Theatrical Paintings

Transcription

1 Visual Art Theatrical Paintings Some painters were more attracted by the theatrical aspect of the performances. They captured the celebrated Shakespearean actors of the time with their gestures and expressions. Francis Hayman and William Hogarth represented stage sceneries and performances realistically and marked the beginning of Shakespeare's success in painting. Many artists painted portraits of the actors of the time, which became the showpieces of many exhibitions. 1

2 Jackson Pollock, Full Fathom Five, 1947 The title comes from Shakespeare s play The Tempest, in which the character Ariel describes a death by shipwreck: Full fathom five thy father lies / Of his bones are coral made / Those are pearls that were his eyes. The variety of shades and inflections combine to produce an idea of water in movement and depth populated by strange creatures. The painter uses various shades of green mixed with patches of white and many other colours. Depth is also given by the presence of nails, buttons, coins, cigarettes in the paint. Oil on canvas with nails, tacks, buttons, key, coins, cigarettes, matches, etc x 76.5 cm The Museum of Modern Art New York 2

3 3 William Hogarth, 1728, scene from The Tempest showing all the main protagonists

4 Johann Joseph Zoffany, David Garrick as Macbeth and Hannah Pritchard as lady Macbeth,

5 Pieter van Bleeck, Mrs Cibber as Cordelia in King Lear,

6 William Hogarth, David Garrick as Richard III, 1745 William Hogarth realistically depicts here David Garrick s interpretation of Richard III haunted by the ghosts of the people he murdered, just before the final battle. Oil on canvas x cm Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool 6

7 The Sublime At the turn of the 18th century, the most visionary aspects of Shakespeare s art inspired the works of William Blake, Henry Fuseli and other artists. They were influenced by the aesthetic of the sublime, and captured the visionary, sentimental and passionate aspects of Shakespeare's works in their paintings. 7

8 MusArt vol. 5 William Blake ( ) was not only a painter, but also a poet and mystical philosopher, who believed that instinctive life was the true natural state of man. Imperfect as a painter, he was a master in design and realized his visionary creatures with a clear, determinate outline. His friend Heinrich Füssli ( ) developed a Romantic passion for the strange, the fantastic and the horrifying, which comes out in many of his literary subjects (e.g. Shakespeare s plays) Blake- The Ancient of Days, 1794, Features: The God (Urizon) visible in the painting shows Michelangelo s influence (see The Creation, Sistine Chapel, Rome). Transformed into a fantastic divine figure, the sun of life emitting blinding light, his hands are transformed into compasses planning the new world, against the blackness of Chaos. 8

9 Henry Fuseli, , Hamlet sees his Father s Ghost 9

10 Henry Fuseli, Titania and Bottom, A Midsummer Night s Dream, 1790 Here the Swiss painter is attracted by the enchanted realm described in the play. Oil on canvas x cm Tate Gallery, London 10

11 William Blake, Oberon, Titania and Punk with fairies dancing, William Blake in this colourful watercolour fixes the imaginary dimension of the play. Pencil and watercolour on paper 47.5 x 67.5 cm Tate Gallery, London 11

12 Romantic Paintings The great painters of European Romanticism made Shakespeare s works more popular. They captured the passions, nightmares and gloom of Shakespeare s characters and showed the dramatic contrasts of the characters souls against a vivid landscape. 12

13 William Turner, Queen Mab's Cave, 1846 This is an example of how Shakespeare s fantastic world can be interpreted using landscape elements mingled into a marvellous chromatic harmony. Oil on canvas 92.1 x cm Tate Gallery, London 13

14 Francesco Hayez, The Last Kiss from Juliet to Romeo, 1823 This painting stresses the lovers farewell and its inevitability through the bare setting and the dark colours. Oil on canvas 291 x cm Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo (Como) 14

15 Eugene Delacroix ( ), The Death of Ophelia (1853) 15

16 Anselm Feuerbach, ( ) Romeo and Juliet (1864) 16

17 Anselm Feuerbach, Othello 17

18 Macbeth seeing the ghost of Banquo, Théodore Chassériau ( ) 18

19 Victorian Paintings During the reign of Queen Victoria artists started considering Shakespeare's subjects connected with the supernatural and the fantastic, as an expression of the Celtic origins of the British people. The painters of the first decades of the 19th century rendered the dynamism of the period and the desire to explore the unknown with dramatic light effects. 19

20 Robert Huskisson ( ), "Midsummer Night's Faeries (1847) 20

21 Robert Huskisson ( ), The Tempest,

22 Daniel Maclise, The Disenchantment of Bottom, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1832 The Disenchantment of Bottom is a very detailed painting not describing a dream but a nightmare, capturing the darker aspects of the play. Oil on canvas Wadsworth Atheneum Hartford Connecticut 22

23 Abstract Art Also modern artists have been inspired by Shakespeare. One among the most important representatives of the Abstract Art is Jackson Pollock who transformed a passage from Ariel s song (The Tempest) into image. 23

24 Marc Chagall ( )The concert (1957), Othello by William Shakespeare 24