Bastien-Lepage's
One of the most remarkable works in the 19th Century European Paintings section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is Jules Bastien-Lepage’s 1879 Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc). Although displayed in a long hall featuring a number of other paintings, reliefs, and sculptures, it draws a certain amount of attention because of its superior size. (100 x 110 inches) Yet despite its large scale, it does seem slightly crammed in with the great amount of other works collected in the room. (A piece of this size should be shown in a somewhat grander fashion; isolated more to highlight its magnificence.) It is flanked by Alfred Stevens’ In the Studio and Alexandre Cabanel’s Birth of Venus on the left and right, respectively. Jeanne d’Arc seems to fit in with the works surrounding it, which logically all come from roughly the same time period. Paintings such as fellow Frenchman Pierre-Auguste Cot’s The Storm compliment it particularly well. As detailed in the accompanying text panel, the work was originally put on public display in the Salon of 1880. There, it could be viewed with a host of other pieces by critics and commoners alike. The subject matter of Jeanne d’Arc would have been of particular interest to the French people.
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Jeanne Catherine, Pissarro Renoir, Domrémy Lorraine, Cots Storm, Impressionist Realist, Arc Jeanne, Margaret Catherine, Galette Objects, Galette Renoir, Millets Gleaners, jeanne darc, moulin de la, realist paintings, lighting effects, female figure, st margaret, st michael, piece composition, plein air, de la galette, en plein air, en plein, la galette,
Approximate Word count = 1408
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
 |