Formal Analysis: 'Lamentation Of Saints And A Donor'

Formal Analysis Paper
The Mood of Artwork

All great art that was ever created was done so to get across and idea or point. With successful art, the viewer of the work can easily understand what the artist was trying to say and the mood they were trying to get across because of a few basic formal techniques. These techniques are small yet effective adjustments that are used to alter supporting elements such as colour and composition. Though these changes are unnoticeable unless they’re brought to attention, they influence us dramatically in the way we interpret particular artworks. The two pieces I chose that, in my opinion, are examples of the communication of mood through basic principles in art are “Lamentation of Saints and a Donor”
It is 163.8 by 191.7 centimetres and kept at the Art Gallery of Ontario. “Massacre of the Innocents” is another oil painting done over 100 years later which depicts a scene somewhere outdoors with marble walls and columns, where a chaotic group of desperate people stand witnessing the killing of many babies. A man stands at the far right holding a baby above his head appearing to be at means of smashing it’s head on a nearby marble block. Dead and bloodied babies lie at his feet and the people all around him are moving to prevent his actions or stop others who are. Giovanni’s work shows an outdoor scene in which figures stand, sit, or lay on the ground around a man, lamenting his death. We know this man is Jesus after his crucifixion because he is barely clothed, he has an elaborate halo around his head, and there are nails lying by his side that once held him up to the wooden cross in the
In both pieces the horizon line where the landscape touches the sky is noticeably high, as was practiced in the times these two pieces were painted. Social class was also depicted in both pieces, as the clothing or materials used in each piece appear to be shiny, thick and expensive looking. In Giovanni’s piece we can see a decent representation of the human form that is obvious beneath the clothing. In Reuben’s work the human form is highly realistic and idealized to be muscular and plump. However the depiction of landscape and nature disagree in each painting. For example, the trees in the background of Giovanni’s work are not painted in a way that looks very realistic or true to life but they are detailed and it is obvious that the artist paid attention to them. The small bits of ivy in the background of Reuben’s piece are definitely true to life yet they are not major elements within the piece. Unlike Giovanni, the mood that Reuben is trying to achieve with his piece does not include using the elements of nature in a certain way to get across a specific feeling throughout the entire piece. Reuben’s background scenery is neutral and calm in contrast with the subject of his piece. It is this ultimate utilization of contrast that helps Reuben get across strong emotion to the viewer. While