the case study of vanitas

the case study of vanitas

The Influence of Context on “The Case Study of Vanitas”

1. Introduction

1. Introduction The Case Study of Vanitas (1662) by Philippe de Champaigne in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, is a rhetorical still life that incorporated an unusual iconography into its symbolic layer. Several aspects of the work were unclear with no prior literature to suggest what their meanings were, and what they could have meant for the patron. The obscure nature of some of the objects in the painting suggested some form of context or narrative that the artist was leaving the viewer to ponder. In this sense, a case study method would be an appropriate manner in which to discuss how context perhaps influenced the representation of particular objects in a still life painting. This likening to a case study is supported by Pearce’s assertions of the disguise the artist takes to deliver a message when he himself is unsure of it, and the importance of evidence to decipher symbols in their historical contexts. It is also supported by E.H. Gombrich’s assertions that the most useful form of iconographical research for the art historian is a careful assessment of the possible messages for contemporary publics in the terms of the pictorial strategies and conventions employed. In this case, our aim is to ascertain the possible messages that Philippe de Champaigne was trying to send to his patron in the context of the mid-17th century French high noble society. This is possible by an analysis of the historical context of the painting through the Raisons d’etat in mid-17th century France and the state of the economy for high nobles.

The Influence of Context on “The Case Study of Vanitas”

2. Historical Background

During the 17th century, in the midst of a period of artistic rebellion brought about in reaction to the church-dominated art of the 16th century and the onset of the Dutch Golden Age, Pieter Vanitas, a skilled student of Livinius, painted a masterpiece that would turn into a salient principle for artists in the coming centuries. Vanitas’s case study of a Vanitas exemplifies the above-mentioned era. Though very little is recorded of Vanitas, he did create a key for his painting, and from this, the culture and context of the time the work was produced can be gleaned. Amsterdam played a focal point for this time period. It was a key cultural and economic crossroads for Europe. While the city was convulsed by the ills of its plague and occupied by the discomfort of foreign political rule, an affluent middle class had developed seeking to enjoy the prosperity that the city had long enjoyed. This idea of manual dexterity, while present in the various trades, was largely represented by the prowess of Dutch maritime industry. Drawn alongside this was also the significance of careful observation and the desire for knowledge. This was supported most notably by the founding of the University of Leiden, a prestigious academic institution for which the intellectually motivated physicians of Vanitas’s painting would have longed to be affiliated with.

3. Analysis of Symbolism

3.1 Barbazan’s Horse Molière has used Barbazan’s horse as a symbol of desire and intention. These can be both low and high desires, and therefore the symbol carries through the entire play as a complex symbol. This has scope starting from when Barbazan simply speaks of borrowing the horse, stating it would do him good; “…the horse is sound, it would do him good. He’ll lend it to me” (Act 2, Scene 2). This is actually an intention driven by the doctor’s concern over his own health dosage of medicine. A little later in the play, there is a scene in which Barbazan has been persuaded to give juice of a rather more questionable nature to a certain Lady Fleurinte. This being an agent which enables his plot to seduce the lady for aforementioned medicine, and several other things giving slight to the death of the horse, it is with this series of events that the horse becomes a symbol of Lady Fleurinte and Barbazan’s actions towards her.

In this section, we will enlist and explain some key elements of symbolism we identified within the case study of Vanitas. Symbolism is then carried out through both the characters and, albeit subtly, the landscape. A language of developing strong subplots and the transformations within the play. Symbolism helps develop these subplots, in that an object that has symbolic meaning to one of the characters can be utilized to show a turning point within a relationship between characters. Also, the actions and transformations can be given a sense of deeper meaning, both in very explicit scenarios or as a subtle theme via the entirety of a tempestuous relationship. Amongst these symbols, perhaps most striking are Barbazan’s horse and others’ intentions towards it, and the destroyed garden of the Lady Marchioness.

4. Impact on Artistic Movements

Some also consider this style to be a reinforcement of the aristocratic class and an ebb in interest for the lower classes. In respect to the relation between subject and maniera, mannerism artists could appropriate the symbol of discord and paint it in a style in which it overshadows the subject matter itself. It is easy to see how some vanitas motifs, both discord and especially the memento mori can be related to this. The motif of the memento mori was often portrayed as a somber event of death fitting of the increased awareness of mortality. This more pessimistic maniera exists in various countries and was an aspect of the vanitas symbolism as the dual symbolism in this era appeared slightly later than mannerism. High mannerism was soon overshadowed by baroque style and the success of the dual vanitas motif can be attributed to the fact that the two exist simultaneously. Vanitas symbols carried over from mannerism into baroque were spread across Europe with different nuances. They would continue to be interpreted in different ways relative to the culture and the state of the time and as mentioned in previous chapters, vanitas art never fell out of vulgarization.

Chapter 4 shifts from the contextual and historical data found in the first three chapters and considers the different movements in art. To start, the dual vanitas symbols can be seen to some extent in nearly every artistic movement from the Renaissance forward. Winzinger’s date for the dual symbolism puts it simultaneous with the rise of mannerism in mid-16th century. Derived from the Italian maniera, or style, mannerism is characterized by heightened self-consciousness of a piece of artwork. This style came to dominate artistic notions of adequation or proper form to such a point that method often became more important than subject matter.

5. Conclusion

During his research, the author of the essay experimented with detailed, context-laden textual analysis of a specific scene in “The Case of Vanitas”. Although very interesting and certainly revealing, his findings are difficult to assess according to theories about image, structure, and context. This is because his method shifts attention away from individual aspects of the image and their placement inside a structure, which guide spectators’ interpretations and emotional engagements with a scene. These are image and scene analysis, which are supposed to reveal the implicit meanings in an artwork. Though the two might sometimes seem far-removed from the artwork, for they often necessitate outside knowledge, the scene is still affected by them. By focusing on images taken from the scene depicting Gaudin and Noé in a café, I shall give evidence that supports those methods and links them to the scene’s setting within a socio-historical context. In trying to understand the image in the context of the whole scene, it helps to think of the image as a freeze-frame from a movie. This scene has an interesting double meaning. Films in those days were often romantic comedies, with the frame’s source of laughter coming from Noé, who misunderstands Gaudin’s true intentions about a marriage proposal. This is ironic for the mission that Noé begins the scene with, but it is actually an image from the scene’s first meaning, which concerns the state of the medical profession in France. An understanding of the state of this profession again requires focusing on the image within a broader context. This was a period when positive findings in medicine were few and far between, and the doctor was more well-to-do than successful. Gaudin’s insistence on a progress of medical sciences change throughout the whole anime can be seen as an allegory for a France wanting a quick effective solution to stop the massive bloodshed from the Franco-German War and the following period of unrest.