Masaccio’s ‘Expulsion from the Garden of Eden’.

-Used mathematics to create perspective which was new and radical.

-They were nude. (Fig leaves were added to hide this)

-Broke away from the current Gothic style which was controversial at the time.

This painting is an early renaissance painting. The majority of other renaissance painters of the time painted in the Gothic style, which flattened forms and idealised beauty. In this painting Masaccio broke

away from this style, causing huge controversy. This controversy is why Gary

Ross included this painting in Pleasantville, as it symbolises the attitude that Bill has to

adopt.

Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’- Didn’t know what the purpose of

the painting was, symbols of fidelity, but also lust.

- She’s naked apart from earrings, a ring and a bracelet, which are

symbols of prostitution.- The dog is a symbol of faithfulness, and the fact that it is asleep hints that the woman portrayed is unfaithful. And the the roses and the myrtle tree in

the background symbolise fidelity.

This painting, once again, breaks away from the Gothic style that was used by other Renaissance

painters. It also depicts the goddess Venus, a symbol of lust,

as loyal to one man. This depiction did not sit well with contemporary

ideas, and caused much disapproval. Gary Ross chose this

painting for both its history and beauty.

Turner ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’

- Brushstrokes are broad, free and gestural.

- Paint application is thick and used sparingly.

- Colour is used to define perspective.

- Canvas is left bare in places and has a smoky effect to it.

This painting was painted during the English Romantic art movement, the

successor of British Neo-Classicism. It was quite

controversial, partly because of the paint application process. The paint is applied thickly which leaves brush marks. It has also been applied alla

prima, which means all at once, giving the smoky effect. Gary Ross included this painting to show Bill

variety in paint application.

Picasso’s ‘Weeping Woman’

- Flat, and with a shallow perspective.

- Stylisation of form. The work is broken down into simple geometric shapes.

- Use of bold outlines

This painting abstracts and distorts form, making it unrealistic. Though she is recognisable as a woman, detail is

obscured and identity removed. This meant that the painting was open to

interpretation. Gary Ross included this image because of that characteristic. We can see this when Bill sees the woman

sleeping and Betty sees the woman crying.

Rembrandt’s ‘Self Portrait’ series

- Brushstrokes are broad and applied thickly, and he scratched into the

wet paint to create highlights.

- Two circles in the background that confounded art historians and

critics.

This painting was painted during a time when smooth paint application was

preferred. In this painting, the paint is applied thickly and with gesture. The quick application of paint creates a smoky effect, much like in Turner’s work. Gary Ross chose this painting

because it shows Bill that not all paintings have to be perfect or smooth.

Monet’s ‘Water lilies’

- Bold use of colour.- Quick, jabby brushstrokes.

- Paint applied straight from tube.- Abstraction

- Scale

Monet enjoyed the play of light, particularly on water. He uses

extremely vibrant colours juxtaposed against one another to recreate this effect. His water lilies were the final

stage in his exploration of light. Gary Ross chose this work because it

shows Bill he can use vibrant colour in different ways.

Cezanne’s ‘Still Life with Oranges’

- Faceting

- Flat blocks of colour

- Use of complimentary colours

- Varied axes of perspective

This painting was considered controversial because of the way that Cezanne painted

it. The way he applied colour in blocks, rather than shading the fruit nicely did not

sit well with other painters of the time. Also, the way that Cezanne keeps changing view

point also frustrated his contemporaries. Ross showed this painting so that Bill can

get an idea of playing with perspective.

Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’- Paint application is impasto

- Colours straight from the tube

- Gestural brushstrokes

- Cypress trees thought to be bad omens; representative of death

- Outlining

- Not actually a scene

- Van Gogh wasn't a well known artist

Van Gogh never sold a piece of art in his lifetime. This piece was painted while he

was in an asylum and it is his most famous piece. Gary Ross chose to use this image in order to show Bill that one does not need to be known as an artist

to create great works of art.