BAROQUE: EMBARKATION OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA BY CLAUDE LORRAIN
Embarkation of The Queen of Sheba by Claude Lorrain (1648)
About The Piece
Artist: Claude Lorrain
Claude Lorrain was a French painter in the Baroque era. He was born in 1600 in Chamagne, France, and spent most of his years in Italy. At the age of 12, Claude's parents had passed so he moved to Rome and was trained as an artist by Agostino Tassi, a landscapist and leading Italian painter of illusionistic architectural frescoes. Claude learned the basics of Tassi's art throughout his training. Claude is famously known for his ideal landscape pieces and lived essentially for his work. At the beginning of his career, he collaborated with various artists but eventually became more solitary. More than half of Claude's paintings are inspired by Nature.
The Art: Embarkation of The Queen of Sheba
The piece is an oil painting that is located in the National Gallery in London. It gets its name and inspiration from the Old Testament: the Queen of Sheba embarking on her journey to see King Solomon in Jerusalem. The Embarkation of The Queen of Sheba was painted for Duc de Bouillon, a French general in the papal army in Rome. The cylinder building on the right of the painting was his principal emblem.
Art Elements
Color
Most of the colors in the painting are faint, they're not as vivid. Color is used as a light in this piece, representing the soft warm light of the sunrise. The light is used to capture the gentle ripples of the water as well as the open sky. In this specific piece, the Queen is crowned and dressed in red when she descends from the steps on the right.
Lines
There are multiple lines in this piece, horizontal, vertical, curved, and many more. Curved lines are used to show the calming water with gentle ripples, as well as the direction of the waves. Vertical lines are mainly used in architecture to show strength and symmetry on either side of the piece. Horizontal lines are used for flooring structures and stair steps. A combination of horizontal and vertical lines is used to give the piece depth and distance.
Shape
As stated above, a cylinder shape is used to create the emblem of Duc de Bouillon. The pillars of the building are also cylinder in shape, giving it texture. The shapes are mainly used to be added as texture to the piece. It can be observed that there's a mixture of organic and geometric shapes
Emotions
When I first observed the piece, I thought it was just a landscape painting and that the main focus was the large ship in the middle. As I do background research on the piece, I learned the actual meaning of the painting. The piece really gives a warm and calming feeling because of the sunrise. There isn't a crowd of people in the painting so it doesn't seem chaotic. There seems to be a large gathering by the Queen but her embarking isn't anything big since other individuals aren't as amazed. They seem to be focused on their task rather than the departing of the Queen.
Influences
One of the events that influenced Claude Lorrain was the rise of the merchant classes. Claude's parents were poor so Claude received little schooling. According to Britannica, they stated that Claude was brought up to be a pastry cook but his parents had died when he was 12. In the piece, a couple of merchants can be observed doing their job. Claude spent many years working in Rome and he expresses this through his art.
Citations
Claude, The National Gallery. “Claude, Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba.” Claude | Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba | NG14 | National Gallery, London, 1 Jan. 1970, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-seaport-with-the-embarkation-of-the-queen-of-sheba.
Kitson, Michael. “Claude Lorrain.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Lorrain.
Artincontext, Art in Context. “Baroque Art - the Key Artists and Paintings of the Baroque Period.” Artincontext.Org, 8 Sept. 2022, artincontext.org/baroque-art/.
I love your analysis of the color in the art piece. I think the soft warmth is beautiful and think the faded colors add a serene view. Your connection is a very unfortunate effect of the rise of the merchant class. It’s very inspiring that Claude still became the painter he was even with the sad deaths of his parents. I read that many poor people struggled even more due to the dramatic rise of the merchant class, so that must have been very hard for him.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot going on in this piece. The colors and depth are what strike me the most. I agree with you in your analysis, and I really feel the sense of warmth and comfort that this painting brings. I think it's a piece that would really fit well in a home.
ReplyDeleteThis piece emits a calming atmosphere despite the activity happening in the artwork. The sunset is a warming light, there are a few subjects resting, and the water is very calm. As the Queen was traveling diplomatically with many gifts, this sets the tone of a peaceful mission. My eye is drawn the sunset at the center of the painting however, I did not expect there to be so much attention to detail around the sides. The detail in the architecture makes you feel like you are in the scene looking out on the water. I would love to see this painting up close to see all the detail Calude added to this painting.
ReplyDeleteWhat really caught my eye was the liner perspective in the painting. ; its like the artist wanted me to stare off into the sunrise as the city wakes up. The warm colors remind me of a sleepy cozy sleepy morning, the kind that you don't want to get out of bed.
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