued in an essay. You don't need to acquire super technical with legal argumentative essays, but make sure you do your homework on what the recent laws about your favorite topic actually say. You can place a counterargument before the thesis statement to demonstrate the presence of a different perspective toward the problem. A counterargument is something to be thought about against the thesis or an area of the reason supporting the thesis. Inspiration to make your own advertising or media argumentative essay topics isn't difficult to discover. You may continue to keep your argumentative essays for your upcoming job portfolio in case they're highly graded. The majority of the time interviews aren't followed by a work offer. Advertising and the media are now nearly inseparable from society for a whole. You probably wouldn't wish to do so, which means that your argument is going to be that spending almost all of your time indoors playing video games is far better than playing outdoors. Now, there are a few rules that you should follow to earn a great counter-argument. The thought that suicide is more prevalent during Christmas is a typical misconception. You are able to approach a large number of people simultaneously. In fact, life is considerably more complex than we can ever aspire to figure out. After all, a kid enjoys every minute with their family members. Anger is similar to picking up a hot coal with the purpose of throwing at somebody else. Intuitive vision involves a larger picture, it features the emotional and passion-factor of the vision. Things You Should Know About Counter Argument Essay Topics You might be quite acquainted with racism but still not understand what causes it. Unfortunately society is reluctant to allow them of the legal method or the chance to achieve that. 1 response would be to muster facts to demonstrate that racism is still an issue. One of the greatest strategies to change anybody's mind is with an emotional investment. Instead, speak to a mother who decided to deliver her child without medical intervention. The issue is that everybody's interpretation of what makes a great society differs. The majority of life's problems aren't solved easily or automatically. Modifying the worth of start, end, or step doesn't influence the iteration values which were determined while the loop was initially entered. Perhaps one out of every four people you date a few times will appear to you to be this intriguing and so much fun, you start to think the both of you may have a long-term relationship. To speak of counterarguments isn't to assume there are just two sides to a given issue nor that there is simply one sort of counterargument. If you're anything like me, you'd prefer not to need to handle the angry individual. There are a lot of people who fit, but they're a tiny minority of all of the people out there. With respect to example, a person might possibly contemplate utilising green printer ink, which generally appears to help feel. You start off knowing a good deal about the other individual.

Tissue Engineering Research - 1371 Words

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