Formal Analysis Of ‘La Quatorze Juillet’

Abstract

Basic description of the painting

Formal analysis and elucidation

Rudiments and principles that convey form

Conclusion

Surveillance from the oil painting

Formal analysis of ‘La Quatorze Juillet’

A closer look at any piece of art or literary work needs a keen eye that will elucidate conspicuous and salient themes. Hence, the painting titled ‘La Quatorze Juillet’ is predominantly fascinating to have a formal analysis. This oil painting was completed in the year 1892. Its significant is credited to the occasion that was celebrated in June during that epoch. This piece of art ‘La Quatorze Juillet’ was painted by an impressionist artist called Prendergast Maurice Brazil. One particular design that captures the eye meticulously is the monotypic oil technique that Prendergast used. There are captivating facet of form that will evoke an overwhelming “aesthetic emotion” once the keen eye identifies these facets. Briefly, in the foreground women and children are seen. These illustrations are painted indistinctly in dark green hue which caught my eye ardently. Basically the painting employs a lot of hue and silhouette representation of the images thereof.

Formalism theory regarding pieces of art should evoke aesthetic emotion. Tolstoy and Bell argue that aesthetic emotion should be correlated with the “extrinsic and intrinsic features present in art”. Although ‘La Quatorze Juillet’ is made from the oil technique, a worm’s point of view brings forth the astounding texture of the foreground. Starting from the foreground there is a clearly gray path. This is seen by the procession of the women and children on the alleyway. On the right part of the painting, the artist manages to bring out the roughness. The movement of Prendergast’s brush is witnessed by the gray path which is somehow rough and inflexible. This send emotions to my nerves.

In the top left corner there are shapes that are cleverly decorated in effervescent yellow hue. Aesthetic emotions are brought to mind by the spiral way in which the circular forms are repeated. These forms leave behind a path of dark smog that adjusts whenever your eyes budge transversely on the painting. The spherical objects cast an artificial light because of their vibrant hue. The light radiates on the women and children making them visible in the foreground. On top of the women and the children there is a crowd of people who are dyed in a dark green hue. This hue allows the floor to shine by using the faint light. I suppose the artist seldom used real “black” color. This is because the areas of darkness are not conforming to a black hue. Moving to the left part of the piece the semi-circles amazingly diminish towards the middle part. This diminishing ability is perfectly painted in a sloping angle and generally decreasing their size. One extrinsic feature of the semi-circle objects is that they are vibrantly colored. Hence, this facet gives a “three-dimensional aspect” of the venue of the event. Therefore, “harmony and balance of objects” in the painting is nonetheless present.

Prendergast employs different hues that correlate well hence achieving formalism in the painting. He specifically uses yellow color which is responsible for shading desirable amount of light on the images, and silhouettes forming shadows which are short. Hence depicts the time of the event. Aspect of lines and shapes are seen clearly. In addition, this color shows emphasis of the occasion and different guests present. Conspicuously, the clever use of color in presenting the silhouettes mechanically partitions the painting into three segments. That is, the foreground is painted with a shallow brown-gray and textured in vaporous white. The hub part is tinted in an imposing dark-green with a few touches of yellow here and there. The top left locale is vibrant by the way his brush presents the intense yellow hue, with a blue sky which is v-shaped. That is, my eye could not miss how the movement of the artist’s brush nurtures the foreground and background. Complex shapes across the middle parts are brought clearly by lines that are lightly colored and tinted in dark green. The woman on the left part is definitely shown carrying a child by the use of the dark lines on the arms and garb. There are vanishing spiral lines that suggest a movement of the figures in the top left locale.

Images in foreground are well spaced and concerted on the two-thirds part of the painting in the left upper locale. My eye caught the dull space left in the bottom right corner of the piece. This is balanced with brightly colored circular forms in the top right corner. Therefore profound “proportionality” is evident. This painting illicit several aesthetic emotions about the nature of the event captured in this painting. The facets of formalism depict the state and culture of the people at that time. One may argue that the use of visible women and children depicts the position women were given or denied during such merriment. Several disturbing questions come to mind. For example, where are the men? Are they purposely hidden behind the women and far from the light? Does it bring the idea of feminism or male chauvinism? What is the symbolic part of the silhouettes used in the middle part, the bright yellow circular, and spiral moving forms? Could they have chosen by Prendergast to depict how jubilant the event was? Do the deep blue sky, women, and these disturbingly circular forms suggest anything spiritual? These are a few of the mysterious questions that provoked aesthetic emotions that kept me to stare in wonder at such a monotypic oil painting named ‘La Quatorze Juillet’.

Bibliography

Austin, Michael. Reading the world Ideas That Matter. New York: W. W. Norton andCompany, 2010.

Barnet, Sylvan. A short guide to writing about Art. New York: Macmillan, 2007.