Formal Critique
The artwork I chose is an 1849 painting by Charles F. Blauvelt. This painting is oil on canvas called “Burnt Out”. This particular painting is located in the American section 1824-1900. From a distance, the painting appears to be smooth, but close up you can see that it has some texture in some spots. It appears that the painting was done from a sitting position and head on, like the painter was looking directly at the picture he was painting. In this painting, you can immediately see that there is what is believed to be a mother and her two young children. The family looks as if they are hiding from something or someone. The woman is gazing at something in the distance to the right which the viewer cannot see. In the direction that she is looking is the same way that the light source is coming from. It is apparent that the painting takes place in a city or something, because you can see what look to be homes, or businesses of some sort. There are a few random objects…show more content… Charles was born at the same time around 4 million immigrants came to the United States in 1840-1860(Litts). A majority of Blauvelt’s works were genre paintings and portraits. Genre paintings generally …”depict situations and scenes of everyday life. Subjects typically include domestic settings, interiors, mealtimes, celebrations, tavern or peasant scenes, markets and other street scenes” (Encyclopedia of Art). Blauvelt initially went to school to be a portraitist but since so many immigrants were coming to his hometown, he decided to do genre paintings since he had more than enough subject matter to utilize.
The amount of religious and historical paintings being done was declining
As religious and historical painting declined during the 19th century, more and more artists sought inspiration from the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Conclusion / Your Value