Hubert Robert's 'Architectural Fantasy'

In 1802, French painter Hubert Robert created a work of art that is now known as “Architectural Fantasy.” The work of art was done with oil on canvas and it is nearly 6 feet long by 4 feet wide. It is a very intriguing work of art that is unified and balanced throughout. The main feature of the painting is the large, architecturally sound building, and that building has an arched bridge that connects it to town over a source of water that appears to be an aqueduct. The painting comes together as a whole due to two main aspects that Robert implements. First, is the lighting/shading, and second, is the perspective of the entire image. Together these two aspects help to make the composition balanced, unified, and brilliant.
Robert uses lighting/shading
exceptionally well to help move the viewer’s eyes throughout the entirety of the painting.
The main and only light source is the natural lighting of the sun, which comes from the left-hand side of the painting. The sun slightly peers over the bridge to diffuse its rays across the whole scenery. Since the sun is in that position, the logical estimation for what time of day it is, is either sunrise or sunset. Robert uses the sun’s light to illuminate the left-hand side of the building. This side is farther back in the distance though, so it doesn’t create one main focal point, and the composition is still balanced. To contrast the strong lighting on the left-hand side, the right-hand side is very shadowed due to the large building and the bridge being in the way of direct sunlight. The darkest area is the foreground, or the closest to the viewer. Whereas, the lightest is the farthest away from the viewer. Again, this helps to create a sense of balance in the composition. The light doesn’t really draw one’s attention to a particular aspect, but rather, it helps move the viewer’s eyes around the entire painting. Furthermore, all the larger, more detailed figures are in the shadows, so the shadow helps to weaken their value in the composition. Robert did this so the viewer would focus mainly on
the architecture because that is the most interesting part of his work. There are multiple other figures in the painting that are in contact with more light, but they are so small and far away that they are insignificant. Robert used the contrast of sunlight and shadows to help define the building he created in the painting. The building is mainly in the midground/background, so Robert had to rely on his change of light to bring it out. Thus, the lighting that Robert used in his painting helps the viewer to move their eye around the whole painting, and it also helps to define the large structures which is the main focus of the painting. Robert’s use of lighting/shading are key in making this composition balanced and unified.
Another key component in making this work of art balanced and unified is the perspective of the painting. The painting is essentially a two-point-perspective composition with the two points being of to the left and right side of the painting. The horizon line appears to be at eye level of a regular figure in the scene too, which makes the viewer feel connected and apart of the scene, a very Baroque technique. Having a low horizon line also allows for Robert to demonstrate the true size of the architectural building. It is massive, and probably hundreds of feet high. All the other figures in the scene also help to demonstrate the immense size of the building because they are so small too. The perspective is key to directing the viewers’ attention. If the perspective was higher up the building wouldn’t seem so large, the figures would look bigger, and it would even affect the lighting with the sun too. The viewers entire experience of the painting would be different if Robert decided to make the view a little higher. Also, the perspective helps to show the few motions happening amongst the figures. Several figures seem to be putting up a statue in the foreground, one figure is burning something in the back, and there is a boat moving in the water. These actions are very small details in the overall composition, but they help to demonstrate the true story behind the work of art, and these actions would not be the same if the perspective was different. Lastly, the consistency of all the lines going to 2 different points on each side of the page help to portray balance and unity in the composition. Robert doesn’t break any rules with a traditional two-point-perspective, and this doesn’t allow for the viewer’s attention to be drawn to only one aspect, but rather to the composition as a whole. Overall, Robert’s decision on where to put the viewer in the scene was a very important choice that created the experience that the viewer sees when looking at his work. If the perspective was changed a little the entire image would be different and the true purpose wouldn’t be depicted.
The lighting/shading as well as the perspective that Robert uses in his work of art, Architectural Fantasy, help to make the composition very balanced and unified. Both the lighting/shading and the perspective that Robert uses don’t draw the viewer’s eyes to one particular aspect of the painting, but rather they guide the viewer to move their eyes throughout the entire painting. This sense of balance and unity that is derived from these techniques further helps to depict the main purpose of the work too.