Art Styles

One of the most important and time-consuming aspects of my project will be creating the painting of the crying woman. In order to be able to create a beautiful yet finished piece that I will be able to use when filming, it is vital for me to start painting it as soon as possible. Because of this, I have already conducted a series of research that will aid me in this process.

I began researching different art styles throughout the ages. Though I have an image in my mind of what I would like the piece to be, I thought it was important for me to explore multiple art styles. I came upon an article in Google Arts and Culture called The Portrayal of Woman Throughout History which showcases art pieces of women throughout history. 

It displays pieces dating from 40 century B.C (such as this sculpture of Venus) to as early as the 1930s (such as this photograph of a Migrant Mother). One piece, in particular, caught my mind: 

Venus of Urbino

Venus of Urbino is a painting by Titian which took four years to complete until it was finally finished in 1538. It is a prime example of a painting during the Italian Renaissance which focuses on human naturalism. I really enjoy the soft blending within many Renaissance pieces, however, like most pieces within this time, there wasn't a lot of focus on human emotion.

This leads me to research Baroque works. Like pieces during the Renaissance movement, Baroque also shares the characteristics of having soft features however its focus lays mostly on the capturing of human emotion. 

Josefa de Óbidos

Unknown

Cheers!

I refined my search by focusing on paintings that depicted upset women. Since I will have to model my subject, I wanted to research thoroughly the lighting and composition of paintings including crying women. In order to do so, I asked for help from my friend. classmate, and fellow art history student Aurea if they had any pieces in mind. Aurea nudged me into a good direction by giving me some examples of what to look for.

Taking this into consideration I began looking for pieces on my own until I eventually wandered upon the perfect painting.

A Weeping Woman

A Weeping Woman, otherwise known as A Study of a Weeping Woman, is a Baroque painting 1644. Its artist is unknown however it is commonly believed that the artist was a student of the renowned painter Rembrandt as the piece greatly corresponds to Rembrandt's piece The Woman Taken in Adultery. 

What attracts me the most from this painting is its composition. Out of all of the other pieces depicting crying women, this is one that is less dramatized as it captures a silent tear, which is exactly what I seek to capture within my piece. The composition shows just enough of the facial features to capture the emotion the subject is presenting while also displaying a good portion of the clothes she wears. This is important to me as the clothing the woman in my short film wears serves as a way to identify her within the piece. I also really enjoy how simple the background is, this shows me that the simple background I have in mind will not take away from the painting itself. 

This final painting will guide me tremendously with the creation of my own version of A Weeping Woman.