literature entry wk 4
Art Gallery visit
R. Westall "Landscape: Solitude"
This particular artwork caught my attention as it seemed to me, to encompass the very ideal of the Romantic writers, in particular Colerige and Wordsworth.
The painting is unlike the bright vibrancy of many Romantic pieces, in that it is relatively dull in colour. The central focus is the running creek, which is brown and muddy, lacking vibrance, yet still managing to reflect the sunlight. Similarly, the knarled tree that sits upon a boulder just off its banks is also illuminated by the sparse sunlight. Behind, the forest (or "wilderness" as the English Romantics would call it) sits in darkness. Personally, I belive the contrast between light and darkness represetnst eh mysterious nature of the "wild".
The Romantics emphasised beauty in hte natural, so it would make sense that beauty could also be found in the ugly, or the unconventional, provided that it came from nature. Metaphorically speaking, the light may be viewed as the known world, or more vaguely, the existence of truth. I find it intruiging that only a small portion of the artwork is lit. Could this mean that in the known world, little is revealed as truth? So therefore, that would mean that the darkness represents teh unknown.
The dark, yet warm, rich, earthy tones create a calming effect in which the viewer can appreciate this strange beauty rather than to view it as harsh and uninvitiing. It look very natural and realistic, exactly what the Romantics idealised and loved.