Every Thursday, as part of my personal “enriched environment” initiative, I post a piece of art, usually from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which recently released online some 400,000 high-resolution images of its collection. All artwork will show a sun (or sunlight) somewhere.
I won’t name the piece or the artist, but instead invite you to study the art and post a comment addressing one or more of these questions:
- What is going on in this picture?
- What do you see in the picture?
- What does it make you think of?
- What observations can you make?
Note: To embiggen the image, click on it!
With all that’s happening with the refugee crisis in Europe these days, this painting is extremely provocative , especially with the strong sharp contrasts between light and dark , and the jagged rugged shoreline. There are no peaceful placid horizontal lines in the entire picture.
Provocative.
The sun is contained within the circle created by the edge of the clouds, the ridge of the hilltop, and even some trees. But it is about to come blazing into view in a patch of blue sky.
Hi everyone,
I agree with Afua. It’s hard to look at this picture objectively with so many people dying in rubber rafts trying to get to Greece. This picture with its dawning sun maybe signifies hope or a new beginning. But for me it’s all about despair and sorrow and tragedy. And then we have nut cases like Donald Trump labeling refugees as Muslim terrorists or (if they’re from Mexico) rapists and murderers. No sunshiny new beginning there !!!
How come everyone thinks the sun is rising??? It could be setting and they’ll have to survive in the cold dark damp. Really. !!!!!
I’m curious about what might have been going on in the world at the time this painting was done. What prompted the artist to depict this scene? Does it reflect an actual event?
Hello and Happy NEw Year!
Thank you for posting this unusual painting!
It’s hard to make out many of the details because much of the “action”” is in shadow. But I can see that besides the people in the boat, there are more people up on the rocks who are looking at what is going on,and some of these people have guns. It’s very menacing.
Thank you again!
I agree, with Afua’s comment that the lack of “restful” horizontal lines in the painting makes for a disturbing picture.
Yes, I see the guns. Horrors abound in this pic.
I “embiggened” the picture.
Two points;
—-Can someone explain why really old oil paintings like this have all sorts of cracks in them when you look closely?
—-The flying birds, when you embiggen the painting, are extremely detailed, accurate and lifelike.