Artistic Style
Identifying Information
In the 1750s, Thomas Gainsborough painted the following artwork and named it “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews.” The artist used a medium of oil and canvas, which were formidable complementary tools artists of the time. As shown in the picture below, the medium’s use led to a beautiful piece of artwork with multiple colors displayed on a 69.8 cm × 119.4 cm (27.5 in × 47.0 in) canvas. In the art world, such a medium is ideal for displaying artwork, specifically when one of the artists’ objectives is to merge colors. The painting was stored in the London Gallery, which is evidence of its significance and essence (Lazzari and Schlesier 29).
Subject Matter and Visual Analysis
The subject matter of this artwork is the visual balance as achieved by the cooperation of color, texture, paint size, shape, and symmetry. Primarily, color is the most dominant aspect of visual balance where the contrast between the natural and the human-made is well represented. For example, the yellow ribbon at the bottom of Mrs. Andrews’s dress can be missed by an unkeen person, who may only see the bright blue dress easily seen against the lush green vegetation. Visual balancing explains the need for a relatively large size. The painter could accurately depict even the clouds and other elemental subjects of the paint like the dog and the gun by Mr. Andrews’ person.
Notably, the painting’s texture and value are closely connected to its mixture of symmetrical and asymmetrical attributes (Lazzari and Schlesier 25). Although the picture is rectangular with a symmetrical shape, the contents of natural drawings are asymmetrical. Therefore, there is no direct form of expression. Visual analysis of the painting requires critical thinking to determine the hidden colors and elements in the artwork. Overall, the artwork is accurately made such that there is proper visual analysis marked by the elements of color, texture, size, and symmetrically, which collectively constitute the value of “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews.”
Identifying an Artistic Style
The aspects of nonobjectivity and expressionism are the most dominant artistic styles identified in the painting. Thomas Gainsborough did not opt for surrealism and instead wished to exhibit an actual scene of nature, which can identify with the viewers at any moment in history (Lazzari and Schlesier 9). The opposite of nonobjectivity would be surrealism, which is an art form that creates imagined portraits by combining various artistic elements (Lazzari and Schlesier 9). Secondly, expressionism is seen in the artist’s attempt to merge as many colors as possible in the same canvas while ensuring they form an amazing and appealing view. The oil and canvas medium is one of the most essential in nonobjectivity and expressionism since the artists can search for any approach of combining colors within a surface. Thomas Gainsborough’s fame can be attributed to the expert knowledge of expressing his thoughts on a canvas through the nonobjective and realistic artistic style.
Research and Independent Conclusion
“Mr. and Mrs. Andrews” was drawn at a time of male domination and chauvinism, as depicted in the painting. The standing gentleman with a rifle exemplifies the exertion of the power of the 1700-man, while the woman was humbled and submissive. European artists of the time were more inclined to accurately depict what they believed in the right culture, in this case, the male domination shown by Mr. Andrews and the female submissiveness of Mrs. Andrews. However, the culture also valued women, the outdoors, and nature, which explains the expert expressionism of Thomas Gainsborough on the canvas.
In conclusion, “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews” is a formidable piece of art that expresses the 1750 European culture. Although multiple elements achieve the visual analysis in the artwork, the extensive use of color is the most dominant aspect that sets apart the painting. Visual artistry is exhibited in nonobjectivity and expressionism.
