Classical Era

 Welcome to my virtual exhibit on Art and Scientific Discovery in the 1700’s

  

The Landing at Tanna, One of the New Hebrides

Painted 1775-1776 London, England, Oil on Canvas.

Artist is Willam Hodges

I selected this piece of Captain Cook because I love the artwork in the Captain Cook hotel in Anchorage.  There are several original pieces in the hotel of Captain Cook, his ships and his voyages. 

I also went to Oahu, Hawaii this month and this piece reminded me of that location.  While in Hawaii I found myself wondering what the Hawaiians looked like hundreds of years ago.  In this era, this piece of art was created because of the discovery of new places and people that were discovered.  The world Europeans knew was growing and this piece reflects that discovery.

I not only like the subject matter but love the idea that the artist William Hodges created works to show others what these places and people looked like.  It must have been very exciting when these explorers came back with their stories, sketches and paintings.  They showed the people in Europe places they didn’t even know existed. Seeing flowers, trees, animals, people and land that they had never seen before.  We take for granted being able to see the world without leaving our homes.  It must have been the talk of Europe when these explorers came home.  This makes this piece fit into art and scientific discovery.

I can’t paint a good palm tree and had a few ideas for brushes to use based on the trees in this painting.  The background of the painting reminds me of old movies about pirates and ocean voyages.  The details of the natives and the differences in skin tones to that of the European sailors is distinct.  I can imagine Europeans of the time being shocked at how scantily dressed the natives are.  I like that the water behind the boat that Cook is in has a glassy look to it.  The riggings on the ship, sailors and trees all seem to be highlighted from the left, giving me the impression that the sun is coming from that direction.  The natives to the left are darker in the shade, the bottom of the boat that Cook is in and the right side of the painting all are a bit darker.  This placement of the dark on the left, middle and right created balance.  There is also a triangle of light in the center cloud, a left wave coming up on the beach and the white crowding behind Cook's boat on the right.  Even though the natives are all the same color the natives in the sun are more colorful while the natives on the right in the shade are darker.  I really like the white lines in the water that create movement coming to shore and around the boat.  I learned how to do this in an art class and now it always stands out to me in other paintings.  This piece speaks a thousand words.  It’s a moment in history that captures for others the island and people that Cook encountered. 

Ancient Rome

Painted 1757 Rome, Italy. oil-on-canvas 

Artist Giovanni Paolo Panini

I am obsessed with this piece.  To me, this piece is telling the human story of the love of history and art.  The pastel colors highlight the wealth of discovery in this painting.  

Artifacts are crammed onto every shelf.  The sheer number of paintings of ancient architecture in this painting brings to me the excitement of people of that time to learn all they could about these times gone by.  There are 3 versions of Ancient Rome and one of them is located at the Louvre.  Oh my, I can’t even imagine seeing this on my trip to France in August.  Imagine seeing something like this that was talked about in an online art class in Alaska.  The Louvre is so big I wonder if I could find it.  Seeing one of them in person is definitely on my bucket list.  The darker colors are on the paintings toward the front of the room showing depth with the lighter paintings in the background.  The people in the room are so small and give the room a huge look.  The fabric draped across the top of the room has a thickness and heavy look to it like drapes.  A very heavy type of  fabric that the weight pulls out the wrinkles.  The light seems to be coming from the left.  I imagine from the room there being large windows just out of the view of the painting.  At the back of the archway there are also windows.  That lighter area balances the paintings light and dark areas.  Exploring new sites or exploring ancient sites there was discovery and learning to be had and a wealth of knowledge to obtain.  The emotions I feel when I see this is love. A love for art and history. This painting depicts ancient architecture and artifacts. It is scientific discovery to hypothesis what happened based on artifacts. It is a puzzle to out everything together to answer questions about our past and this was being done in the 1700’s.

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

Painted 1768,  Liverpool, England, oil-on-canvas

Artist is Joseph Wright

This is the first painting I have seen that depicts an actual experiment.  This candle lit painting is beautiful.  The faces are so clear.  It’s really cool to see what the scientific process looked like back then.  These paintings are not just art, they are a history lesson.  These people could be on a different planet; their lives are so different from mine.  

This painting relates to the topic perfectly.  The people in the painting are watching an experiment of a vacuum pump.  It shows the concern of a couple of the people over the bird being deprived of air.  A couple is looking at each other as if to say “what do you think is going to happen?”  This is an amazing picture that shows the people that created the life and comforts I have today. 

I like the way the candle light is coming from under people's faces.  The only other light is from the moon outside the window. The painting of the women’s clothes are done with more highlights to create softer fabric.  The texture of the men’s clothes are less detailed, with depths of wrinkles and highlights.  I love when a painting shows glass and this one doesn’t disappoint.  The glass dome looks so delicate.  The layering of people and items is interesting to me.  It seems to be done with different shades in the things being depicted.  

In case there is Extra Credit- I had started to write about the painting below and realized after that it wasn’t painted in the 1700’s.  It was actually my favorite painting out of all of them because I get to go to Pompeii in August.  

painting).

The Last Day of Pompeii

Painted 1830-1833 Oil on Canvas in Rome, Italy.

Artist is Karl Bryullov 

Pompeii was such an amazing discovery and it is amazing to see Bryullov’s depiction of the last days of this city. Can you imagine someone discovering something as big as Pompeii today? Everyone must have been talking about it. The is brightness on this painting is not just coming from one direction. There is a distinct line of lava coming off of Mount Vesuvius. The brightest spot being the top of Mount Vesuvius.  Most people including myself have never seen a volcanic eruption, yet this artist knew that there would be lightning due to atmospheric pressure changing.  I liked the way the artist captured the ash falling.  There are larger clumps and lots of dark color streaking to produce the movement of the ash.  

The main thing I really liked about this painting was that the title really fit the painting.  The painting shows many things that would still happen today in this type of disaster.  There are poorer and wealthier people depicted, babies, children, adults and elderly, horses and farm animals. The painting shows things that would have happened that day, people attacking each other, people helping each other, dead people, people trying to flee, people who had their possessions and people that are dead next to their possessions.  The faces are very life-like.  I like the way the lightning is scratched into the canvas.  The tearing up from fear in one woman’s eyes.  A mother holding her daughters as she looks up at the eruption, The last goodbyes between a young man and an elderly woman.  I imagine him pleading with her to run somewhere with him.  This work makes me feel fear and sadness. I know the outcome.

“Ancient Rome (Painting).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome_(painting).

 

Derby', Joseph Wright 'of. “Joseph Wright 'of Derby', an Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.” Joseph Wright 'of Derby' | An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump | NG725 | National Gallery, London, 1 Jan. 1768,

 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-wright-of-derby-an-experiment-on-a-bird-in-the-air-pump.

“The Landing at Tanna (Tana), One of the New Hebrides.” The Landing at Tanna (Tana), One of the New Hebrides | Art UK, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-landing-at-tanna-tana-one-of-the-new-hebrides-174744.

“The Last Day of Pompeii.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Aug. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Day_of_Pompeii. 

Metmuseum.org, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437244.

“Ancient Rome (Painting).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome_(