Comm 300 Final Paper

Yasmeen Tarzi

Communications 300

Professor Lester

10 May 2017

                                            James Tissot

Introduction

        For this paper, I chose to use the painting by French painter James Tissot(1836-1902) named “The Picnic” which was originally named “The Holyday”.  Tissot had fled to London in 1870 after the fall of the Paris Commune. The detailed oil painting was created in 1876 and shows elegantly dressed men and women enjoying the day under the trees while beside a pond. It was painted in Tissot’s back garden in London which was near Lord’s Cricket Ground. The men in the painting belong to a well known and elite cricket club named Zingari, judging by their outfits. The woman are overdressed for the relaxing occasion. The image shows the changing of seasons with the colored leaves and trees surrounding the group of people.  The painting is greatly detailed and has a great variation of color schemes throughout. The actual painting is 30 by 39 inches in size and is now located in the Tate Gallery in London.

Personal Perspective:

        As an initial reaction to the work I would use the word pretty. I chose this photo because it caught my attention the most compared to the others immediately.The combination of the colors, setting, and relaxed mood just gives off an elegant feeling. People seem happy as they enjoy their picnic almost as if their is no care in the world. The people in this painting look wealthy and that they are also used to a luxurious lifestyle. The man especially, seems very content. He is laying down while being poured a nice glass of tea while he enjoys the view of all the food and nature around him. The picnic is set with nice snacks, tea, and fancy silverware. When these people have a picnic they definitely know how to do it correctly. The weather must be a bit chilly because of their layers of clothing. The woman to the right seems cozy with her spare blanket and even a fur casually sitting next to her. There is two figures in the back and at first I wasn’t quite sure exactly what they were doing. As I looked closer it shows the man leaning against one of the pillars on the other end of the pond while standing close to another person. The other person is very hidden by the hanging leaves and it’s very hard to tell what she is up too, if she is even a woman. The old woman to left is enjoying her nap under the large tree and sort of separates herself from the rest of the younger group. While first seeing this painting, I thought that it must be someone’s grandmother. Overall, my personal perspective on this painting is that it makes one feel at ease. I enjoy looking at this photo more compared to the other options, as the colors give off a warm and lively affect.

Historical perspective:

        This oil painting was made in the late 1800’s which means that much of the art varied greatly from the types of art we have today. By reading about the history of the image, it is found that Tissot’s art appealed to wealthy British industrialists especially during the second half of the 19th century.  When looking at the painting, the idea of wealthy people enjoying his portraits completely makes sense as they depict the lives of the upper classes living in Europe during that period. The depiction of the daily life of this time shares the realism of French artists such as Edward Manet. Tissot’s style was also familiar to the style of impressionists, who were actually working in the same time frame as Tissot(Gandalfsgallery). Although some aspects were similar, Tissot’s work differ in their crystal clear quality and the elegantly dressed people. Also at this time, Tissot was painting various portraits of women and often used models to do so. In the late 1800’s women were still wearing large dresses and bonnets, that were elegant but modest. The painting was shown in 1877 in Grosvenor Gallery in London as a pendant for another painting named A Convalescent, which was also painted by Tissot. The Tate Gallery, which is where the painting is located now, had received the painting in 1928. In recent years, Tissot’s paintings have regained a well-deserved popularity as they were regarded the epitome of late Victorian vacuous and the decadent society.

Technical Perspective:

        Knowing the medium of presentation within this work and how the image was generated gives away information on the technical perspective. The production value can become higher or lower depending on how the image is produced including how much money was spent on its development. It is already known that this image is an oil painting on canvas. The history of oil painting began with a medium consisting of pigments suspended in drying oils. The fusing of tones and color come together in order to create a unique mixture compared to other fluid pairing mediums. Oil paintings made before the 19th century were built up in layers and were further defined using solid paint or scumbles. Scumbles are irregular, thinly applied layers of opaque pigment that can develop different types of pictorial effects(Brittanica). The origins of oil painting which were actually recently discovered, show that they date back to the 7th century A.D.,  but oil painting as a medium is recorded  as early as the 11th century A.D. showing how far and long the practice has lasted.

Cultural Perspective:

        In the cultural perspective of this photo, different symbols can portray a visual message or can tell more about cultural values of that time.  Just like in the example in the book, the photo of President George Bush in the classroom shows symbols that give off different meanings. The symbolism of dominance in this photo is shown through his slight separation from the rest of the room as well as his business-like demeanor which shows his purpose for the visit. The children look at ease as they are in a familiar environment, but the President looks out of place as he a symbol of technological progress and the government versus ordinary citizens and young children. In the painting, symbols that can be seen to give some meaning are the types of food as well as the tea. These signals give off European vibes along with the proper dresses and suits being worn. The slices of meat along with the biscuits and tea are popular among Europeans especially on an outing like the one shown. The demeanor of the man laying down symbolizes his status.  Symbolism including the style of dress shows the time frame being in the 1800’s. The woman pouring the tea shows how attentive she is as she takes care of the group. Everyone in the painting seems at ease as they enjoy a beautiful vacation like day.  The woman sleeping under the tree is a symbol of some type of chaperone or a mother like figure among the younger people. Symbols like this give off signals of wealth and relaxation in the historical days of Europe.