Painting+of+Figure+on+white+ground

Design of Figure on White Ground To see an enlarged image, click on link: http://www.tnm.jp/en/servlet/Con?&pageId=E16&processId=01&col_id=TI392&img_id=C0050444&ref=2&Q1=&Q2=&Q3=&Q4=%5B23%5D&Q5=&F1=&F2=

Artwork Identification

Title: Design of figure on white ground Artist(s): Unknown Date/Period: 17th Century Country of Origin: India Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Arabic Dimensions : 23 inches X 18 inches Museum/Collection: Tokyo National Museum Accession Number: TI392 Current Location and Manner of Display: Tokyo National Museum; Archives Medium: Cloth, paint Provenance: Unknown


 * Introduction **

The title of the artwork is ‘Design of a Figure on white ground’. The artist of this particular chintz is unknown. Although it is made in 17th century India, this artwork is very symbolic of the culture of that time- Why?. It is a very delicate work of art due to the materials that were used to make it.


 * Descriptive Analysis **

This artwork probably had to be done on white cloth due to the lack of paper in the region at that time. All the colors in the artwork are flat, not bright. There is also no shading that takes place in the artwork. This was probably due either to the cloth not being that fine, or the coating that the artist used not being of good quality. The artist(s) that created this artwork first outlined the picture. He then filled in the outline with the paint that he used to finish the artwork. When looking at the art, your eyes follow the design that leads down the front of the body of the lady pictured, up to the macaw bird that she is holding. The shading of the women’s skin looks like it was meant to be a bright pink, which symbolizes wealth/royalty. The shading probably turned out duller than intended, again due to the quality of the cloth not being that good.

This painting is 23 inches by 18 inches and it is currently held at the Tokyo National Museum. It is a rectangular shape and it is painted directly unto the cloth. The cloth used for this particular artwork was probably not the best quality cloth so the paints that were used on the cloth probably faded faster than expected by the artist.


 * Formal/Contextual Analysis **

Chintz: A printed or spotted cotton cloth. In seventeenth-century India, chintz was referred to as special printed/painted cotton that was sometimes glazed. It was used for clothing and it was most often traded in the Spice Islands, or Persia and the Near East. Arab seamen largely conducted the trade. The seamen carried the cottons from India to other remote island’s ‘eastward’ where they would barter for pepper, spices, gold, and other goods, which were useable or able to be sold back in India. In addition, the Chintz’s were sometimes carried to Persia, Egypt or Africa to be exchanged for gold, ivory or horses for the warriors of India. In the middle of the seventeenth century, the Dutch and the English realized that there was a market for the Indian Chintz. They began to command designs, which were sent out throughout Europe. By the end of the seventeenth century, the popularity of the Indian Chintz was well established throughout Europe and England.

The Chintz's were mostly made to be worn as a form of clothing, such as a dress or wrap. Later, they also became popular to own as house decor, such as window drapes, wallpaper and paintings.

You need to explain the subject matter of the painting. Not just discuss the materials that it is made of. The lady in the artwork is possibly a Rajasthan from a royal family due to the fact that she is adorned with many ornaments and also because she is holding a macaw bird in her hand.


 * Personal Interpretations **

When looking at the art, your eyes follow the design that leads down the front of the body of the lady pictured, up to the macaw bird that she is holding (repeated from above). The shading of the women’s skin like it was meant to be a bright pink, which symbolizes wealth/royalty (source?). The shading probably turned out duller than intended, again due to the quality of the cloth not being that good.



** References **

" Design of a figure on white ground." //Tokyo National Museum//. Web. 20 Nov 2010. .

Beer, Alice Baldwin. //Goods, Trade//. 1. 1. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1970. 9, 41-44. Print.

http://indianartnetwork.com

http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/22259-popup.html

http://www.themagazineantiques.com/news-opinion/current-and-coming/2009-05-06/on-chintz/