Activity #7 Re-write Exhibition Intro-Politics and Social Order

This exhibition is based on the theme Politics and Social Order. The images are set up chronologically, because it places works of art in the context of the cultures from which they emerged and allows you to follow the development of art over a period of time.

There are six pieces of Art that can be viewed in this exhibition, which include: “Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden”, 1437, by Xie Huan, handscroll; ink and color on silk, “The Capture of Carthage”, 1725-29, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, oil on canvas, “George Washington”, ca 1779-81, by Charles Willson Peale, oil on canvas, “The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar”, 1789, by John Trumbull, oil on canvas, “Horatio Gates”, ca 1793-94, by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas and “Prisoners from the Front”, 1866, by Winslow Homer, oil on canvas.

The first piece, “Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden, 1437, handscroll; ink and color on silk, documents a historical gathering of several scholar-officials. The visual texture of this painting is real which gives this piece definition. Xie Huan uses pattern to create visual texture, which tends to flatten the perception of mass and space. The second piece, “The Capture of Carthage”, 1725-29, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, oil on canvas, uses horizontal lines to create rhythm in this painting. The third piece, “George Washington”, ca 1779-81, by Charles Willson Peale, oil on canvas, notice the way Peale use light colors to put emphasis on Washington’s face. The spectral colors and their corresponding gray-scale are used throughout this painting.

The fourth piece, “The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 1789, oil on canvas, by John Trumbull, shows us the usage of implied lines, for instance the captain and several of his men pointing there arms in distinctive directions. You can’t help but focus on the sky filled with primary colors red, yellow and blue like that of the color wheel. The fifth piece, “Horatio Gates”, ca 1793-94, by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, the weight of this painting is to the right giving this painting a asymmetrical balance. If you were to draw a line down the center of the painting you will definitely agree that this is true. Stuart highlights this piece with bright colors, which brings your eyes from the cufflinks to the neck and shoulder area.

In our final piece of the exhibition, “Prisoners from the Front”, 1866, by Winslow Homer, oil on canvas. This piece has a distinctive palette of bright acidic colors contrasting with deep shadows. Homer has taken some of the colors in this painting and mixed them together to create the illusion of a large size. Homer also incorporates vertical lines to show emphasis throughout this painting. The detail in this piece makes it look real.

In conclusion, all of these paintings displayed a sense of Politics and Social order, which is why I chose them.

The exhibition is made possible by Emory Hill.

The catalogue is made possible by Emory Hill, along with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.








This exhibition is based on the theme Politics and Social Order. The images are set up chronologically, because it places works of art in the context of the cultures from which they emerged and allows you to follow the development of art over a period of time.


There are six pieces of Art that can be viewed in this exhibition, which include: “The Epiphany”, 1320, by Giotto di Bondone, tempera on wood, gold ground, “Saint Lucy and Her Mother at the Shrine of Saint Agatha”, 1367-98, by Giovanni di Bartolommeo Cristiani, tempera on wood, gold ground, “Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden”, 1437, by Xie Huan, handscroll; ink and color on silk, “Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints, altarpiece”, 1504, by Raphael, oil and gold on wood, “The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar”, 1789, by John Trumbull, oil on canvas, and “Prisoners from the Front”, 1866, by Winslow Homer, oil on canvas.


The first piece, “The Epiphany”, 1320, tempera on wood, gold ground, Giotto shows the clearly organized space, arranged like a stepped stage with the stable view from below, and the simplified shapes of the figures expresses the innovative naturalism. The second piece, “Saint Lucy and Her Mother at the Shrine of Saint Agatha”, 1367-98, tempera on wood, gold ground, Giovanni is full of design and expresses a social hierarchy. The use of primary colors is displayed throughout the painting. The third piece, “Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden, 1437, handscroll; ink and color on silk, documents a historical gathering of several scholar-officials. The visual texture of this painting is real which gives this piece definition. Xie Huan uses pattern to create visual texture, which tends to flatten the perception of mass and space.


The fourth painting “The Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints”, 1504, oil and gold on wood, Raphael’s treatment of the Saints Peter and Paul, whose apparent volume fills the space at the sides of the main panel and the placement of the figures of the God the Father and two angels, who symmetrically fill the curved shape of the altarpieces lunette above the main panel is very remarkable. The bright red robe worn by one of the Saints is the same shade as the little girls dress and Madonna’s shirt. Looking in the background Raphael uses shape and mass with identifiable boundaries. We can see mountains and hills and something that resembles a temple.


The fifth piece, “The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 1789, oil on canvas, by John Trumbull, shows us the usage of implied lines, for instance the captain and several of his men pointing there arms in distinctive directions. The sky is filled with warm colors like that of the color wheel. In our final piece of the exhibition, “Prisoners from the Front”, 1866, by Winslow Homer, oil on canvas. This piece has a distinctive palette of bright acidic colors contrasting with deep shadows. Homer has taken some of the colors in this painting and mixed them together to create the illusion of a large size.


In conclusion, all of these paintings displayed a sense of Politics and Social order, which is why I chose them.


The exhibition is made possible by Emory Hill.

The catologue is made possible by Emory Hill, along with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.