Dorothea Tanning’s painting Birthday from 1942 is an oil on canvas self-portrait. The painting’s prominent subject is a woman who is standing alone to the left of the canvas. She is dressed uniquely in a dark brown ruffled skirt that reaches all the way to her calves. On the sides of her skirt, there is an abundance of vine-like roots overflowing from the back towards the front. Her top is an open, purple, green and white decorative jacket; revealing her bosom, chest and some of her torso. With her left hand, she is holding onto one of the many doors that are behind her yet she is looking off in a different direction from these doors. The woman has no shoes on and to the right of her feet is an animal that looks like a combination of a cat and bat that has big yellow eyes and large wings. The outfit choice of the woman reflects not only modernity but also antiquity thus, making the time represent the turn of the century. This combination of modernity and antiquity reveals something new which attributes to the portraits name, Birthday. Behind the woman and animal beside her, is a long hallway that seems to be never ending of open doors; showing that the paintings’ setting is indoors. The exact location is unidentifiable because there is no furniture to indicate where she is, which signifies a sense of isolation. Though the look on the woman’s face and the hallway of doors initially give a perception of loneliness and unknowingness, the colors, composition, and lines create a
Edna seeks occupational freedom in art, but lacks sufficient courage to become a true artist. As Edna awakens to her selfhood and sensuality, she also awakens to art. Originally, Edna “dabbled” with sketching “in an unprofessional way” (Chopin 543). She could only imitate, although poorly (Dyer 89). She attempts to sketch Adèle Ratignolle, but the picture “bore no resemblance” to its subject. After her awakening experience in Grand Isle, Edna begins to view her art as an occupation (Dyer 85). She tells Mademoiselle Reisz that she is “becoming an artist” (Chopin 584). Women traditionally viewed art as a hobby, but to Edna, it was much more important than that. Painting symbolizes Edna’s independence; through art, she breaks free from her
The painting that I chose to write my formal analysis on is called “The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, At Night”. This piece was created by Vincent Van Gogh in Arles, France and was completed sometime in September of 1888. This painting is oil on canvas, and it is currently housed in the Kroller-Muller Museum located in Otterlo, The Netherlands in Europe.
This painting is a portrait of an old woman who is sitting on a chair while facing to the left. She is wearing a yellow flower dress with a beige jacket while sitting in an empty room. Her beauty is illustrated by her curly, gray hair and also her wrinkled face, neck, and hands. These details is what makes her look real and pure. I like how detailed it is because it reminds me of my grandmothers.
Do you know what Dorothea Dix did to make this world a better place? Dorothea Dix assured the lives of the Union Army and the mentally ill, through hard-work and overcoming obstacles. As a kind and thoughtful person, Dix reserved a portion of her life towards the mentally ill. With time, another door opened leading her to another accomplishment, being Superintendent of Nurses. As superintendent, Dix chose and trained many nursed to assist her and take their job as seriously as she did.Over a course of time, Dorothea Dix showed that women could fulfill the duty of many difficult tasks.
On March 28, 1841, Dorothea Dix was invited to teach a Sunday class at East Cambridge, Massachusetts women 's jail. The invitation was at the right time because Dix have already heard how horrible the conditions and treaments of the mentally ill were in Massachusetts, it was just not justified. After her class she toured the jail and was appalled by what she had discovered. The innocent, guilty, and the mentally ill were combined in the unsanitary, crowded, cells of the East Cambridge jail. In addition, a keeper in the jail stated that the prisoners did not need heat or ventilation because they did not need it. With a strong character and high morality of Dorothea Dix, she immediately took action that led to the betterment of the
TXT- She incorporates symbolic imagery into her paintings in her series of self portraits, especially relating events of her past life and integrates them into the paintings with the help of Surrealism. Pg 367
Dorothea Puente was not always a Puente. She was born as Dorothea Helen Gray in Redlands, California on January 9, 1929. Trudy Mae Yates, her mother, and Jesse James Gray, her father, according to Dorothea Puente, were alcoholics and abused her. Her father was a cotton-picker, and Puente claimed that her mother was a prostitute. However, how accurate is this information is debatable since Puente has been proven as a compulsive liar. She has lied about her life since she was young so as to make her seem more interesting to others and gain attention. When she was eight years old, her father died from tuberculosis in 1937. Her mother died a year later from a motorcycle accident in 1938. Left as an orphan at a very young age, she was sent to an
Dorothea Orem is known as one of the foremost nursing theorists. She is credited with the development of a nursing grand theory, the self-care deficit nursing theory (SCDNT). The beginning of her career can be traced back to Washington, D.C. in the mid 1930’s. Though she was a Baltimore, Maryland native, Orem pursued her nursing education at Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., graduating with baccalaureate and Master’s degrees in 1939 and 1945 respectively. Following her education, Orem held many job positions across multiple nursing disciplines, including working as a private nurse, nurse educator, administrator, director, and private contractor (McEwen & Wills, 2011).
