Giuseppe De Nittis: Madchen am Strand

This painting employs an unusual angle to show its model. The lady is shown striding carefully towards the sea line, helping herself with an umbrella. Her face is intent, focused on the task at hand. The scene evokes endearment: the girl appears almost helpless; it is as if she would rather be supported by a man rather than by her umbrella. The cloudy sky serves to support the sensation of uncertainty and instability.

While on the one hand, I cannot help but root for the comely model, there is something modern in me that revolts against such demonstration of weakness. We are used to paparazzi photographs of our favorite models showing their skin unabashedly. These developments reflect empowerment and abandonment of the image of a "weak and pretty" sex. Pretty - yes; but not weak, by all means.

So while this painting boasts and impeccable composition (the lady forms a classic elongated triangle right in the middle of the canvas), to my view, it holds an historical value first and foremost. This painting could serve as a fine illustration to a book by George Sand, where women, though strong, still, more often than not, are victims - of their environment, of men and of contemporary society.

Giuseppe de Nittis: "Return From The Ball"

Is there a more obvious way to draw attention to female breasts than to locate them at the exact center of a painting? Today we often complain about the ubiquity of sex and sexual innuendo everywhere we turn our heads: on the street, in advertising and in entertainment. We often forget that this is not a novel fashion. This painting serves as a potent example...

The theme that underlies this work is objectification: of the depicted characters as the imaginary objects of our desire; of women who attend balls and wear such fanciful dresses, which, I have no doubt were in the contemporary vogue. The faces of these girls are turned away from the viewer - they seem to be tiptoeing in order to remain unseen and unheard. But the message is clear - it is not their heads that matter, it is their bodies, - which look at us, more than eloquent in their seduction. These two were meant to be the center of attention at the ball, and now they are the center of attention on this canvas.

I fail to focus on any other aspect of this piece. The girls are probably excited and just had a lot of fun. As I have learned from War and Peace, balls were a grand entertainment and meant a lot to contemporary women, socially and economically. But neither the richness of their dresses nor the somewhat naive peeking (it is unclear whether they are looking inside or outside of a house) manage to distract from the central aforementioned theme. And this makes it a powerful work of art.

Sexual and Financial Power Play

Another compelling work by Giuseppe De Nittis, "Horse Races in the Bois de Boulogne". I would like to focus on the psychological aspects that it touches, because of the unusual intensity of the scene before us.

I believe that this painting is about power play. Sexual and financial dominance are the key themes in this piece but, by hiding from the viewer the actual horse race, the artist also performs a hidden meta power play with the observer: we have to trust the title, and the painter's inventive force. We do not see what he sees or the two figures see - we are powerless and restricted to he chooses to show us.

What strikes me first is that the lady is above her companion, high above him, standing upon a chair. Since the man appears undaunted by this disposition (and perhaps he assisted her in getting upon that chair), it seems plausible that this is the nature of things between the two . Her higher position is symbolical, and since it is late 19th century, I think that it can only symbolize a control of the sexual kind. Horses often represent sexual activity; standing that high she strains herself and tries harder to see what is going on, demonstrating strong interest - in what seems to be like her territory in the relationship between herself and her chaperon. But the man may compensate with extra leverage in the financial sphere.

I would rule out gambling addiction to the races because of his imperial and extremely self-confident posture. These traits oppose a gambler's nervousness and insecurity. Everything in his figure exudes "I own!" - the money, the horses - "anything I desire". He doesn't mind the woman, and, that she is above him; while she is busy watching the horses in their sexual symbolic representation, he is busy watching them as his investment, also a symbol, but of a straightforward monetary kind (if only we could see the symbols!). It seems that he is content with this division: she owns between the sheets and he outside of them. And from this point of view, this painting may display subtle chauvinistic motifs.

Giuseppe de Nittis: "Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt"

I would like to analyze this Giuseppe de Nittis portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, a famous French actress in the second half of the 19th century.

Pierrot is a sad figure, and sadness is what the face of the stander expresses. It is interesting to notice that this is the only visible body part: all else is covered by the luscious costume. This is the first detail that encourages the viewer to look at the face before anything else.

The second is the geometry of the apparel: its form, together with the hat point towards the facial expression; the third is the color - amidst the white and grey tones, the skin and hair of the actress stand out and draw immediate attention. The posture also proves a contribution, as when she lifts her shoulders up and sinks her head into the jabot, it is forced closer to the (golden) center of the painting. Indeed, the forcefulness of this bodily movement endows the piece with additional drama.

I think that the enormous buttons play the symbolical role of tears. As the stander looks to the right, the buttons - tears - flow to the left and accentuate Pierot's inner tension. The richness of the brightly lit costume opposed the the shaded countenance emphasize the turmoil even more. This is an intense and riveting portrait.