Richard Wootonville's The Charge Of The Light Brigade
The painting The Charge of the Light Brigade shows the charge of the British Light Cavalry Brigade during the Crimean War in the early 1850s. In this paper, we will be discussing the various aspects of the painting, including a description, the context that surrounds the painting, the function of the painting, and an analysis of the painting. The easiest thing to observe about any given work of art is what type of art is it and it’s respective colors. The Charge of the Light Brigade is a painting that was painted in Spain by Richard C. Wootonville Jr. in 1894 (NPR). The color scheme is one that is very dark, deep and very muted. We will analyze the colors in detail later. The soldiers in the painting are a part of a British Light Calvary
…show more content…
However, it is not impossible. The colors shift from a lighter to a darker tone from the right to the left side of the painting, suggesting a shift from the light to the dark. This could stand for a transition of thought or potentially the life of the soldiers. In addition, in the mess of horses and troops in the center of the piece, the colors all seem to run together, almost bleeding into each other. It is hard to distinguish between soldiers and their horses, and other troops. This can be taken two different ways. First, the colors seemingly bleeding together represent a sense of a lack of individuality, a sense that is lost when in the armed forces. Alternatively, it could speak to another sense of chaos in battle. The color pallet used in this painting is very interesting. It is all bland, dark, deep colors. The smoke, grass, and even the sky are all very muted and dull. The soldier’s uniforms, however, create a contrast with the blue and whites that draw an audience’s eye. It moves the focus of the painting from the horses to the soldiers, thus achieve one of the functions: to glorify the soldier. The Charge of the Light Brigade is a great painting to look at when examining the changes in the public opinion of war from the turn of the 19th century into the 20th. It highlights the changing attitudes of the public by distributing a realistic representation of what happened on that dark day. The colors play an extremely important role in this painting, leaving a lot to interpreted. Many people view this painting, and each person will draw their own conclusions. That perhaps, is the real beauty in
However, it is not impossible. The colors shift from a lighter to a darker tone from the right to the left side of the painting, suggesting a shift from the light to the dark. This could stand for a transition of thought or potentially the life of the soldiers. In addition, in the mess of horses and troops in the center of the piece, the colors all seem to run together, almost bleeding into each other. It is hard to distinguish between soldiers and their horses, and other troops. This can be taken two different ways. First, the colors seemingly bleeding together represent a sense of a lack of individuality, a sense that is lost when in the armed forces. Alternatively, it could speak to another sense of chaos in battle. The color pallet used in this painting is very interesting. It is all bland, dark, deep colors. The smoke, grass, and even the sky are all very muted and dull. The soldier’s uniforms, however, create a contrast with the blue and whites that draw an audience’s eye. It moves the focus of the painting from the horses to the soldiers, thus achieve one of the functions: to glorify the soldier. The Charge of the Light Brigade is a great painting to look at when examining the changes in the public opinion of war from the turn of the 19th century into the 20th. It highlights the changing attitudes of the public by distributing a realistic representation of what happened on that dark day. The colors play an extremely important role in this painting, leaving a lot to interpreted. Many people view this painting, and each person will draw their own conclusions. That perhaps, is the real beauty in