The painting is of the northern lights, the Aurora Borealis. Church's use of typical romantic style draws the eye towards the center of the piece. He does this by using all of the different colors of the lights to form a dome shape over the water. The soft tone of the center of piece can be calming but the intensity of the lights around the dome and reflected on the water make this painting very emotional and surprising. Another romantic theme that is addressed in this painting is the overlying idea that nature is scary and can change directions on you at any moment. The ship in the water towards the bottom left is a symbol for humans and their place in nature. The ship being very tiny can demonstrate the power of nature on man and the lights seemingly going on forever show the viewer how the power of nature in infinite. Like all romantic art, there is no one specific part of the painting that is the subject. The painting as a whole is what Church is focused on.
In more ways than one, this painting is an ideal example of romantic art. It is a nice take away from the current events of that time, it shows the viewer something beautiful and special, which is why it is so famous.
This piece is SO awesome. The use of color is fantastic and you are right about it pulling your eye to the center of the piece. This piece shows the theme of nature having a greater power which is very common in romantic art. I like how you mentioned the ship being very tiny compared to the rest of the painting. I think it is interesting how the ship is not a point of focus at all and how it is easy to miss which shows that the nature is almost more important than mortals.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of nature is such an important part of Romanticism, and I feel this painting portrays that perfectly. There's so much color and light, but then at the same time, there's a lot of darkness too, and that's what makes it so beautiful and compelling. There's all this emotion going on, and there's all these things this painting makes you feel, and it's just a really fantastic piece of work.
ReplyDelete