context such as race and gender, and the history of the painting. In addition, I will be
Concerning color, there is a stark contrast between the figure on the painting and the background. More specifically, the figure of the woman is predominantly delineated in white color, especially pale, ashen white, as far her apparel and facial complexion are concerned, while there are also various hues of grey, with respect to her hair and accessory feather. These white and grey shades are vividly contrasted with the prevailing red and crimson hues of the background (viz. the drape, armchair, and table). Moreover, one can detect colors of dark green (jewelry), some beige on the left (pillar), and darker or lighter shades of blue on the right side of the canvas (sky), which all in concert and in addition to the subtle purple hue forming the sun or moon exude a certain dramatic sentiment. Also, there is brown, which often easily segues into gold (viz. books and attire details respectively). The main contrast of colors between white and red would be interpreted as serving the purpose of rendering the figure of the woman, and especially her face, the focal point of the work, despite, paradoxically enough, the lush red shades at the background. Bearing that in mind, the significance of the woman’s face will be enlarged upon later, when discussing aspects of her identity.
The background has areas of dark and light that may be representing a dark part of this woman's life and the light area showing awakening in this woman's soul. To me the woman in the painting is staring out into the world and realizing that there is so much out there for her. That she can walk out of there and not be lost any more. Mrs. Mallard felt the same way. In the room she realized that she can now live her life on her own the way she wants to. She walked out of the room with a sense of
Through this painting, Marie Louise Elizabeth Vigee-LeBrun is sharing herself with the viewer. The message is easily understood.
To the right of the painting is Nymph, also known as "The Hours", Greek goddesses of the seasons. She has on a very elegant dress and holds a robe out for Venus which is decorated with red and white daises, as well as yellow flowers of some sort, and blue cornflowers. These are all flowers of spring time which is appropriate for the theme of birth. The Nymph also wears garland which is also decorated with roses. The Nymph seems to be welcoming not only Venus, but the season of spring as well. This open arms welcome is very comforting to view.
The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink
The perception of the Other in literature can take on several forms and on one line of thought it is considered to be “an individual who is perceived by the group as not belonging; as being different in some fundamental way” (The City University of New York). The group sees itself as the standard and judges those who do not meet that standard. The Other is almost always seen as a lesser or inferior being and is treated accordingly. They are perceived as lacking essential characteristics possessed by the group. For an example, Charlotte Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wall-Paper” portrays a woman narrator as being the Other. The gender division, an important component of the late nineteenth-century society, is exemplified in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” much more significantly than in the typical “American” literary work. It attempts to shed light on the fierce alter egos and divided selves of the dominant tradition. However, the narrator seems to contradict the traditional feminine roles and becomes hysterical as her way of revolting. Gilman effectively uses the narrator’s intuition, obedience, and secret rebellion to challenge the authority John embodies as a husband and physician. This also engages the basic issue of late nineteenth-century assumptions about men and women. In this aspect, this essay aims to explore in detail the gender otherness present within the story and how this contrasts the central idea of what it is to essentially be “American”.