Romantic Era

Art Nouveau

The Black Cat

 

The Black Cat by Aubrey Beardsley was created circa 1894 (TheArtStory.org). It is a black and white drawing Beardsley designed among three other commissions to complement Edgar Allen Poe’s "Tales of Mystery and the Imagination." This specific illustration is intended for Poe's “The Black Cat”. Beardsley was appointed an art editor and illustrator for “The Yellow Book” in 1894. At this point, he moved into 114 Cambridge Street in London with his sister (ab2020.org).

This is an example of an Art Nouveau piece. It relies on lines and curves to highlight the piece's focus. This specific illustration is just white and black; it is only negative and dark space. Additionally, it does not utilize hues, adding to the deliberate shapes that form in the contrasting values. The artist’s simple details bring out what attributes are present in the piece. The lines are all curved and short. The cat is the same tone as the darkness around him, separated from it only by thin lines. This graphic represents the part of Poe’s short story where the narrator kills his wife and hides her body, accidentally entrapping the cat in the wall with her (TheArtStory.org). The cat here has one eye open, the other gouged out, and a wrathful countenance. It matches the cat in the story, but I think Beardsley may also have been leaning into the superstitions around black cats. While the wife lies dead, the cat lives on like a haunting nightmare, alive and dead. Out of sight for the narrator, and yet still around. Consider also the belief that cats have multiple lives. The choice to make the dead wife white and the cat black might also symbolize these different states they remain in; she is dead, while it lives on, blending into the night.

La Dame aux Camélias

La Dame aux Camélias by Alphonse Mucha was created in 1898 (ArtLegends.org). It is a color lithograph poster of the actress Sarah Bernhardt for a drama of the same name. Mucha probably made this in Paris as he had moved to Paris in 1888 and quickly found success in Sarah Bernhardt’s favor (ThoughtCo.com). 

Contrary to the other Art Nouveau piece I used, this one uses a wider color palette. There are purples, blues, yellows, and off-whites. I think the gold-yellow detailing complements the off-white tones in the lady's clothing. She is the focus of the illustration, and everything surrounds her because she demands attention. She is among silvery blue stars. Some of the stars are lighter hues. I think the varying color Mucha uses were intended to make Bernhardt the light of the graphic. Given that the actress changed his life, it makes sense that her character is so adored in his works. The stars toward the lower portion are brighter as if they are reflecting light, or perhaps watching someone. Bernhardt is watched, adored, and absorbed by the stars. The role Bernhardt plays is of a “grief-stricken woman” (MuchaFoundation.org). She emphasizes her grief with her pose. One hand reaches behind her, seeking balance. She holds her other hand and arm close to her body. She searches for stability in her surroundings and herself. The flowers present are white camellias, and they are a symbol of death (MuchaFoundation.org). I think the camellias used and the stars can be associated with death and sacrifice. There are many stories and myths where a tragic character dies and is immortalized in the stars. The association of the flowers with death and the star’s association with sacrifice exaggerates the woman’s grief. The simple perspective of the illustration further focuses on Bernhardt’s character. She is drawn enveloped by stars, they seem much closer to her than the sky would appear to be. 

Realism

28 July: Liberty Leading the People 

Eugène Delacroix painted 28 July: Liberty Leading the People in 1830; it is an oil painting on canvas (Artble.com). In 1825 he moved to London, and he toured places such as Algeria and Spain in 1830, so he may have been in London when he painted this (Britannica.com). 

Eugène Delacroix painted 28 July: Liberty Leading the People in 1830; it is an oil painting on canvas (Artble.com). In 1825 he moved to London, and he toured places such as Algeria and Spain in 1830, so he may have been in London when he painted this (Britannica.com).

This painting is realistic in the sense that the figures look real. This painting displays actual people, even if they aren’t actual people. The woman in this painting is Liberty personified. She holds the flag, leading people to victory. Delacroix painted this to display the emotion and impact of real people. It’s a painting referring to the French people as they revolt against King Charles X. The date of the painting is the second of the “Three Glorious Days” of the revolt (Artble.com). The light in this painting acts like true light. The light and shadows look real. I could believe that Liberty would step out of the painting in the next moment. She charges ahead, the victor. The light falls on her and the people she leads, but it does emphasize her more. She draws a diagonal with her outreached arm that those following her lean into. The shadows of her draped clothing make the fabric look real. Smoke fills the background behind her, and looking closely reveals a thin background of Paris. The men represented following her symbolize the different classes united in the revolt (TheArtStory.org). There is a nobleman beside a man of a lower class and a boy bearing two guns. Everyone fights. While this piece looks real, and is not, it displays real emotion and realistic appearing figures. Delacroix intended to capture the powerful emotion of this revolution as well as its violent nature. There is torment and death in this painting. Figures that lie dead and bloodied underfoot. He did not shy away from the chaotic violence as a subject, instead letting it mix with heavy emotions and freedom. There is a sense of duty here in that it is not easily fulfilled.

