Une Loge aux Théâtre des Italiens by Eva Gonzalès (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Une Loge aux Théâtre des Italiens
Source: Web Gallery of Art

French artist Eva Gonzalès was one of the most important female painters of the male-dominated Impressionist movement. Gonzalès was raised among the art and literary circles of Paris, and she began painting at a young age. However, Gonzalès truly entered the art world when she became a student of the great Impressionist painter Édouard Manet. The two had a very close relationship and drew inspiration from each other. The artists died within three days of each other and remained friends until the end.

After studying with Manet, Gonzalès developed a similar style; although, Gonzalès focused on interior scenes that highlight women and favored a more neutral color scheme. Une Loge aux Théâtre des Italiens is probably her most famous painting, and is an excellent example of her style. As the title suggests, the piece depicts a woman and a man in a theatre box. The woman seems to be watching the performance, while the man studies something outside of the frame of the painting. Their background is black, and the composition and theme of the piece are reminiscent of Manet’s masterpiece The Balcony.

What is not included in the painting is very important. Both the man and the woman gaze at things that are invisible to the viewer, rapt in private, unknowable worlds. Like many paintings, Une Loge aux Théâtre des Italiens is about internal lives, but it also has something to say about interpersonal relationships. There is obvious tension between the man and the woman, and a disconnect is evidenced by their relative positions. Gonzalès’ carefully calculated composition subtly tells the viewer about their relationship. The relationship between the viewers and the painted figures is also explored in this painting. The woman in the blue dress almost seems to know that she is being looked at, and the tension between being watched and watching is highly present in the piece.

Though this piece is tame and sedate at first glance, it contains multitudes, and is certainly one of the most compelling and complex pieces in Gonzalès’ oeuvre.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the fish
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta
Read more