Antigone by Marie Spartali Stillman (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Antigone

The artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement are often known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. However, in actuality, female artists and writers were essential to the success of the movement. While many people know about the contributions that female writers such as Christina Rossetti made to the movement, the work of female painters is less well-known, it is equally important.

Marie Spartali Stillman was one of the most productive artists of the movement. Born in England, Stillman was the descendent of a Greek family. She began her artistic career as a model for members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood but quickly became an artist in her own right. Like other Pre-Raphaelite artists, Stillman was inspired by Medieval and mythological subjects. Her style was meticulous and detail oriented, with special emphasis on the beauty of the natural world.

Antigone is one of her finest paintings. The piece depicts a scene from the Greek tragedy Antigone. Here, we see the heroine—Antigone herself—mourning her brother Polynices, who lies dead on a windswept rock in a barren landscape. In the play, King Creon of Thebes decrees that Polynices is not to be buried or even mourned; yet, Antigone, knowing that this violates the laws of the gods, chooses to defy this order. Here, Stillman paints Antigone mourning her brother in company with another woman (either a maid or her sister, Ismene). Polynices’ body is pecked at by crows while Antigone raises a hand to brush the birds away. Emotion is painted into each brushstroke.

It is a moving, yet distressing scene, conveying Antigone’s deep despair and pain. This emotional reality and vulnerability creates a memorable and beautiful piece of art.

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