Rainstorm over the sea

John Constable drew Rainstorm over the sea as an oil sketch circa 1824-1828. He studied landscapes while sketching them. This particular scene is an oil sketch of Brighton Beach, England, so he probably sketched it there (TheArtStory.org). 

This is a realist oil sketch that captures a moment in time, a gathering rainstorm. The artist's smudging displays movement to capture a realistic sight. I can see the rod of light that manages to reach through the clouds, and I can grasp the moment on display. I love the sky, and I watch it often. This may not be a sky that I have seen literally, but it is one I know. He captured the aggressive and quick nature of a storm. The use of darkness strikes motion into the storm, but it also draws shadows over the beach. It reminds me of going outside, seeing shadows cross over the ground, and knowing the weather will change. I think Constable realistically caught this moment. The varied tones captured in the textured beach complement the sandy texture, and help make the sand look more real. While this piece is a less literal realism, it still exhibits the truth of realism(Live-For-Art.com). Realism is about displaying real truths, like a farmer shown as he farms or a storm falling. This painting captures bubbly sea foam in small white details. The careful detail that goes into the sand and the foam fills the rushed strokes of the storm with tension. That tension before a storm is a truth someone can experience. The air changes and things smell differently. There is tension before the rain that Constable has captured so perfectly here. There is a bold unbothered sense to the strokes used for the weather displayed. Nature does not care for the opinions of man, and it does not hesitate. 

How They Differ

All the pieces used are symbolic, but it is in different ways.  For example, in The Black Cat, the woman does not look to be dead, but rather sleeping peacefully. The cat does not look like a literal portrayal of a cat, yet one can tell it is a cat. Certain features are exaggerated, such as its claws and misshapenness. I understand what the artist shows here, but I also know that it is not displayed literally. As it is an illustration meant to accompany an Edgar Allen Poe story, I think it fits the haunting and dark themes of Poe’s writing. A realist intends to portray the truth of a matter, to portray something purely as it is whereas the artist’s intention here is to help a reader develop a deeper understanding of a story. In La Dame aux Camélias, star shapes are pointed similar to the way someone would represent one. A realist painting would display minuscule stars without that pointed quality. The story here is visible through shapes, colors, and form. 

The stories in a realist painting are available in realistic imagery. In 28 July: Liberty Leading the People, it is clear that the realistic imagery does not have to display an actual scene, but it does display a scene literally. It looks real--and in many senses it is--but it is not real in this way. Rainstorm over the sea looks less like a real photograph in time and more like a captured truth about the world. It is realistic in its truth. The ability of art to display truth or emotion in a plethora of styles is one of its inherent wonders. 

Bibliography

“Aubrey Beardsley Art, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/beardsley-aubrey/. 

“Aubrey Beardsley: Defining Art Nouveau from Beauty to Obscenity.” TheCollector, 20 Sept. 2021, https://www.thecollector.com/aubrey-beardsley-art-nouveu/. 

“Eugène Delacroix Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/delacroix-eugene/. 

“Eugène Delacroix.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugene-Delacroix. 

Foundation, Mucha. “Poster for 'La Dame Aux Camélias' (1896).” Mucha Foundation, http://muchafoundation.org/en/gallery/themes/theme/sarah-bernhardt/object/23. 

Ganbold, Nicole. “Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary at North Carolina Museum of Art.” DailyArt Magazine, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/alphonse-mucha-art-nouveau-visionary/. 

“John Constable Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/constable-john/. 

“July 28: Liberty Leading the People.” Artble, 19 July 2017, https://www.artble.com/artists/eugene_delacroix/paintings/july_28:_liberty_leading_the_people. 

Lamb, Bill. “Biography of Alphonse Mucha, Czech Art Nouveau Artist.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 10 Dec. 2018, https://www.thoughtco.com/alphonse-mucha-biography-4570820. 

Metmuseum.org, The Met, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/753519. 

“Rainstorm over the Sea: Works of Art: Ra Collection: Royal Academy of Arts.” Rainstorm over the Sea | Works of Art | RA Collection | Royal Academy of Arts, https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/rainstorm-over-the-sea. 

Ricky. “La Dame Aux Camélias (1898) by Alphonse Mucha.” La Dame Aux Camélias (1898) by Alphonse Mucha - by Ricky, Art Legends in History, 15 June 2022, https://www.artlegends.org/p/la-dame-aux-camelias-1898-by-alphonse. 

Smith, Ruth. “Staging Artifice: Aubrey Beardsley and 114 Cambridge Street.” AB 2020: The Aubrey Beardsley Society, 7 June 2021, https://ab2020.org/staging-artifice-aubrey-beardsley-and-114-cambridge-street/. 

Usanova, Natalia. “Not Realistic, but Truthful: ‘Seascape Study with Rain Cloud’ by John Constable.” Art in the Evenings, 29 June 2021, https://live-for-art.com/works/painting/rainstorm-over-the-sea-by-constable/.