Niagara Falls by Trace Gaynes
Romanticism originated in the 18th century and was a movement of art and literature. The main idea of romanticism is to emphasize individuality. Romanticism lasted from the eighteen hundreds to about eighteen fifties. Some key names that started the romanticism through literature include William Blake, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge. This picture of Niagara falls was painted by Frederick Church in eighteen fifty seven. Frederick Church is a renowned hudson river artist. Just by looking at the picture you can tell that in this painting the individuality is focusing on the waterfall which is known as Niagara falls. The falls on the left side are bright with a light pointing down on them from the sky and as you transition to the right side of the painting it gets darker. This is called the contrast in colors. Frederick Church painted this image at the angle that the viewer can not see what at the bottom of the whaterfull which brings a sense of unknowingness into the painting. In the middle part of the painting there is a streak of light coming from the bottom of the waterfall which tell the viewer that there is something beyond the top of the waterfall. On the darker side of the waterfall the clouds above them are dark as well and this is just something that Frederick does to make the piece come together. The horizon in the background is put there to tell the viewer another sense of unknowingness that there is something beyond the waterfall that can not be seen in the painting. The perspective that Frederick Church painted is that the viewer is right on the edge of the waterfall but just far away enough to where the viewer can not see the bottom of the waterfall. This Painting is a perfect example of Romanticism because it shows the individuality of the waterfall and gives the contrast in colors throughout the painting. The painting also has a sense of unknowingness in the waterfall and the horizon.
Niagara Falls by Faiza Khaled
Frederick Churches painting, Niagara Falls, was painted in the year 1857. Frederick Church is well known for his paintings of vast landscapes including mountains, sunsets, waterfalls, bodies of water, etc. Many of Churches pieces are representative of the Romanticism era. The Romantic Era took place in Europe from the 1800’s to 1850’s. The era was an intellectual and artistic movement that exemplified the expansive beauties of nature as well as
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individuality. Along with many of Churches works, Niagara Falls depicts the immensity, beauty, and mystery of nature.
As discernible by the title of the piece, the painting is a landscape illustration of Niagara Falls which falls on the border of upstate New York and Canada. Church uses specific colors in the painting that evokes emotion. The painting uses a lot of dark colors, like blue, black, and gray which set an ominous mood, almost suggesting a sort of overarching evil. Although the dark colors play a prominent role in the painting, there is also a use of white and light colors. The lighter colors serve as a positive contrast to the dark connotation from the deep colors. The light ray that appears to be a rainbow serves as a ray of hope and beauty. The use of the contrasting colors to evoke emotion is a form of personification known as pathetic fallacy. Additionally, the angle to which the piece is painted is meant to create a sense of mystery.
The personal point of view is at the edge of the waterfall, where the water falls sharply downward. From this perspective, there’s limited knowledge of the depth of the remaining waterfall. The view only constitutes for a portion of the waterfall, and the true expansiveness is unknown which invokes wariness. Although this piece can be seen to depict nature as baleful, it suggests nature to be bilateral: destructive and beautiful. The destructiveness in itself is a form of beauty.
Niagara Falls accentuates the enormity of nature, which was a common aspect of paintings from the Romantic era. Frederick Church uses various contrasting colors to create various emotions like uncertainty. The profundity of Churches piece truly embodies the various aspects of nature that are often overlooked. (364)
