The goal of this assignment is to practice your skills at describing the TEXT, CONTEXT, and SUBTEXT of a piece of art of your choice, drawn from one of the genres discussed in the course.
After choosing one artwork from one of the genres we look at (poems, paintings, dance, architecture, or music videos), describe its text and context as fully as you can. That is, describe first the formal, artistic features of the work (the meter of a poem and its choice of words, the colors and subject of a painting, its brushwork, the clothing of the dancers, and energy level of the dancing in a dance, and etc.): the TEXT.
Then move on to describe the historical features that surround the works some detail, including relevant information about the time period the piece was created, information about the artists life and work, as well as relevant info about the history of the subject matter of the works: the CONTEXT.
Finally, offer an interpretation of the piece, analyzing its meaning in light of its TEXT and CONTEXT: the SUBTEXT
This paper (times new roman, 12pt font, 1.5 spacing, should be NO LONGER THAN 4 pages.
The genre that was chosen will be paintings.
Requirements: NO MORE THAN 4 PAGES.
Answer preview
Considering the text and context, the painting symbolizes freedom, which the working and middle-class people fought hard against Charles X’s laws. The ordinances suppressed the press, minimized the electorate, ruled by command as an absolute monarch, and disbanded the new chambers that had been established. He also wanted to affirm the Catholic Church’s authority and influence in France. In opposition, the citizens protested for three days fighting those suppressive laws, forcing Charles X to resign after the army failed to contain the situation. Hence, Delocroix’s depiction of lady liberty symbolizes democracy at a time when the working class was hungry to fight the oppressive domination during Charles X’s governance (Carrier, 2020). Considering the harsh laws of Charles X, the citizens’ only option was to revolt to throw him out of power. Looking at the painting, the citizens fought the men in army uniform, leaving them lifeless in the foreground. The type of violence depicted in the painting, where citizens march out aggressively raising their weapons, clearly indicates that they are ready to do anything to dethrone Charles X (Mhaske et al., 2021). After the aggressive protest, the posture of lady liberty lifting her hand and holding the French flag shows that the protestors had acquired their desired freedom.
