Makenna Byers
December 20, 2015
Professor Bomboy
HUM
101
Marxism
in “The Fall of Phaeton”
Narrative art
tells a story, in this case a painting. “The Fall of Phaeton” was painted in
1605 by Peter Paul Rubens. This painting features the ancient Greek myth of
Phaeton at the height of its action. The
use of the elements and principles of design throughout the work bring the myth
to life by giving whoever is looking at this a critical viewpoint into the
myth ("The Art Institute of Chicago"). The background story and interpretation is directly related to that myth
because Rubens found a way to capture the scene of his canvas. This painting
evoked feelings of the devastating consequences of pride and lack of moderation
in me which proves Rubens has impacted the audience with his work. It not only
tells a story but was also executed profoundly.
The elements of art and principles of design are the most
basic buildings blocks for a piece of art, without them it would have no
structure or meaning. “The Fall of Phaeton” depicts a high moment of drama in
the popular Greek myth that was famously recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Lines are used throughout the painting to show the different characters but are
especially prominent to create the sun coming from the sky, the blood coming
from the horse, and the grass in the lower right corner. The shapes are organic
and rounded. This makes the painting more realistic which is critical because
the background story is a myth. The color is mostly dark because of the horror
of what is happening on Earth because of Phaeton’s actions but there light
coming from the heavens which gives the viewers a sense of hope. The texture of
the organic shapes is also realistic but is emphasized greater on the horse and
men rather than the background which seems to be unclear and distant. Form is
used in the characters to give them a three-dimensional effect. The men and the
horses are the foreground, but it is apparent that there are clouds, sun, and
the Earth around them. This enforces the idea of the power given to the gods and
if something is wrong in their realm then there is also not peace on Earth.
Space is used very well in this painting and there is no “white space”. All of
the action is in the middle, but the environment around them provides depth.
Contrast is found in several ways. There is contrast between that shapes of the
men and the horses which are definite and the background which seems to be soft
and somewhat unclear. There is contrast between the men and the horses.
Finally, there is contrast between light and dark. The focal point is the
action in the middle of the painting as Phaeton crashes and the Earth begins to
literally go down in flames. Although this is the bigger picture of the action
there is also an abundancy of other action taking place. Every man is doing
something different as well as every horse. The rhythm of the painting moves
the eye from organic shape to organic shape. In my opinion, there is not just
one thing that catches the eye first but they are all seen as my eyes moved
across the painting. Proportion is used
to portray the importance of the gods compared to nature. There is repetition
between the shapes of the men and horses. Overall, even though this is a myth
the painting becomes realistic through the elements and principles of design.
At a first glance of this painting I understood that
there was some tragic event taking place and that is must be power to the gods
because they are proportionally bigger to the background. The meaning of this
painting becomes clear when the story behind it is told. Phaeton, the Sun-god
Apollo's son, had begged his father to allow him to drive the Chariot of the
Sun across the sky. After Apollo finally conceded, his worst fears were
confirmed: the youth had neither the
strength nor the experience to control the chariot and keep it on its regular
course through the heavens. The horses
bolted in an erratic pattern, so that Earth either froze because the Sun
Chariot was too far away, or it was scorched by the Sun's heat. At left, the Horae, butterfly-winged female
figures personifying the seasons, which represent the harmony and order of the
universe, are reacting in terror as Earth below bursts into flame. Even the
great astrological bands that arch through the heavens are disrupted. (“The
Fall of Phaeton”).
Through Marxism I figured the mood of this painting is
somewhat hopeless as the Earth is being destroyed but the light coming from the
heavens created a sense of hope. It put into perspective how highly people
cherished their gods and that they believed they controlled their fates. This
shows the power they had in society. This painting is very well-executed
narrative that successfully communicated his ideas. I believe Rubens painted
along with many other men of his time because of its allegorical and moralizing
implications.
“The Fall of Phaeton” tells a story from Greek mythology
that used to be so prominent in society. The paintings elements and principles
of art add to the narration and the power of the gods. Rubens chose an
intricate story to portray but I believe he did it excellently. The painting
evoked feelings of the seriousness of the situation as well as emotional
feelings because of what is happening. Although many people tried to depict
this scene I think Rubens is the only artist who did so successfully.
Works
Citied
"The
Fall of Phaeton." Art Object Page. Web. 20 Dec. 2015. <http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.>
"The
Art Institute of Chicago." The Fall of Phaeton. Web. 20 Dec. 2015. <http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/divineart/artwork/49208>
