The Apparition By Gustav Moreau

I will be discussing a painting by Gustav Moreau titled The Apparition. This painting was painted with watercolors in the year 1876. It can be found at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. This two dimensional piece of traditional art gives us insight into how truly talented Moreau was; this painting seems much too detail oriented to be anything like most watercolor paintings seen today. Watercolor paintings typically consist of building up many layers with colors due to the pigments being so transparent. This can be used to the advantage of the artist; one can achieve many different textures and patterns depending on the amount of water used. For a loose and fluid brushstroke, either fill the brush up with water and a small amount of paint, or add more water to the paper. With a more controlled look (like the above painting), simply add less water and more paint. It would appear in Moreau’s art that he used less water to achieve such detail.
I shall first begin to describe the main focal point of the painting-the apparition itself, and the jeweled woman. Below the floating head is a dark crimson stain that appears to be blood from the head. This blood creates constrast within the painting, it's darkness stands out against the light tones on the floor. The use of blood gives the feeling of tragedy and guilt judged by the saddened look on the woman’s face and the look of despair in the apparition. The floating apparition’s head indicates he is that of a saint or angel, depicted by the golden halo circling his head. This golden halo is a very intense hue, creating emphasis on his head which has lines flowing outward. Another thing to note is the slight presnse of unity; the blood is a simlar color to the robes of the person behind the