Summary Of Erastus Salisbury Field: The Israelites Crossing The Red Sea

Erastus Salisbury Field: The Israelites Crossing the Red Sea (1865-1888) This painting is part of Field's cycle of paintings dealing with the ten plagues of Egypt and final escape of the Israelites. There are only nine examples surviving of larger original series, which seems to decorate the North Amherst Church. The medium of this painting is oil on canvas. The moment I see this painting, I think that there is always a miracle happening in our lives and also in our world. We just always have to believe in God and there is a good outcome for every hindrances we face. This painting is in the bible where Moses leads his people, the Israelites, to escape from the Egyptians. Moses says to his people that they do not need to be afraid
The sea symbolizes like a wall to the right and left of them. Behind of the people is the huge fire that separated between the crowd from the people behind them, the Egyptians. I also see some sheep and some bulls in the first row. It is impossible to distinguish between the animals and the people because of the blurriness. Moreover, the artist applies the paint very beautiful, for he combines the lightness and darkness, different colors that blended together and the sharp definition of the painting. The use of the light color stands out on the flame which captures my attention. It captures my attention because of the shaded area and the smoke that glows from the fire. The use of the dark color is on the sea and the same as in the sky. It looks like the setting of the painting happened during the night because of the darkness that covered the painting. The artist combines the dark and light color on the huge crowd and on the animals. It is like he is experimenting different colors and different shading on these crowds and on the animals. Field’s style of drawing was influenced by the constraints of photography in his day at
She says that it is common to portray children with toys or pets, such as this bird, that signified their youth and innocence. Birds also symbolized fleeting life, a gentle among children in late eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century America. The medium is oil on canvas. This painting is about children who did not live to adulthood because medical care was not very great back in the early days of the American Republic.
The moment I glance this painting, I thought that this child is already an adult because of the way he dresses and how very formal he stands. I cannot even distinguish whether he is a girl or a boy. He has the angle of being a girl because of his glowing and white skin. Then, his long hair portrays that he looks like a girl at first. However, his clothes look more a guy’s suit. The fields behind Alexander belonged to the Dix family. Alexander's clothes are almost the same color or shade of green as the trees and fields, making him blend into the background. There was a history back then that children were often thought of as mini adults. Their parents were very strict, and most of all their free time was focused with educational and religious activity. Moreover, after their age of seven, they were not allowed to play anymore. They also need to wear clothes like an