Portraits of Ingres and Reynolds

A detailed Summary of Portraits of Ingres and Reynolds

The portrait. A single person immortalized forever on canvas. At first glance, you only see the subject. With a more analytical eye, though, you not only see the image but you begin to hear the voice of the painter and of his time. This is what I hope to do, to feel and understand the mind of the painter Ingres when he painted Louis-Francois Bertin and Reynolds when he painted General John Burgoyne.

In the portrait of Bertin, Ingres has captured on canvas a man who has never been pampered in his life. You feel by looking at him that this is a man who has worked for everything that he has ever received in his life. Why do you feel this, though? Let's begin with the colors chosen for this piece.

The colors revolve around brown, giving you the impression of something very down to earth. The background of the painting is basically one solid brown. Bertin occupies the whole bottom section of the painting, with nothing of his body going above three-fourths of the canvas. He is the ground, below even the earth tones of the background.

He has on a black suit, brown vest, and white shirt, as well. These colors working together allow you to make certain assumptions about him. He looks like a working man, which he was.

Mintz, Max M. The Generals of Saratoga. Yale University. 1990

Bird, Harrison. March to Saratoga. Oxford University Press. 1963

Even through the family problem that was known by everyone, Burgoyne still went to school and participated in the comradery that exists between boys becoming men. As a man, he was an eager soldier, fighting in many of the wars between France and Britain that existed during that era. He was a fighter. Maybe this is why his eyes stare off into the distance and not onto anything that you can imagine or see. He is a man that has worked his way through family shame. He is now too proud. It feels as though he does not care at all about you, the viewer. On the other hand, Bertin stares right at you, right into you.

Winks, Robin W. A History of Civilization. Prentice Hall. 1988

"The knowledgeable world of London did not believe that the son born to Anna Maria Burgoyne on February 4, 1723, had been fathered by her husband, ex-Captain John Burgoyne, Sr."(Mintz, 3). It was widely believed, actually, that a wealthy politician that had a baronage named Lord Bingley was actually the father. This information would have been known by Reynolds, in England at the time and considered a highly intellectual person whose art rivaled that of Gainsborough. He even helping to found the Literary club, which had many distinguished writers such as Oliver Goldsmith, Edmund Burke, and Samuel Johnson.

Bertin may look very grounded and immobile, except his arms deter you from that feeling slightly. They are arched away from his body, fingers not heavily clasped onto his knees. It looks as though he is getting ready to get out of the seat. There still seems to be action within that bulky body.

There is something very deep within Bertin's eyes. You cannot directly into his eyes, even though it is a painting. His one eyebrow raised makes you feel like you are under the gaze of a principal in high school when you have done something wrong. The way that he is seated also gives you a very decisive feel about his solidity. Bertin is seated with his hands on his knees, making his body language seem very grounded. He isn't a skinny man, either. He barely fits into his clothes let alone the chair. The rounded back of the mahogany chair also makes you believe he is larger than he really is.

Some common words found in the essay are:
France Britain, American Revolution, Bertin Ingres, Bonaparte Bertin, Louis-Francois Bertin, Anna Maria, John Burgoyne, , Lord Bingley, Reynolds England, anna maria, john burgoyne, lord bingley actually, napoleon bonaparte, louis-francois bertin, eyes stare, matches color, row house, lord bingley, life feel, middle class,

Approximate Word count = 1840
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts