Monday, September 27, 2010

Savery, "Forest Scene with Hunters"


The major contrast between dark and light in this image is between the earthy, warm, dark colors used in the foreground and the ethereal, cool blue light of the town. It was this contrast that first grabbed me -- the juxtaposition of an almost heavenly depiction of civilization and the brown, vibrant nature scene surrounding it. This contrast seems to be the focus of the painting -- the large tree in the center is the largest and most central figure, but my eyes were drawn to the town beyond rather than to the tree itself. The next thing I noticed was that the hunters on the left seem to be no different than the various animals throughout the scene. Every living being in this painting seems to be going about its daily life, indifferent to the other species around it, the humans included. When you follow their eyes, none of these creatures seem to be looking at or to have noticed one another. It seems that they are on the same plane of consciousness, enveloped by and part of nature, while civilization glows in a ghostly and beautiful light off in the distance. Even the buildings in the upper right, while bathed in more earthy colors, tower high above the nature scene, the goats on the rocks, and even the waterfall, one of nature's most majestic creations. And furthermore, it seems that the viewer is placed on the ground with these creatures, a distance away from the group of humans but also part of this scene, and that the town beyond is something to which the viewer should aspire.

No comments:

Post a Comment