Erik Leonhard

November 1, 2015

Professor Bomboy

HUM 101

Marxists Interpretation of "Mr. and Mrs. Andrews"

            Narrative paintings are paintings that tell a story with no words. A story that is for the most part unknown, expect by the artist who originally painted the painting. I chose the painting Mr. and Mrs. Andrews (1748-49) by Gainsborough. This particular painting could be perceived in a plethora of ways, but in this essay I will only be discussing my personal opinions of the painting through description, analyzation, interpretation, and judgment.

            The first part in my evaluation is the description through elements and principals. The lines in this painting are hard to pick out because everything seems to flow together in a pastel like manner, which creates a very smooth texture. The main lines in the painting are the lines of what looks like wheat. The wheat creates depth within the painting because the line of wheat seems to go back towards the vanishing point (if there was a solid vanishing point in this painting. The colors of this painting are fairly neutral, except for the two human subjects. This brings me to the focal point. The focal point of this painting is where the most color is; on the subjects. To me, both the male and the female subject could be drawn a little more proportionally. I feel like if the female were to stand up, she would be taller than the male subject, which would kind of destroy the message of the painting. This brings me perfectly into the next piece of my evaluation, which is the analyzation.

            When thinking about the analyzation of a painting, one must think of how the elements and principals combine to form a whole. The textures and colors of the two human subjects really emphasize their importance. The background of the painting (the landscape scenery) is pretty blurry and pastel like, which is very different than the two human subjects. The lighting contrast on the man and woman’s clothing is very crisp and more 'realistic' than the background completely drawing the viewers’ attention to them. The colors that both subjects are wearing are also very vibrant compared to the background, which further draws the viewer’s eye to them. The fact that Gainsborough emphasized the two human subjects leads into my interpretation of this painting.

            To interpret a painting, one must think about why the painter chose to arrange and construct the painting the way they did. Personally, I think this painting is nothing more than a family portrait. Little to Gainsborough's knowledge, he literally painted history. By accurately depicting the subjects’ normal dress, their dog, and the land behind them, he showed viewers now a days what life was like back then for people of their social stature. Both Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were real people and they are wearing what they normally would in their day and age. The Andrew's were members "...of the so-called landed gentry, meaning they were wealthy, often self-made, but didn't have peerage, or a noble blood line." (The Story of...) so I think that this further backs up the fact that this may have just been a simple family portrait. I think that the aim was to emphasize their wealth and status. The vibrancy of the clothing of the Andrews is a clear indicator that the painting was a focus of their status.

            This leaves one last question; did Gainsborough successfully communicate the idea he was trying to portray? I believe that Gainsborough did a fantastic job representing his purpose. Being a Marxist critique, I really don't think that Gainsborough could have done a better job. He did a superior job by representing their wealth a social status through many outlets. He emphasized this through their clothing, the position of Mr. Andrews compared to Mrs. Andrews, and also by the land depicted in the background. All of those aspects lead back to the wealth and status of the infamous couple. The clothing that is seen is in good condition, and it is not dirty at all. It is clothing of the high class. Mrs. Andrews is seated in a nice dress, showing that she has no need to work at all because she is financially secure. Mr. Andrews is holding a gun and being idealized by the dog off to his side. This shows that even Mr. Andrews does not need to work all of the time. He has plenty of down time to waltz through his massive property with his dog and hunt. The background itself also emphasized that they have wealth just by the sheer size of the land.

            In conclusion Gainsborough did a fantastic job with this painting form a Marxist viewpoint. He made it extremely obvious that the Andrews were wealthy people in a time where most were struggling. Every aspect of art from the lines, the textures, the contrast and the focal point, was completely on mark and could not have been more precise. Gainsborough succeeded with his purpose and made his point as clear as it could be.

           

Works Cited

"The Story of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews." Joshua Kennon. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Thomas_Gainsborough_-_Mr_and_Mrs_Andrews.jpg