The role of art in our life
The role of art in our life.
Art is
an all embracing notion (music, painting, theatre, literature and so on). Art
had the most important role in the development of the mankind. The first were
found on walls of ancient caves. So we can guess that painting was the first
way of art. Painting is the most understandable way of art, because it gives us
the most full and vivid impression.
Seneka
once said: “All art is bur imitation of nature”. I don’t agree with him. I
think that art has many functions and it’s hard to overestimate the role of art
in one’s life. Art has great influence on our souls, feelings, forms our moral
values. Art forms our outlook and enriches our inner world. Art influences
greatly the development and of evolution of consciousness of a person and of
the mankind. Art makes us think of the sense of life, how people must live,
what is ideal of beauty, what is love, - the eternal questions. Art helps us to
understand people who lived hundred years ago and to learn the history of the
mankind. Art creates our notion about beauty and harmony. Art helps people to
understand outside world and each others. Art develops our good qualities. Art
has a great educational significance. Art brings people up - makes them more
humane and kind. The language of art is universal. Everybody, in spite of age,
nationality, occupation understands what is said by the painter. Art gives
people a possibility to express ourselves and to become famous. But I don’t
think that every painter becomes famous. Only talented, genius people like da
Vinci, Raphael and others can create great, eternal art, real masterpieces. Art
is great only if it has links with people’s lives, interests, ideals. If it
hasn’t, it won’t be understood and acknowledged. Real art appeals to the heart
and mind of a man, to his feelings and it proclaims life.
As to
the trends of art, I prefer old art. Painting of old masters is one of the
greatest treasures mankind has collected in the history of its civilisation.
The pictures of old painters are in all big museum of the world (for example,
the Hermitage, the Tretiakovskaya gallery and others). Old painting reflects
the collective experience of human spiritual life of many centuries, because,
as I have already said, painting is the first way of art. As to country schools
of painting, I prefer English painting school. My favourite English painter is
George Romney.
George
Romney was born in 1734. He was a son of a cabinetmaker. He was apprenticed to
Christopher Steele, a travelling portraitist between 1775 and 1757; at that
time Romney established himself in Kendal, Westmoreland, where he had a fairly
prosperous trade in small portraits. In 1762 he left for London; here he
broadened his style considerably. In 1763 and 1765 he won awards at the Society
of Arts. During the next few years he became more popular as a portrait
painter. In 1764 Romney paid a short visit to Paris. In 1773 he left England
and spent two years in Italy, mainly Rome, studying antique sculpture and the
work of Raphael. These studies had a major influence on the development of his
style.
On his
return to England in 1775 Romney rapidly became and remained for many years one
of the most fashionable portrait painters in London; his patrons ranged from
the Prince of Wales and members of the aristocracy to the literary and dramatic
figures of the day. Second only to Sir Joshua Reynolds in popularity, Romney
was, however, such a pathologically timid character that he never ventured to
present himself for the honours of the Royal Academy of Arts and hence acquired
an unmerited reputation of a recluse. In 1782 he met his “divine lady”, Emma
Hart, later Lady Hamilton, of whom he painted a great number of famous
portraits in various character roles. Romney painted four pictures for John
Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery between 1786 and 1791. These were among the very
few subject he finished, though he left thousands of rough sketches that are of
great interest. Unlike his public work, these sketches link Romney with the
imaginative world of William Blake. After 1796, ill health forced Romney to
stop painting. The last years were spent in Kendal. George Romney died in 1801.
The
most vivid impression on me has produced Romney’s picture “The portrait of
duchess Elisabeth Derby”, which was finished in 1778. It is an oil painting,
canvas.
The
figure of a beautiful rich woman is placed on the landscape background. It is a
full length portrait. The woman is represented sitting. The figure is arranged
in a vertical format. Colouring is subtle, soft, delicate and restful.
Brushstrokes are not visible.
The
women is dressed in luminous dress, through which one can see contours of her
figure. The lady’s figure is lighted up evenly. The women has beautiful big
dark eyes, tall forehead, rosy cheeks, straight nose and beautiful lips. The
profession of the woman isn’t indicated, but she has graceful hands, so one can
guess that she doesn’t work with her hands. We can judge that she is a
representative of high class family.
Every
pleat of the woman’s dress, coiffure and other details are painted very
precisely. As to my opinion the details are not emphasised purposely. Accuracy
in details is the result of supreme mastery in technique of the painter. So the
figure is a harmonious unity.
The
landscape isn’t painted so exactly. There is a piece of blue-grey sky in the
right-corner of the picture, but on the horizon the clouds are condensing. The
forest behind the lady isn’t green, it is obscure and gloomy. Predominant
colour is brown. There is a sharp contrast between lighted up figure and dark
landscape. The figure is close to the observer than to the landscape. So the
figure doesn’t blend with the landscape.
The
posture of the lady is very natural. Her eyes are gazed before and upper
herself. She is deep in her thoughts.