Documentary Questions

Alejandra Escobar M.Laura Sofía Rodriguez M.María Camila Prieto C.

1. Do you think religion radically influenced John Martin`s works?

2. Which symbols can you identify in Henry Fuseli’s painting “Nightmare”?

3. Where does Beardsley’s paintings come from? (inspiration, period of time, etc.)

4. Which position did the society have towards the Church?

5. Make an analysis of Brown`s work “The Doubt: can this dry bones live?”

Documentary Answers

Yes, John Martin came from a very devoted family, regardless of the situation, God was their guide, sword and protection. On Sundays they took him twice to pray; this shows how the family pressure towards God influenced all of his works. For example, his apocalyptic view and the way he portrayed it along his writings.

Answer 1:

The Female: she is the main focus of the painting, her bright colors are made in order to contrast the darkness of the room and of the rest of elements that are in it. She´s laying in a very unnatural position, but it expresses the simplicity of the female kind.

The Demon: It is the source of the woman`s nightmare. It’s considered to be a mythological specie characterized for disturbing women in their sleep; whether it impregnated them or acted as their alter ego.

The Horse: The real cause of horror. Its head coming through the curtain is possibly the desire of traveling through the night, the one creature that directly stares at the female, and leads the Demon disturb her sleep and soul.

Answer 2:

Aubrey Beardsley’s paintings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, it emphasized the grotesque, the decadent and the erotic.

He was one of the most important artists of Art Nouveau.

It was characterized for the use of dark ink and paintings in black and white.

His most famous erotic illustrations concerned themes of history and mythology; these include his illustrations for Oscar Wilde's play Salome, which eventually premiered in Paris in 1896.

Answer 3:

In the 19th century, there was still a great fear and suspicion about the Anglican Church. Nevertheless, some people (specially artists) began to bring several ideas that were considered to be “unusual” because they were forbidden or inexistent topics by that time. They talked about death, reincarnation, devil and apocalyptic events. The new scientific discoveries threatened religion as well. For example, with the discovery of fossils, they found out that the Earth had been created long time ago, different from what the Church had said.

Answer 4:

The painting “The Doubt: can this dry bones live?” by Brown has different symbols in it. It depicts a woman lying on a gravestone staring at some bones that have come to the surface. The name written on the gravestone is John Faithful. On top of the skull, there’s a blue butterfly resting, this symbolizes “the resurrection” The title is a quotation of Ezekiel, which describes God showing him the valley of dry bones.

Answer 5: