Contextual Theory: The Death Of General Wolfe

The painting depicts one of the most decisive victories of the American Revolution. Prior to the battle American morale was very low, even Washington was becoming doubtful. The continental army was forced out of New York and pushed across most of New Jersey on a desperate retreat induced by many British victories. The British troops that occupied the small town of Trenton were convinced that American morale was much too broken for any sort of attack… Washington had other plans. (Encyclopedia Brittanica)

The “massacre” that happened on March 5th changed a lot of opinions of the colonist’s about how they felt about the British. The way that the picture was made, in relation to the story was key in winning the hearts of the Americans. The story told is depicting confusion on the officer’s part, and they randomly fired on the crowd, not in any particular area. The picture shows that the British were organized, and aimed to kill. Since it is easier to get the story from a picture, the picture was that the troops have a desire to kill the people, shown with the organization. This picture portrays the British as murderers, all the more reason to unite and rise against and go to war against. (DCT 3)

In 1770, artist Benjamin Wolfe completed what would become his most controversial and talked about piece of artwork, an oil on canvas painting titled The Death of General Wolfe, the purpose of which was to teach a moral lesson. The Death of General Wolfe portrays the Battle of Quebec, but more specifically it details the moment when Major General James Wolfe was on his deathbed shortly after the British had driven the French away in victory. Although this piece is considered to be historical since it details a true event, the details in it prove to be fabricated for the sake of art.

The background are grey and other dark colours representing the mood of the that time since it was fairly grim and not a happy time during the depression and right before an impending war. The painting tells the perspective of an isolationist who do not see the consequences of ignoring the overseas war. The character in the painting can be seen as a wife and husband, and a soldier against an enemy soldier, to put deeper meaning it would be the wife representing isolationists, the husband representing Canada (Canadian politicians) and the two soldiers with one being the Canadian army and the other the enemy. The story in the painting is that the wife/isolationist tries to keep her husband/Canada to stay on the other side, the safer side, whereas the monsters fear, duty, and guilt continues to pester and haunt the husband pulling him to choose to go to battle. He fears the advances of the axis powers, is guilty of the sacrifices that have been made so far just so they don’t have to fight and feel responsible as a Canadian, as a nation to protect the peace of the world.

Paintings are different than books or movies because they allow you to create your own thoughts and interpretations rather than telling you what you should think. This allows creative and different takes on an original piece of art.The Surrender, a painting by Joseph Griffith, was published in October of 2006. It features two sides in what appears to be a war. The left side is occupied by the epitome of American icons and showcases the American flag, while the left side contains, not only enemies of America, but “bad guys” from classic movies surrendering with a white flag. This painting can be interpreted as labeling popular American icons as heroes, showing the change in society’s change in what they consider a role model.

An artist's job is to interpret, and express the aspects of life in a creative fashion. War has played a big part in shaping our human history, and many artists have portrayed their feelings about art through paintings, and even monuments. Whether it be to show; the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat, or to educate the public on the gory realities of war. Art about war can also show us a great amount of history of the kinds of weapons that were used at the time. It is necessary for artists to interpret, and criticize all aspects of life; even ones as tragic as war, It can make the public more aware of what goes on in times of war.

The painting depicts one of the most decisive victories of the American Revolution. Prior to the battle American morale was very low, even Washington was becoming doubtful. The continental army was forced out of New York and pushed across most of New Jersey on a desperate retreat induced by many British victories. The British troops that occupied the small town of Trenton were convinced that American morale was much too broken for any sort of attack… Washington had other plans. (Encyclopedia Brittanica)

The focus of the painting is based on the two soldiers passing the shell to each other and then into to the artillery to shoot against the German army. The gesture of working together in harsh realities carries the message of unity and self-sacrifice for the war. One soldier does not have his uniform on meaning no protective gear that characterizes unselfishness in the center of a great battle. Furthermore, there is a soldier, who has an injury on his hand, yet still continuing to fight. The wound shows contribution in the face of danger and heroism marked by the bandaged arm on his return to the conflict. It sets an example of selflessness and bravery and the artist shows that in war, sacrifice can be represented by their schedule of duty.

The speaker describes the Battle of Concord through the use of imagery. He describes the impact of the battle by using the point of view of the Americans in the Battle of the Concord. Some scenes are the flag that represented America at the time, the bridge where the battle took place, and the first shot fired. The North Bridge is not only the location of the battle in the 1700s, but the Obelisk today. “ By the rude bridge that arched the flood” (Emerson 1), the first shot that the Americans fired the British, and the British retreating

CLS- The painting depicts the people in Guernica in an abstracted composition of multiple figures describing the lose of the wounded and the chaos the war that result in a tragedy.

This painting tells a sad story about a general who is willing to die for his citizens. This story also tells a hopeful story about unity between two completely different civilizations.

The success of these images would not have been possible if it were not for the artists. An example of one of theses artists is Rex Woods. Woods studied at the Ontario College of Art and regularly made covers for popular magazines such a Maclean’s and Canadian Home Journal. During World War II, Canadian Home Journal featured one of his works that depicted the mood the of the war. Woods’ work showcased an advertisement for the Victory Bonds and it includes many aspects of the typical World War II poster. The image shows a clear sense of urgency and shows the hardships that the Canadian soldiers are going through. One can also see the colour contrast between the figures and the background since the colours on the foreground are muted greens and blues, whereas the background is a rich, red Ontario flag. This contrast brings focus the background of the flag, which reinforces the idea of tapping into the values and beliefs of patriotism. There is also a sense of victory in this image because the soldier in focus has a light shone onto him, which symbolizes the “light at the end of the tunnel”/victory for the Canadian troops. The overall composition of the piece is quite powerful as well because the main soldier in focus is seen grabbing a gun from a woman machinist (judging by her uniform) before heading off into war. The bodies of both figures show power because the woman does her part as a Canadian citizen by helping the soldier and the man is in a stance where he is about the head into combat. Body plays an important role in this piece because it portrays the political message of asking Canadians to help soldiers in the war. The stances the figures have show courage and some fear, which helps show viewers the bravery and patriotism the soldiers have to protect their land, which persuades an

The Death of General Wolfe demonstrates the use of a plethora of techniques to highlight an important moment in history. West uses linear perspective by blurring background activity, using primary hues such as blue, yellow and red in the direct areas of General Wolfe to form directional forces which creates a vantage point, emphasizing General Wolfe’s death in the midst of a major military battle between the British and the French. Held above him is a flag which overlaps with the darkened sky, portraying storm clouds in the upper right half of the painting. West uses a tinted blue for a heavier, warm color in the upper left sides of the painting, therefore, unifying its background. Evocative feelings create the facial expressions of the

Postmodern art decided to make revolutionary break with past and questioned previous theories known as “big narratives” of art, politics, economics and overall culture in order to create new theories. The big part of postmodern theory deals with the belief of preexistence of the art all around us. The artist is the one who can recognize these elements of art around as and synthesize them into the art work. This art work becomes object of interpretation which inevitably varies among different generations, social groups, national group, religious groups, and depends on some extent of the educational level of the observers and it is also different in the same individual in different times or environments. The different interpretations of

The history of art dates back to ancient times. Artwork can be, and was, found around the world. What makes art interesting is that it can be created in any way, shape or form with any materials. It seems that the artwork can also tell us a lot about the artist. Art seems to be simply, a direct, visual reflection of the artist’s life. Therefore, one can assume that an artist’s life experiences and beliefs directly influence their art. If we look at examples from different periods of art we will be able to see the connection between the artist and the art.