A Subject from the Runic Superstitions … by J. M. W. Turner (Interpretation and Analysis)

-

A Subject from the Runic Superstitions …
Source: The Tate

As Halloween approaches, I want to share one of the darkest and most mysterious paintings out there: A Subject from the Runic Superstitions.

​​The piece was created by J. M. W. Turner, who is quite possibly the most famous British artist of the modern age (maybe the most famous British painter ever.) Turner is famous for his unique and energetic style. Today, he is known for his imaginative and expressive masterpieces.

A Subject from the Runic Superstitions dates from relatively early in Turner’s career. The piece depicts a strange and difficult to decipher scene. A shadowy figure sits on a hillside gesturing towards a mysterious light surrounded by faint, ghostly figures. The night sky stretches out above, illuminated by a bright moon. Other details are hard to make out; only the outlines of trees and the indistinct shapes of snakes writhing on the ground are visible. The exact meaning of this painting is unclear. There is no clear story or message behind the piece.

That being said, according to my research, a few years later Turner created a similar watercolor titled Rispah. The piece depicts an Old Testament story in which Saul’s concubine Rizpah protected the decaying bodies of her sons from nocturnal predators after their deaths.

Rispah
Source: The Tate

Although A Subject from the Runic Superstitions doesn’t explicitly have anything to do with this biblical story, the two pieces do share a sinister and mysterious atmosphere. According to my research, contemporary viewers related A Subject from the Runic Superstitions to runic or Norse traditions. However, I think it makes more sense to view the piece as a representation of superstition more generally. Here, we see something supernatural and bizarre emerging from the night.

It is this atmosphere of unearthly dread that makes the painting interesting (and a good candidate for spooky, October art). Turner himself was deeply interested in the idea of atmosphere. He used a loose painterly style and a unique color palette to capture the extremes and variety of the natural world. His style is fluid; his use of paint and brushstrokes created a light almost ephemeral effect. As a result, A Subject from the Runic Superstitions is both fantastic and puzzling, a peculiar and unique work 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

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

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